Dancing to her own rhythm
Indian classical dancer overcomes life’s obstacles by focusing on goals and following her passion
THE discipline needed to learn and master Indian classical dances has taken Kirthana Sukumaran a long way in meeting life’s challenges.
From conquering stage fright in her debut performance as a child to coping with the difficulties her parents face now, Kirthana has only emerged much stronger.
It was a regimen built over her lifetime. Kirthana was introduced to Bharatanatyam when she turned four.
Her father Sukumaran Suppiah, an English teacher, felt that her talent could be harnessed through the dance form, indigenous to the Indian state of Odisha.
The dance lessons were offered through an outreach programme in Kuala Selangor to give children the
opportunity to undergo formal training in dance.
From Bharatanatyam, she moved on to Odissi, another dance form also originating from South India.
Eventually, she came under the tutelage of Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, the award-winning choreographer and practitioner of Indian classical dances.
“It is all about practice and discipline,” Kirthana told theSun. That means practising up to three hours a day at her home
in Rawang.
Her day’s routine starts with school in the morning, and upon returning home, she would focus on her homework.
“Once that was out of the way, I looked for suitable music on YouTube for my dance routine,” she said.
The dance practice is not just about tapping the feet in tandem with the beat of the music. It starts with a stretching exercise, a ballet-style technique she learnt, which takes up to 30 minutes. Only then does she start with her dance routine.
For Kirthana, the toughest part is remembering the steps. “There are many steps and you need to take them at the right time,” she said.
“The movements in Odissi are gentle but it requires you to bend your torso a lot. That can be quite difficult, but with the right technique, it can be mastered,” she added.
Kirthana made her debut on stage in 2015 at the age of 10 in a production called Ganjam at Istana Budaya.
“I was nervous but I did not tell anyone,” she said, recounting how she felt just before she stepped on stage before an audience.
“I was the only kid. All the other performers were adults, and I was unsure how to behave around them,” she said.
Instead of giving in to her fears, Kirthana convinced herself that this was an opportunity of a lifetime, and overcame her fears to give her best.
The Odissi repertoire in that performance was an homage to the cultural region of Ganjam in the southern part of Odisha. Ganjam is home to some of medieval Odissi’s most eminent composers and literary authors.
Kirthana’s performance that night earned her a star rating in the media.
Since then, she has gone on international tours and performed in several productions such as Amorous Delight, Odissi On High and Triple Frontiers.
At age 16 today, she is unfazed by the attention or the need to keep pace with other professionals on the scene.
Kirthana, who wants to be a dance teacher some day, has begun to give lessons to young children, some as young as five years old.
When not on stage, she has other challenges. Her mother is on treatment for stage four kidney failure and her father is struggling to make ends meet by offering food delivery service.
“It has been a struggle for my sister and I, but we remain strong as a family,” she said.
Her father’s mantra – focus on our goals and follow our passion – is her guiding principle.
“Even when there are obstacles, we need to be strong,” she added.