The Minneapolis-based McKnight Foundation has named dancer and choreographer Ranee Ramaswamy as its 2011 Distinguished Artist.

Now in its fourteenth year, the McKnight Distinguished Artist program recognizes individual Minnesota artists who have made significant contributions to the quality of the state's cultural life and includes a $50,000 cash prize. Ramaswamy, who has taught and performed classical Bharatanatyam dance since 1978, is best known as the founding artistic director and choreographer of Minnesota's Ragamala Dance.

Ramaswamy's work has been presented across the United States and internationally at venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.; the New Victory Theater in New York City; the Wharton Center in East Lansing, Michigan; and the Soorya Festival in Kerala, India. In addition, she has collaborated with artists of diverse backgrounds and disciplines, including poet Robert Bly, modern dancer Jerry Girouard, composer and violinist L. Subramaniam, African dancer Morris Johnson, and jazz musician Howard Levy.

"Ranee Ramaswamy is a stellar example of the combined power of vision, commitment, and technique," said McKnight Foundation president Kate Wolford. "Through teaching and performance, Ranee has helped introduce this two thousand-year-old dance tradition to audiences in Minnesota and around the world, revealing its ancient ties as well as its relevance today."