Ramli Ibrahim

If Dr. Edwin had not assigned us to search information for Ramli Ibrahim, I would not know that he is a Malaysian dancer and choreographer, and has become one of Malaysia’s most internationally acclaimed artists. It is maybe because I am not interested in dancing and so I have no idea about him. He was a young cadet at the Royal Military College in Malaysia in 1970. During the time, he won an engineering scholarship and was the first of the bumiputras-indigenous Malaysians-to be sent abroad. Earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the University of Western Australia provided him with the unique opportunity to pursue his education while simultaneously developing his innate talent for dance.

While in Australia, Ramli was captivated by the classical Indian dance styles of Bharata Natyam and Odissi. He learned from some of the premier classical Indian masters. This training coupled with his classical ballet training earned Ramli a coveted position with the Sydney Dance Theatre. He became the first non-Australian to dance with the company. He remained with the Sydney Dance Theatre for six years. After spending 14 years in Australia, performing and studying dance around the world, Ramli made in his words, his “Malaysian debut performance” in1982 to an audience of more than a thousand people. The following year, he established SUTRA Dance Theatre and choreographed his first contemporary Malaysian work, “Gerhana.” Sutra Dance Theatre initially began as a platform to showcase Ramli’s own productions and has since grown into the training ground for young Malaysian dancers. It is also a vehicle to promote public awareness of traditional, classical and contemporary dance. Ramli has heightened awareness of performing arts in Malaysia through his own interpretation while maintaining the classical tradition of dance.

Adapted from http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/asiapacific/99/malaysia/9.html