All I needed was time...

Whenever I meet someone for the first time they never fail to ask me if I was born in January. I never tire from their expression when I tell them that I was born in August. There has been countless times when I am speaking to a receptionist or a real estate agent and they either tell me that I have a lovely name or they say that I have a really funny name.

On very rare occasions, some people  have actually heard my name before. They ask me wearily, "Umm...are you January Low by any chance?" I don't really know what they mean by asking me a question phrased like that but I proudly say, "Yes, I am." Maybe I don't look like a traditional Indian Classical dancer? But, what do traditional Indian Classical dancers look like?

Nowadays, the first question people ask me when they bump into me is, "Are you still dancing?" As hard as it is to answer that question, I seem to get by telling them the truth. You see, I was with Sutra Dance Theatre for 17 years. That is a looong time. In January 2009, I applied for a Dance Exchange in Seoul, South Korea, I completed the season of Rasa Unmasked, packed my bags and hopped onto a plane headed to the Soul of Asia.

I spent the best 6 months of my life and came home. I came home feeling lost and aimless. I did not know how to move on to the next stage of my life. So I decided to take the easy way out and got myself a job. Within the first 2 months, I knew that I was not suited for the client-servicing industry. I'd spent most of my life fighting for the Arts and was taught to never give a hoot about anyone. As an artist, you need to be strong and believe in what you are doing because almost everyone will have something to say about the piece that you just choreographed and you realise that these people only sit in the audience, watch your blood, sweat and tears for a mere 45 minutes, wait backstage for you only to criticise your work and go home and go about their daily routine.

No one was with you in the studio, no one called you up one day to ask you if you needed a third pair of eyes to help you with your piece, no one really cared. So yes, I realised very quickly that I could not sit there and agree with everything my client wanted me to do. So I tendered my resignation and prepared myself to get back into the dance studio and start getting creative.

I was invited to perform for last year's World Dance Day and I wanted to create a new piece. I did not know how or where to start but I decided to perform a piece that focused on 'Abhinaya' or the expressive technique of Indian Classical Dance. I also wanted to perform this piece to an original soundscape, better yet, live. So I thought about getting a sitar player to accompany me for this piece but then I decided against the usual musical accompaniment and gave my friend, Reza Salleh a phone call.

For all of you that has not heard of Reza, shame on you! Reza is a local artist who melts your heart with his songs. Besides his golden voice, he is also the genius behind Moonshine, a platform for upcoming independent musicians to showcase their music (This was where the ever-so-talented Yuna was discovered). So since my piece was about the different tonalities of love, calling Reza Salleh to accompany me was a no-brainer.

*** If you haven't heard Reza Salleh perform I strongly suggest you click on this and book your tickets to watch him perform at the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed!

Luckily for me, Reza was free and willing to experiment this piece with me. We met up for a few sessions where I explained to him what the piece was about and we sat down and discussed the melodies for the different parts. One night, after cooking dinner for a bunch of my closest friends, Reza and I decided to premier the piece for them in my living room!

Based on my friends' reactions and what I felt while performing the piece, I'm proud to say that I think Reza and I struck gold. The piece was new, fresh and yet still very, very traditional. We moved on to perform this piece twice last year and I am ever so excited to create more.

Another small win for me last year was performing for TUGU Drum Circle's 8th Anniversary. I had the privilege to perform with Elvira Arul and Reza Salleh. 'Sweet' is one of my ultimate favourite songs and dancing to it live with Reza singing was truly a dream come true.

Now, that the wedding is over, I have a few more ideas up my sleeve and I can't wait to see how it translates into physical movement. But it is a wonderful feeling, having ideas that flow from one point to another. I love seeing abstract images in my head, it comforts me, knowing that I too, am able to create...

Below is an edited video of my piece accompanied by Reza. I have named this piece Shades of Love, it was inspired by the Odissi composition, Ashta Nayika (Eight Heroines). This piece reflects the 8 different moods of women: Abhisarika - one who stops at nothing to be with her lover, Vasasajika - one in preparation of meeting her lover, Virahotkantita - one who is unsure if her lover will show up, Vipralabda - one who is dejected upon realising her lover will not show, Proshitapriya - one whose lover is overseas, Khandita - one who realises her lover has spent the night with another, Kalahantarita - one who is remorseful upon sending her lover away and Swadheenapatrika - one who is finally reunited with her lover.

Hope you like it...

Here's what the New Straits Times thought of it...

Low's In The Mood For Love
(click here to read it!)