Malay dance maestro Ramli Ibrahim looks for another like him

Kuala Lumpur, Oct 10 (PTI) For a generation of Malaysian
lovers of the classical realm in dance, Ramli Ibrahim has been
dynamism and creativity personified, but the man who has
inspired many towards theatrical dance is worried over the
paucity of male dancers in the art form.
A cultural icon for many in this multi-ethnic country,
Ibrahim, a Malay, is credited for infusing new experimental
thought in Malaysian theatre and as a trainer of Odissi and
Bharatnatyam has groomed some of the finest dancers in
Malaysia.
However, the veteran artist is concerned that a stigma
associated with dancing, for men, is preventing many good
talents from entering the stream.
"The number of male dancers coming to learn classical
dancing is not very encouraging," says 58-year-old Ibrahim,
whose Sutra Foundation trains dancers in traditional and
contemporary styles.
"I think one of the reasons is that there is a kind of
stigma attached to male dancing, especially in countries of
Asia. This is not the social trend in Europe," he says.
Moreover, he says, when dancing is not a very viable
option to earn money, even those who love the art wither away
with time.
"So only a few who are really driven by a passion to
dance and cannot think of living without it take it up," he
says.
Ibrahim's school where over 200 students are taught,
however, is flourishing with students of different ethnicities
eager to learn and experiment with various dance forms.
While he studied mechanical engineering as a student, he
was drawn towards Bharatnatyam and later to Odissi, to which
he also blended his rich expertise in ballet and other
contemporary forms.
For a person who grew up in a rich mix of cultures in a
country where ethnic Indians were a large presence, it was not
difficult as a dance lover to get attracted towards the Indian
dance forms.
"Indian culture was pervasive even when I was a child.
In the 1960s Bharatnatyam and semi classical dances were very
common on our television. However Odissi was not at all known
at that time," he says.
An accomplished ballet dancer with the Sydney Dance
Company, Ibrahim's love and enchantment towards Odissi,
however, took him to Puri in Orissa where he became a disciple
of known Odissi dancer Guru Deba Prasad Das.
"Bharatnatyam was my first love, it was more pervasive
in Malaysia. But Odissi, which is different from the sharp
movements of Bharatnatyam was something I helped introduce in
my country," he says.

It was in 1984 when he returned to Malaysia for the
first time to render a performance. To Ibrahim, who performed
the Indian forms under the name 'Ramchandra', Indian classical
forms are as much a part of Malay culture as are Malaysian
traditional forms.
The man, who in his own words is trying to "redifine
modernity from the Asian perspective," is happy that his
audience comprises Indians as much as Malays and Chinese.
"I am one of the few Malays who promote the idea that
all three cultures are part of our indigenous culture. I
never deny anything that has made my personality. My Odissi
too has a Malay character, and my students also go through the
training of ballet," he says.
Consistently worked to evolve his dance forms, Ibrahim
says his dancers have to work hard for an audience but he is
happy that a new more experienced bunch of 'gurus' is
emerging.
"I am urging my students to think beyond certain
repertoir in Bharatnatyam and Odissi," he says. PTI WAJ
AGL