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superhero
by Ashwini Ramaswamy
Superheroes are in style. Hollywood spits out a
new superhero franchise every few months, and
audiences line up to see what cool new power is
on display.
I’m no different. I love the flying, shapeshifting,
spider web-weaving, fire-wielding,
mind-reading—pretty much all of it. I was
thinking about what to write in this essay and my
mind wandered to thoughts of seeing a movie,
when I had my aha! moment:
How does my mother, Ranee Ramaswamy,
manage to cook exquisite food for the entire
day, choreograph a dance piece, go to yoga,
grocery shop, and balance her checkbook,
all by 10 a.m.? She is a superhero!
How does she manage to come up with
a brilliant idea for a grant proposal while
simultaneously listening to music by her next
dream collaborator and reading ancient Indian
poetry in its original language? Superhero!
She’s a magician who makes things happen:
performing with world-renowned poets
(Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, Jane Hirshfield);
collaborating with musicians of the highest
caliber (Dr. L. Subramaniam, Howard Levy,
Shubhendra Rao, Saskia Rao); bringing
Ragamala to audiences around the world
(40 states and 10 countries on three continents).
She does everything she sets her mind to.
Even her origin story fits the superhero
mold—an ordinary girl from ordinary
circumstances turns out to be extraordinary.
She came to the United States from India
expecting to be a wife and mother and nothing
else, but extraordinary people can’t be bound
by convention. Most people wouldn’t be able
to build an internationally regarded dance
company from nothing and still manage to be an
incredibly present and engaging parent, but my
mom did. She would wake me up for school
every day with hot chocolate; make me
breakfast, lunch, and dinner; drive me to all
my before- and after-school activities; and take
me on wonderful trips within the United States
and abroad, while at the same time creating
some of the most original and moving art in
the Twin Cities.
Even now, when Ragamala is busier than
ever, she finds time to take care of her parents
and, when needed, my sister’s two-year-old twin
sons. I am absolutely in awe of her, as a mother,
a teacher, a colleague, a friend, and an artist.
She created Ragamala and, led by her incredible
ambition, unparalleled creativity, and amazing
artistic partnership with my sister, Aparna, took
it from a Burnsville, Minnesota, basement to a
New York Times–reviewed performance at the
Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
If she’s not a superhero, I don’t know who is.
Ashwini Ramaswamy is Ragamala Dance’s director
of publicity and marketing, and is also a dancer with
the company.
Ranee Ramaswamy 2011 mcknight distinguished artist 20