A MALAYSIAN ODYSSEY

Ahead of her performance at Delhi's OddBird Theatre, Malaysian Odissi dancer January Low reflects on her Chinese-Indian roots, and her evolving relationship with the classical form

- ADITHI REENA AJITH

SHE gracefully moves from one end of the room to the other one arm slices gently through the air, her torso spirals softly, and the sound of her footsteps echoes rhythmically through the room as they strike the floor. Malaysian Odissi dancer January Low brings in the poise and sensuous fluidity that defines the classical form. This week at Delhi's OddBird Theatre, she is set to take the stage with her solo performance 'Sembah'.

The Malay word, Sembah, means to pay honour or homage. It also refers to the gesture of praying hands like namasté, or Anjali Mudra in Indian classical dance.

For Low, the piece is a way of honouring her three-decade-long practice and personal journey. "It is my own form of reverence-to the form, to myself as a person, a woman, a mother. It's about honouring Odissi, its traditions and the dance history through the life I've lived," she says.

Though 'Sembah' reflects parts of her Malaysian identity, Low remains true to Odissi's traditions-beginning with the Manglacharan, followed by an Ashtapadi and a Pallavi.

She will perform four pieces in total, including a composition titled 'Hamsadhwani Namami' by her guru, Odissi exponent Bijayini Satpathy.