Ramli Ibrahim: India’s cultural envoy in Malaysia

Internationally acclaimed Malaysian dancer Datuk Ramli Ibrahim shares his journey in Indian classical dance, inspiring global audiences with Odissi.

“I did not choose to dance; dance chose me,” says internationally acclaimed Malaysian dancer Datuk Ramli Ibrahim, echoing American modern dancer-choreographer Martha Graham. It remains one of the favourite quotes for Ramli as he stands tall in the world of Indian classical dance. As the founder of the Sutra Dance Theatre in Malaysia, Ramli has been displaying an unparalleled dedication to take the nuanced and dynamic style of Odissi dance to global audiences.

Ramli was in India recently to attend Naman 2024, a prestigious annual Odissi dance festival organised by the Nrityantar Academy of Performing Arts in Bengaluru. “As dancers, you are interpreters. The more you give, the more you shine. Dance or the goddess of dance is your fate. You have to be mad. It’s divine madness,” Ramli says during an engaging interaction with the Bengaluru dancers.

Winner of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for Odissi in 2012 and Padma Shri in 2018 for his overall contributions to Indian classical dance, Ramli added a significant layer of depth to Naman 2024 as a cultural icon with four decades of international experience.

At 71, Ramli does not look his age. He was given a standing ovation when his troupe performed An Invitation to Odissi, a tribute to the Guru Debaprasad Das school of Odissi at Naman 2024.

During a chat with this paper, Ramli reminisced his memorable date with Kerala when he performed at Nishagandhi Festival, Thiruvananthapuram, back in 2010 and 2012. “I love to perform in Kerala. I will be happy to perform in Palakkad in particular,” he said, inquisitively asking about the big puppets used in Kerala’s traditional art form Tholpavakkootthu.

The second Malaysian to be given India’s Padma Shri Award after Malaysian freedom fighter Janaky Athi Nahappan, Ramli has been India’s cultural ambassador in Malaysia. When in India, he is Malaysia’s cultural ambassador. He changed the dance scene in Malaysia by bringing wide acceptance for Odissi there.

He has collaborated with many an international artiste. Among them was Malayalam filmmaker Shaji N. Karun, whose documentary named The Thinking Body was shot by the river Ganga. “The mood Shaji captured was how a dancer’s body is motivated by its own science and intelligence. It was by the river Ganga. Anyone who dances there could be touched by the ancient river’s palpable divinity,” he said.