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Photo: R. Ravindran

Guru-sishya parampara: Ramli Ibrahim (right) with January Low.

Ramli Ibrahim and January Low believe in line and form in dance not in geographical margins and narrow artistic thoughts. They are busy crisscrossing the globe with Sutra productions in traditional and contemporary idioms (Ramli is trained in classical ballet, Indian classical dance and modern dance).

“We are now global citizens. I recently read an article about how we need to redefine our nationalities. An Indian need not be in India to feel rooted. People like me who travel between cultures talk about experiences and not places, says Ramli. “Like India, Malaysia is a cultural melting point. And without a lid,” smiles Jan (as she is fondly referred to by Sutra members). “So you could add and take out what you want.”

Jan was eight when she entered Sutra. “I said ‘wow, it’s stunning’ when I first watched Odissi and Bharatanatyam performances. Luckily for us, our guru is waiting to meet excited youngsters and trains them with a missionary zeal. He had it all ready for us to learn and go up on the stage.”

But Ramli’s journey was about fight, struggle and hardship.

He began with Malay folk dances and western classical ballet and was with the Sydney Dance company in Australia, New York, London and Europe.

He learnt Bharatanatyam from Adyar K Lakshman and Odissi from Deba Prasad Das. “It was kind of an awakening within me when I watched the Indian classical dance forms. But my exposure to diverse dance forms and fine arts such as painting and sculpture has let me redefine tradition and modernity in dance and come up with several original productions. A choreographer should think out-of-the-box. The labels that we refer to as sacred are man-made and inadequate when you want to undertake creative challenges,” says Ramli.

Adds Jan, “We need to look at the bigger picture. There’s so much we can do – mythical, spiritual, social…a whole range.” At this point, Ramli quotes Bharata who in his Natyasastra has said “There is no concept in the universe that cannot be explored through dance.”

Continues Ramli, “For inspiration you need to just look around. What we need to work on is presentation and involvement of rasikas. Like in the West, we need to cultivate an audience for our arts. It’s easier to do so for music but not for theatre. To watch a dance performance or a play, people should be inspired enough to get dressed and step out of the comfort of their homes.” “Absolutely,” nods the charming sishya. “We tend to make the mistake of comparing classical arts with Bollywood or MTV. Such comparisons are unethical. Over a period of time, you will realise popular arts lack the layering, the depth.”

What about overt-sensuality in classical arts? “The line between the sacred and profane is thin. A dancer expresses through the body, which is a sensuous instrument. And you need a good body to express effectively. But if he or she is going to use it to titillate, it would be an assault on the senses. Today’s audience are quite discerning and will soon recognise such gimmicks,” says Ramli.

“He’s right, he’s right,” whispers the sishya. And the guru looks at her with a glint of pride in his eyes. “These youngsters invest so much energy into my productions. I let them do the lighting, stage and costumes. We need to empower them. They are full of ideas. I don’t believe in long, boring preachy sessions,” says Ramli.

Sutra is not just about training and rehearsals. “We go out, eat together, talk movies… guruji often makes coffee for us,” laughs Jan. And the laugh says it all.

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