HER motion is fast and assured, yet graceful, peppered with elegant gestures of the hands and fingers.
Her facial expressions complement the powerful and vigorous stances that are hallmarks of the Indian classical dance known as bharatanatyam.
For Harshini Sukumaran, dance has always been a passion and a creative way to express her thoughts and feelings.
The 31-year-old dance lover from Kuala Lumpur says that the physical and visual appeal of the art form had gripped her from the time that she was just a child.
"My mother noticed my interest in dance, namely bharatanatyam, and she enrolled me at The Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields at the age of 6.
"From then on I was exposed to many other dance forms," she says of her simple dive into the world of dance.
FASHIONABLE MOTION
Harshini, who was featured in international pop singer-songwriter Yuna's self-directed 2019 music video (Not) The Love Of My Life, is also well-versed in contemporary and Bollywood dance, as well as other Indian classical dance forms like odissi and kathak.
As a choreographer, she explains that all of her works are inspired by her life experiences, the things she sees and the visual beauty of the ups and downs of life.
Her knack for designing sequences in dance had also translated to other interests as well, including fashion.
"I am a Limkokwing University graduate in fashion retail and design and I currently own my brand, Hadhi," says the fashion designer, makeup artist and owner of a company that provides makeup and design services.
She adds that her dance background had helped her to nurture creativity and gave her the vision to innovate and inspire.
In an effort to preserve the traditional arts, Harshini also lectures at The National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage and teaches bharatanatyam at The Temple of Fine Arts.
EXPRESSIONS OF BLESSING
Fans of dance will be able to experience her latest choreography, titled Reflections Of Pathways, as part of The Actors Studio Seni Teater Rakyat's latest dance anthology series, Kontra.
The anthology showcases a colourful array of classical or folk dances reimagined with contemporary touches by Malaysian choreographers.
In celebration of Deepavali, the second edition of this series, dubbed Kontra: Asirvatham, will feature six Indian classical dance works creatively fused with modern elements.
The other dance pieces will be choreographed by Agnes Rhythm Dance, Ealbie Breandent, Iqram Company, Kishore Krishnan and Mamad Samsudin.
Asirvatham means blessings in Tamil, and Harshini is grateful to be part of the show that will be staged at Pentas 2 of The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) from Oct 28 to 30.
Like many other arts practitioners, she is thankful that the audience is able to return to catch live dance shows at proper venues after over two years of being sequestered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Her upcoming dance work will feature dancers Ramieyah and Vinitha, whom she describes as "beautiful dancers in their own right".
"They graduated from The Temple of Fine Arts and their interest, humble attitude and hardworking nature made them the perfect duo for this piece."
Reflection Of Pathways is inspired by my personal journey while I was in Milan, Italy.
"As an Indian dancer going there to do fashion, it was an interesting experience and I will be exploring this contemporary piece by incorporating elements of bharatanatyam, odissi and kathak," says Harshini, who was featured on the May 2019 cover of the popular local Indian women's magazine, Bela.
She adds: "Each and every classical genre has a deep-rooted connection to me.
"The piece is divided into three parts. First is a question and statement, and the second is confusion and a search.
"The final segment is the conclusion, of settlement and blessings, a sense of belonging.
"So the blessings part ties up with the theme of this particular show, which is Asirvatham. To know more, please come and watch the show," she says.
AT HOME WITH DANCE
When asked about how she will be celebrating the Festival of Lights this year, she says, "Probably practising for KonTra: Asirvatham since it's just three days away from Deepavali."
She adds: "It'll be a simple and quiet one at home with my family."
Harshini, who has done many performances and shows, including stage plays, just wants to continue dancing.
"I'm currently working on my next solo work in bharatanatyam and hopefully will be able to tour it," she says.
"Dance and dancing are all that I am, it's my prayer."
Kontra: Asirvatham is supported by KLPAC and the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry.
E-tickets, priced at RM50 (regular) and RM40 (students), are available for purchase online via www.cloudtix.co. There are no telephone sales and over-the-counter sales.
Visit www.klpac.org for more details.