[VIDEO] International Women’s Day: Vanizha – Model, mover, maven

“MY wish for all women out there is to just go for their goals. Don’t just be still…”

Answered Malaysian model Vanizha Vasantha Nathan when asked to share a message to commemorate International Woman's Day 2022.

“I know, for many years, we keep hearing about what it means to be a woman and how we are defined – whether it is in the kitchen or doing housework. 

“Our (true) worth is beyond that,” she expressed. 

“Women deserve to chase dreams, whatever that stops you from it should not be in the space of your pursuit." 

Last weekend, we got a detailed glimpse into the personal journey of the 29-year-old in her own penned diary entry, which left us more than just feeling elated for her success but wanting to have her as a friend. 

This not-so ‘new girl’ has actually been striving to get to where she is today for seven years, since she began her career in modelling.

However, it is not the act of simply proving wrong those who doubted her potential that makes Vanizha celebrated by many, but her strides in breaking barriers without losing the values that ground her is also deserving of praise. 

“Somehow, somewhere, if I am able to change a person’s life (with the sharing of my journey), that is what true empowerment means,” shared the model.

Passion pursuits

“My mom had a lot of dreams when she was young. She was a state runner back in the days, and she wanted to achieve more but she was not able to. So, she tried to fulfill that dream through my sister,” said Vanizha.

“I was encouraged to take up sports as well, one of it was karate. I had the height (of an athlete, specifically netball) but I was not keen or good anyway. I wanted to pursue something other than that, and that was dancing.

*Graceful and lyrical movements, framed in complex patterns, exquisitely complement the melody and intricate rhythm of the Pallavi. Both dance and music are a matching marriage of dance and music. Vanizha could be seen dancing together with other Sutra dancers.

“I remember confronting my mother one day while on a ride home from a temple visit. I was crying trying to explain that I was not interested in sports and wanted to take up Indian classical dance instead.

“So I got to know of Sutra Dance Theatre after PMR when my parents allowed me to take up dancing.

“I had gone for a show with my brother performed by them. After watching the showcase, I knew immediately that it was where I wanted to train,” she added.

Vanizha met master Ramli (Datuk Ramli Ibrahim) then, where initially she was into ‘Bharatanatyam’ but was eventually introduced to Odissi and fell in love with it.

“I was very stiff at first, having to take up dancing in my mid-teenage years, pretty late if compared with my peers since most dancers start as young as 5-years-old,” she said.

“2015 was my first production for Sutra, and after that, it was easier for me to ease into the movements. I still feel like I am learning and not at the level of more senior dancers.

“This was way before I even knew I would be doing modeling, I may have had an interest in it by watching fashion shows when I was young but never had a thought of pursuing it until much later during college.

“I would say, thank god I was a dancer before I was a model,” Vanizha added.

Obviously, the ability that she gained from understanding the elegant flow of Odissi helped her to succeed in photoshoots and build better confidence in strutting runways. – The Vibes, March 8, 2022