KOCHI: Irena Mihaklovich took her first steps in Indian classical dances in Belarus, a country that once belonged to Soviet Russia. And it was there, in the land of the ballerinas, where Irena found her footing as an Indian classical dancer.
“I was a shy child and that kind of hindered me in pursuing dancing, especially ballet and other folk dances, which had a completely different pedagogic style that didn’t suit me. However, I always believed I had a strong sense of musicality which is why I decided to pursue an art form that was attuned to the rhythms I loved and the spirituality I sought. It was my yoga teacher who told me about the temple art forms such as bharatanatyam. This influenced me to try this art and study it more closely,” said the dancer who is now a professional mohiniyattom performer.
According to her, unlike the dances of her country, she felt the Indian classical dance had slower rhythms.
“It was taught very slowly and had very slow movements including the way one raised one’s foot and moved their hands. I had to face my complexes while learning and sometimes failing but somehow this dance had a huge effect on me. In Sweden, I got in touch with Usha Balasundaram, who encouraged me to be part of her performing group Indivara. My association with her eventually helped me break my barriers. The more I learned from her, the more I wanted to come down to Kerala to learn bharatanatyam.
So, I applied for an ICCR scholarship and that is how I won my ticket to Kerala Kalamandalam,” she said.
By the time she perfected bharatanatyam, she felt a strong sense of calling to learn mohiniyattom, which she felt was more fluid and feminine. “A lot of my teachers at the Kalamandalam encouraged me to try this art. More than them, it was my body alone which was yearning to study the art,” she said.
She along with Canadian dancer Ian Mozdzen have been performing a duet for some years now and had also performed recently at the Kochi-Muziris Biennale.