The Body as a Living Practice

Dance has never been simply a profession for me. It is the way I understand life.

From my earliest training in Bharatanatyam, Odissi, ballet and contemporary dance under the guidance of Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, through my years performing with Sutra Dance Theatre and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company, dance has been a lifelong journey of discovery, questioning and transformation.

My practice is deeply rooted in the discipline, rhythm and philosophy of Indian classical dance, yet I have always been curious about where these traditions can lead. I am interested in how classical forms continue to evolve, communicate and remain alive within contemporary bodies and contemporary experiences.

For me, tradition is not something frozen in time. It is a living language… one that grows, adapts and continues to speak across generations.

Curiosity as Creation

I don’t create work to make a statement or to follow artistic trends. I create because I am curious.

Every work begins with a question rather than an answer.

How does the body remember?

How does movement change with experience?

How can a classical vocabulary continue to evolve without losing its essence?

How do we honour tradition while allowing it to breathe in the present?

My choreographic works including StarStruck, Rebel Without A Cause, Panjara, Rehab, Rebab, Blue, Drowning, Exalted, The Crowning Glory, When Spring Came and REM have all emerged from this ongoing inquiry. Although each work is different, they are connected by themes of memory, identity, resilience, relationships and transformation.

Rather than seeing classical and contemporary movement as separate worlds, I see them as part of the same conversation, each informing and enriching the other.

The Evolving Body

Now in my late forties, I find myself entering one of the most exciting chapters of my artistic journey.

For many dancers, ageing is something to resist. I have come to see it differently.

Every stage of life brings a different body, a different perspective and new questions to explore. As my body changes, so does my dance. Instead of trying to preserve who I was twenty years ago, I am interested in discovering who I can become now.

This curiosity has led me towards interdisciplinary practices, including collaborations with aerial artists and other creative disciplines. These explorations are not a departure from my classical training; they are a continuation of it. They allow me to investigate movement, space, gravity and expression from new perspectives while remaining deeply connected to the traditions that shaped me.

The question I keep returning to is simple:

What new possibilities can this body discover today?

Dance as Connection and Healing

Throughout my career as a performer, choreographer and educator, I have witnessed the extraordinary capacity of dance to transform lives… including my own.

Dance has taught me resilience, patience, discipline, compassion and courage. It has carried me through moments of joy, grief, uncertainty and renewal.

Through my work in arts education and my initiatives, like rehab creative arts – which were challenging and some sadly did not even survive… I have come to believe that movement is about far more than technique or performance… it’s beyond the gratification of success. The magic happens during the creative process… It creates spaces where people connect with themselves, within, and with one another and with it stories come through often when it cannot be expressed through words.

Whether I am teaching children, mentoring young artists or creating new work, my hope is always the same: that people leave with a deeper understanding of themselves and a greater sense of possibility.

Between Tradition and New Possibilities

Today, my artistic practice unfolds between Malaysia and Australia.

Living and working across two countries has expanded my understanding of identity, belonging and cultural exchange. It has introduced me to new collaborators, new communities and new ways of approach, while strengthening my appreciation for the artistic traditions that continue to ground me.

I do not see tradition and innovation as opposites.

I believe one gives meaning to the other.

Every rehearsal becomes an opportunity to strengthen.

Every collaboration becomes an opportunity to learn.

Every new work becomes another step in an endless journey of discovery.

Dance Is Life

When I look back over my life, I realise that every significant chapter has been shaped by dance.

It has been my discipline, my teacher, my refuge, my community and my way of understanding the world.

None of this would have been possible without the people who believed in me. I am deeply grateful to my family, gurus, collaborators, fellow artists, students and audiences who have shared this journey with me.

Above all, I owe everything to my mother, Sarasvathi Rajan. After losing my father at the age of four, she became my greatest source of strength and the unwavering heart behind every step I have taken. Her love, sacrifices and belief in me made this life in dance possible. Whatever I have achieved is built upon the foundation she gave me.

Dance is not simply something I do.

It is who I am.

It is how I continue to learn, to grow and to live.