Courtesy: The Sangai Express
IMPHAL, Nov 12: With a passion for dancing 'all day long' that made her entry into the competition of Pogo Amazing Kids Awards (PAKA), 2009 all the more easier, Wahengbam Thoi is a bundle of energy with a solid head on her shoulder.
Her passion for dancing, however, does not blind her from the burning issues of the State like the closure of schools in Manipur for more than three months now when she said 'education should be made a free zone' and students should petition Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh for ensuring resumption of normal classes.
Thoi is a student of class VIII in Kendriya Vidyalaya, Lamphelpat.
In an exclusive telephonic interview with The Sangai Express, duly co-ordinated by officials of Pogo TV channel from Delhi today, the exuberant 13-year old Manipuri classical dancer, who has been nominated in the category 'Sunfeast Pasta Treat Amazing Kid Dancer' of PAKA, 2009, said winning or losing does not matter as much as her passion for promotion of Manipuri culture through dance.
A winner of numerous awards and accolades at various International, National and regional level competitions, right from the days of her KG class, this eldest daughter of Wahengbam Sashi and Wahengbam Ongbi Sanapui of Wahengbam Leikai said that she loves dancing so much that she could dance all day.
With a supportive family to back her passion, Thoi had her formative dance lesson from her Bobok (grand- mother) Wahengbam Ong-bi Nalini, who is a dancer in her own right, before she undergo serious training, at first, under the guidance of her dance Guru Khoirom Ibomcha of Sagolband Moirang Hanuba Leirak and now as a tutelage of Guru Soram Ongbi Rasheswori of Nagamapal Soram Leirak.
Informing about how she entered into the competition, Thoi recalled that after submission of the application with the help of her Bobok, Doudou (Grandfather) Wa-hengbam Inaotombi and Kaka (uncle) Ningjahanba, she received the call for a screening test at Kolkata where she gave a 3-minute solo performance in the role of Bal Krishna. This was followed by an interview.
The jury panels were so impressed with her performance that she was given the opportunity of performing yet another dance item in the role of Radha singing the song herself, but interestingly, in the same Krishna-costume.
In her promos, which is doing the round in Pogo TV channel, where Thoi is shown dancing in the role of both Krishna and Radha,, the voice over has rightly observed that it would be a sort of a triple records for this diminutive Manipuri girl if she wins the final - one for the longest dancing and other two for the double role dancing in single performance by a lone child artist.
Pitted against Abhishek KV of New Delhi, who is Kathakali dancer and Anisha Anukampa of Bhubaneshwar, who is said to an extremely talented dancer in the same category of the competition, Thoi said she is ready for giving her best shot in the final, which is due to be held sometime in last week of November or early December at Mumbai.
This news was published on The Sangai Express.