Ukraine-born Indian classical dancer Lidiya Zhuravlyova has been studying Thai classical dance and culture for three years in the Kingdom. Journeying across countries and cultures, Zhuravlyova is passionate about a number of disciplines -- she's also a model and scriptwriter. But it's Indian dance that remains closest to her heart.
Lidiya Zhuravlyova. photo courtesy of Lidiya Zhuravlyova
In Bangkok, the 27-year-old often showcases her talent as an Indian classical dancer at cultural and religious events. She has also managed to gather a local fan following.
Zhuravlyova was in her early 20s when she decided to pack up her bags and leave Ukraine for India to study classical Indian dances such as the Bharatanatyam, Kathak and others with Indian maestros, in mostly remote areas of the subcontinent.
"I was adamant to study from the gurus, so it wasn't always easy to convince them to teach me, a foreigner," said the dancer whose Eastern European origin is often hidden beneath the traditional make-up in the dance.
"I never took no for an answer, and persisted up until they gave in. I used to sleep in front of the temple gate and even threaten them that I would take my life if they didn't teach me. I feel blessed to have the teachers I had and so I use my talent to promote India, its culture and traditions."
Zhuravlyova's interest in Indian classical dance began at the age of six. It was her father, Sergei, who built in her a passion for the exotic dance form after watching Indian films as a young man.
"My father became so passionate about Indian classical dance that he watched a number of movies, read books and did intensive research. He eventually made it to India where he got a government scholarship to master Indian classical dance," said the Ukrainian solo artist.
"After completing my secondary education I entered the arts and culture university where I studied other forms of dance to diversify my dance portfolio. My family could very well be considered the first people to promote Indian culture and dance in Ukraine with the blessings of the Indian government. As I grew older, my father, younger sister and I performed at a number of Indian cultural events around the world. My father also received annual financial support from the Indian government to promote Indian culture."
Aged 22, she became a solo artist. She continues to draw inspiration from watching senior dancers perform, compete in talent shows, read books on culture and follow social media to keep abreast of changing times.
Zhuravlyova says dancing is a form of therapy, which she uses to address issues in her life, such as the loss of family members who were killed by Russian troops in conflict. Through adversity she has found her inner strength.
"During this stage of my life, I sometimes felt depressed. In the hope of finding inner peace, I visited Buddhist and Hindu temples in Thailand. I prayed to the gods that they would give me strength and return my inspiration to dance."
It was during this tumultuous period that her husband encouraged her to attempt to beat the Guinness World Record for most number of spins per minute in a Kathak classical dance, one of the major Indian dance forms.
"He suggested this in the hope that I would be able to overcome my depression," said Zhuravlyova. "It worked. He coached me to approach this feat with optimism. This meant that I would not have to just work hard on beating the number of spins, but also add value to my performance by completing the spins with an added six minute dance performance. My best number of spins was 140, which no one had ever attempted."
Guinness World Records is now in the process of verifying her performance to determine whether it complies with their rules and regulations.
Among other things, Zhuravlyova is a women's advocate. The Ukrainian said her passion for social justice and equality for women stems from the fact that she too was once sexually abused. It was her love for dancing that helped her to come to terms with the hideous experience that left her emotionally scarred.
She soon realised that there were a significant number of vulnerable women out there who had also been abused, but chose not to file police complaints because of fear of retribution. They opted to become silent victims because they felt no one supported them, she said.
Her ultimate goal is to make a film that sheds light on how women are victimised in society. The theme of the movie will be based on traumatic, real life experiences of eight female characters, including herself.
"I have found in my young life that there are few people who are prepared to become the voice of the voiceless. Few want to get involved in raising their voices for justice for women who are marginalised around the world," she said.
"As an artist, I hope to continue to increase awareness of how women are victimised in our society. All in the hope that society will see the need to rise up and protect their women and girls from predators."
