“Another performance that stands out for both of us is the Hampi tour, where we performed open air in a designated spot at a hilly area and had to be done before the sun set, because there was no electricity. Nearby villagers and tourists came to watch for free,” chimes in Tan.

In terms of classes, Sree shares that each individual teacher have their own styles of teaching. “As intimidating as it is, students really look forward to classes with Datuk Ramli, who has an effective and efficient way of teaching, whether it’s seven-year-old children or even 50-year-old adults. Of course, for beginners, lessons are lenient, and classes comprise students from all age ranges, depending on individual levels of mastery,” Sree reveals. Generally, adults pick up the moves faster and then progress to higher levels quicker, while those who need time to master the moves can maintain at their comfort level.

Showcasing the multiracial diversity and inclusiveness of Sutra, Tan started off as an admirer of classical Indian dance before joining the dance theatre and falling more in love with the art. “We start by learning the songs, and then we brush up and rearrange the songs into group compositions before moving into dance,” Tan says about the process.

There’s also the Sutra Dance outreach programme, which aims to give opportunities to children and teenagers, aged from six to 15. The programme provides scholarships to participating young dancers so they can benefit from formal dance training, and in turn helps Sutra recognise talents as it works to develop the Malaysian performing arts scene.

Most recently, Sutra Dance Theatre performed Jaya Ram, one of its biggest Odissi productions yet. The show took place at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre at the end of September and will be touring to India, featuring more than 20 dancers under Sutra Dance Theatre—including Vanizha Vasanthanathan, Tatler’s August 2022 cover star—and Sutra Outreach Programme, plus live musicians specialising in classical Indian music.

On the technical side of the performances, and easily recognisable by his hairstyle—which he has grown and maintained for 28 years, since 1994—is Natarajan. A graduate of fine arts from the Malaysian Institute of Art, Natarajan was fascinated with figures and enjoyed drawing. He used to drop by Sutra and sketch the dancers in motion during their classes. Ramli noticed his eye for details and offered him to design a set for one of their upcoming festivals. Natarajan delivered wonderfully and quickly picked up on the necessary skills, moving from writing prompt copies to light designing and stage management, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Fast-forward to today, Natarajan has been with Sutra for more than 30 years and multitasks according to available budget. “You can give me 100 lights, or even just five, and I will make do, to put on the best show possible; we got to work with what we have,” he shares. Natarajan maintains that lighting is only complementary to the main show, and usually watches the dance beforehand to soak it all in and then decide what moods to play with using the various colours and brightness.

He approaches his process like a painter, as he was trained, and creates remarkable visuals using light as his medium for colour. One can clearly tell Natarajan understands the world of art and applies it in his work as he begins to explain how he draws inspiration from the Baroque-style painters, whose artwork feature shadow contrasts.

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“There can be 10 dancers doing the same formation, but I won’t light all of them the same way; each one would have a different intensity and perspective for the audience, giving them a feel of more depth, rather than just throwing light at all of them, which would just bleach the whole stage. Instead, I play around with back lights as well, to visually enhance and in a sense sculpt the body with light. I even tell the dancers, if you can see your shadow on the floor while performing, you’re visible to the audience, and if you can’t you need to adjust your position.

“Every production is a learning experience, despite some of them being the same dance, because every time they go into the theatre it’s different—placements and compositions are different, which means that the lighting has to change accordingly. Each new production is essentially a blank canvas,” Natarajan adds.

Sutra Dance Theatre has two intakes per year for classes, and also offers lessons in ballet and contemporary dance.

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