Showbiz: Win Thang’s journey in dance

via CAAI

2010/09/21
SUBHADRA DEVAN
sdevan@nstp.com.my

Win Thang as Shivanataraja in Worshipping Shiva in the Temple of Fine Arts show on Sept 18 in Penang

Born in Cambodia and raised in France, Win Thang says he found himself in India. SUBHADRA DEVAN talks to the dancer about his artistic journey

CAMBODIAN-BORN Win Thang, a Chinese, says he was “uneducated” until he took up the Indian classical dance form of bharathanatyam.

The 40-year-old, who resides in France, says he has much to learn about his chosen art form. He will perform for the first time in Kuala Lumpur today.

For the past 12 years, he has steeped himself in this dance form, studying at various schools in India.

Win Thang was born in Cambodia at the time of Pol Pot. He recalls roaming the countryside from the age of 5 to 10 with his family.

“I don’t remember much. It’s all a blur but what I remember is good,” says Win Thang in an interview before his shows in Penang last week.

His father was already in France and so the extended family of a baker’s dozen — cousins included — joined him when Win Thang was 10. This youngest son of nine children grew up in an urban society, and went on to study psychology. “My family is not into the arts.”

In his gap year, a time when he was deciding what else to do, and in the throes of depression, a friend took him to a bharathanatyam performance in Paris.

“When I saw it, I was enthralled. I immediately went to study under Vidya du Mandapa, a disciple of M.K. Saroja of Chennai, India. I was 28 then.”

Five years later, Win Thang took part in the European Dancers of Indian Dances Festival in Geneva. He then received a two-year ICCR (Indian Council for Cultural Relations) scholarship to study the dance form in India.

Win Thang was working in publishing at that time. “My mother was not happy. ‘How can you make a living as a dancer’, she asked,” he recalls. “But my eldest brother who was in Los Angeles, told her it was all right.”

So began his margam or his journey in dance, under M. Selvam at the Muthuswami Pillai Institute in Chennai.

Win Thang went on to study at the Chennai Kalakshetra School of Dance, vouched by bharathanatyam exponents as the seat of this dance tradition. He also studied Carnatic music.

It was during this time that he discovered the guru of his very first dance teacher, M.K. Saroja, who became his mentor.

Win Thang has since performed in France, Italy, India and Taiwan to acclaim from his masters and peers. He teaches bharathanatyam today to “students who want to clean up their style”.

En route to Taiwan, a chance visit to Kuala Lumpur in April brought him to The Temple of Fine Arts who presents Win Thang’s shows in Penang, KL and Johor Baru.

At the show in Penang last Saturday, called Worshipping Shiva, TFA’s Lam Ghooi Ket says he was impressed by Win Thang’s “very strong technique” while three audience members got up to say that he was inspiring, moving and wonderful.

For today’s show, Win Thang will dance the Bhakti Margam. The six-item dance, over 75 minutes, will include Shabdam, a dedication to Lord Murugan, with choreography by mentor M.K. Saroja and the main (read long) piece called Dasavataram to Sri Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda.

“It is a traditional Kalakshetra style performance,” says Win Thang.

• Catch Win Thang performing Bhakti Margam today at 7.30pm, at TFA KL (03-2274 3709) and on Saturday at TFA JB (07-222 7400). He performs Worshipping Shiva at TFA Singapore on Sunday (+65-6535 0509). Admission by donation.