Interview with Kiru Ratnasingam

Kiru Ratnasingam is the Chair of our Board and a trained Bharatnatyam dancer.

We spoke to her about what’s keeping her inspired, and how being a new mom has affected her experience of the pandemic and her relationship to the arts.

What inspired you to join the board of Nova Dance?

When I was dancing under Menaka Thakkar Dance Company, Nova was a senior dancer. Later, I took a few workshops with her, and began attending her shows. I did some work here and there with her, very brief things, and one day she approached me asking if I wanted to be part of the board and I thought, “HELL YEAH, why not?” I mean, I didn’t even really think twice about it. Because apart from the work that she does, I know Nova on a personal level and I know what she values, and I know how she treats people. So I knew the company would represent those same things -- I’m going to feel respected, there’s going to be diversity, there’s going to be inclusivity -- just good vibes, no nonsense, you know what I mean?

So I just knew what I was getting into. And it’s been great.

And that was… almost 4 years ago. What have you noticed about how Nova Dance has grown or changed during that time?

Before I joined the Board, my perception of Nova Dance was a one-person dance company collaborating with other dance companies. Since then the company has completely changed in terms of growth: hired more artists, recruited more board members, and there’s an actual admin team. It’s grown in so many directions – both artistically and administratively. You can see the company going in the right direction because these are all good signs. We’re doing more work, and getting more recognition.

Do you have an artistic practise that you’ve (re)connected with during the pandemic?

I had a baby during the pandemic, so I feel like that’s been my artistic practice, to be honest! But one thing this pandemic has allowed me to do is attend shows and programming that I wouldn’t have been able to attend otherwise. I’m not a full-time artist, I do have a corporate job, which takes up the day. And there are shows from other countries that you hear about and would love to see, but can’t. But during this time everything was virtual and I thought, ‘I’m home! I can do this!’ I can participate in this workshop or I can watch this show from India. And there’s so much material that’s short - you can invest half an hour and go back to your other responsibilities.

And, obviously, watching these artists inspires you to try to get back into shape, to get into a better practice. And especially after having a baby you want to be a good role model for them, to make them proud. “Oh look, mom’s dancing, or mom’s participating in this,”. You want to set up good habits in that way. So that hasn’t exactly been an artistic practice, but kind of like my goal. Trying to get more involved in the arts.

Do you have one or two performance highlights that you’ve been able to see?

There’s just so many, it’s been crazy. In such a good way. But there was one odissi performance by Bijayini Satpathy, which I never would have been able to see under normal circumstances, that was amazing. She’s from Bangalore, and it was a premier at a company in New York. I saw her many years ago in Toronto and I asked, “are you going to come again?” and she said she didn’t know. But then I was able to see this – and it was up for two weeks for free! Here is a short clip from that performance.

What is inspiring you?

All the arts! Everyone’s doing something. For example, a couple days ago I saw this male dancer in the Bahamas who took a workshop and is now learning – in the Bahamas – an Indian art form. That’s inspirational. And he’s so good! He had no dance background, and then wanted professional training and contacted this teacher and started taking her online classes. But for a good couple of years he was learning from youtube. That motivation, that inspiration… people are just coming up with really creative ways to stay healthy and it makes me want to participate and give back.

Is there anything you’re doing specifically to cope with stress at this time?

To be honest - it may not be the right thing to say, but I’m just going to say it because I want to be authentic - the pandemic hasn’t affected me as much because of my child. Because I have been so engrossed with her, I’ve been so involved in her, that I didn’t have time to think about anything else. I have been really, really, really blessed to have had this moment to spend time with her. Otherwise I would have had to go back to work early, I wouldn’t have been able to work from home, my husband would not have been at home… We had a lot of family time and I think that helped our relationship with her and vice versa. It’s been a lot of cooking, a lot of play time… it’s been good.

What do you hope her relationship to the arts will be?

Oh, she has to be an artist. There’s no question, doubt, nothing. It’s peer pressure! She has no choice. I feel like the arts - any form of art - really grounds a person. And I think that’s so important. The arts help you to navigate through difficult times, and cope in some capacity. Those are life skills, and that’s what the arts teach you. For me, dance taught me how to be around people, how to enjoy the little things in life, and to be appreciative. I want her to learn those things too. So yeah, she’s going to be an artist. I don’t know what she’s going to do, but she’s going to be an artist.