Ramli Ibrahim

About Ramli Ibrahim

Ramli Ibrahim an acclaimed dancer, choreographer and artistic director of Sutra Dance Theatre is recognized nationally as a cultural icon and a dynamic force within the arts scene, evident in the various accolades conferred about him including the Fulbright Distinguished Artist Award 1999, the Lifetime Achievement (BOH Cameronian) Award 2003, ANGARAG Lifetime Achievement Award 2006 from Guru Debraprasad Dance Institute, Bhubaneswar (Orissa) and most recently Anugerah Karyawan Seni for Choreographer from the Ministry of Culture, Arts & Heritage. Trained in classical ballet, modern dance and Indian classical dance, Ramli performed extensively with the Sydney Dance Company (1977 1982). Upon returning to Malaysia, he established Sutra Dance Theatre (1983), which is Malaysia¡¦s premier dance company.

Ramli is the free spirit and dynamic force in Malaysian theatre with an open mind for the old and new. He has been described as a mover and a shaker, sweeping aside prevalent provincialism with his integrated vision of the arts. Ramli has set the standards of excellence in the overall image-making of Malaysian theatre and has inspired and cultivated a whole generation of Malaysian dancers apart from collaborating with an impressive cross section of theatre-makers. He has become a household name in raising the status of Indian classical dance in Malaysia to what it is today.

As a teacher of Bharata Natyam and Odissi, he has groomed some of the finest dancers of Malaysia. Ramli studied Bharata Natyam under Padmashri Adyar K. Lakshman and Odissi under the late Guru Deba Prasad Das. He is intimately associated with Odissi, which he has successfully implanted in the Malaysian dance soil. Sutra dancers have the respect and acclaim of dance connoisseurs in India, and have set a significant cross-cultural landmark and bridge for both countries. For Ramli, theatre is the all-encompassing universal vehicle for his creative vision: it expresses life in the richness of its myths and rituals.