Maxis and Sutra Dance Theatre presents Malaysia’s first ever Odissi festival. Stirring Odissi 2008 will be a celebration of the different creative and intellectual expressions of Odissi. Among the exhibitions, the lectures, the performances, and seminars, Malaysia is set to catch Odissi fever. Principle dancer of Sutra Dance Theatre, and prodigy of the one and only Ramli Ibrahim, January Low describes the dance that has become her life’s passion, and the festival that’s set to bring this passion to the nation.

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Tell us about yourself.

OK, first thing first. I was born in August. My name came from a character in a Jacqueline Susanne book that my father read. I am of Chinese-Indian parentage and I have been dancing for the past 19 years.

You first began studying traditional Indian dance when you were very young. Why dance?

I started ballet at the age of four, and my mom could tell I had a penchant for dance. She also made it a point to drag me to any sort of performance art shows. So, in a way I was taught from a very young age to appreciate the local arts scene. After four years, my father met Ramli Ibrahim, and he told me I should join his school.

Unfortunately, at that point I still hadn’t been exposed to any form of Indian Classical Dance, but I went to watch one of Sutra's rehearsals, and it must have created a huge impact on me because 15 years later, I’m still here.

Why, in particular, traditional Indian dance forms?

It's really strange but I have a huge affinity towards anything Indian. Be it food, culture, paintings, colours, clothes, etc. So I naturally have this unexplainable attraction towards Indian Classical Dance. I love the movements, the music, the make-up, the costume, the bells, the eye movements, the hand gestures, the mythology behind it, the earthiness, the sensuality, the list can go on and on and on.

But don't get me wrong, I love watching good, quality performances. I watch everything and try to absorb the best out of every performance, be it contemporary or ballet or Chinese classical dance. There is nothing like watching a fantastic performance.

You studied under a man, Ramli Ibrahim, who's often referred to as the "Master of Dance" in Malaysia. How's that for pressure?

Well, I think that when you are really young, you don't really realise the gravity of any situation. So when I was eight, I never thought about him as the celebrated or "Lord of the Dance" Ramli Ibrahim. He was my dance teacher and I was terrified of him.

In 2003 you beat out your tutor, Ramli Ibrahim, for the award for Best Solo Performance (Dance) at the BOH Cameronian Arts Awards. Was it a case of insubordination, or a conspiracy to take over the Awards?

There was no conspiracy whatsoever. The decision was made by the judges and I had absolutely no say. Plus I wouldn't say I beat Ramli. There is no such thing as winning or losing in the arts.

But how did winning feel?

Ramli never says you win an award, he always says you earn an award. It was really strange because I was also nominated for the most promising artist award, and I felt like I had a better chance at getting that than the Best Solo performance, because I was nominated alongside Aida Redza, Ramli and Judimar. So when they actually mentioned my name, I was shocked. It was so wonderful. Ramli had such an ecstatic look on his face, and I knew that he was really happy for me. The award meant a lot to me because the late Krishen Jit was the one who presented it to me.

If you had to choose between Bharata Natyam and Odissi, which would it be?

I would choose Odissi, because I absolutely love Odissi movements. I have this huge magnetic attraction towards Odissi and I feel that Odissi is in my blood.

Describe Odissi in five words.

Sensuous, molasses, exciting, taut, round.

Tell us about the upcoming festival -- organised by Sutra Dance Theatre and sponsored by Maxis -- Stirring Odissi. What can we expect?

You can expect the best of the best of all Odissi exponents from all over the world. There will be art exhibitions based on Odissi, seminars, lecture demonstrations, forums, panel discussions and not to mention dance performances.

Which performances do you especially recommend not to miss?

I think every performance will have something special to offer.

We understand you'll be performing too. Tell us about your performance.

I'm very excited about my performance. I’ll be kicking off the Female Solo section and I will be performing on the 3rd of June at MTC Auditorium on Jalan Ampang. The show starts at 8.30pm and I'll be starting it off. All the female solo performances will be accompanied by live music, which adds a little more magic to the performance.

Why should Malaysians take an interest in Odissi?

I think Malaysians should be interested in local talent. Everyone has this misconception that everything from the West is "good", but they need to believe in the local artistes as well, because only then will we be able to move forward and evolve.

I think that Malaysians should be interested in this festival because it will the first ever International Odissi Festival in Malaysia and only the 4th in the world.

It has been said by many that traditional Indian dance has experienced something of a revival over the last few years. Why do think the same isn't often said about Malaysian dance?

I think the main reason is because traditional art-forms are often mistaken for religious rituals. It is very unfortunate that few youths are interested in traditional art-forms like Mak Yong and Menora. But I think that Fahmi Fadzil has done a wonderful revival of Wayang Kulit. He has made it more accessible, thus making it easier for youth to understand, sparking interest and awareness.

If you'd never heard of Sutra Dance Theatre, what would you be doing with your life?

I think I would be doing something like medicine and I'd be very unhappy.

What do you make of the fiasco a few years back where dancers, gurus and the like protested in India about Sutra Dance Theatre's decision not to include odhni or dupatta in the dancers' costumes during a performance there?

I honestly think that it was a small issue that was blown out of proportion. I have performed numerous times in Orissa without the odhni, but I never had any problems. I feel it was a very malicious act, and completely unnecessary.

What are your greatest hopes for Stirring Odissi 2008?

I hope that it is a huge success and that all the auditoriums will be 80% full and the participants have a wonderful time.

What are your greatest fears?

The list could go on for awhile … but my biggest fear would be empty auditoriums.

What's the most productive thing you could do in 60 seconds?

Hmm ... I guess I could whip up a salad in a minute.

What's next for you?

I don’t know what's going to happen next. All my energy is focused on Stirring Odissi!

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Yasmin Zetti Martin writes for Kakiseni.

Stirring Odissi 2008 happens from Fri 23 May – Sat 14 Jun 2008 at various venues. Click here for more information.