Ukhrul, Sept, 28 | EKHON: The journey from Ukhrul to Venice was never part of a grand plan for Ringwon T Ngahor. It began with school performances, grew through street dance, and took a decisive turn in 2014 when she joined Generation Squad, where she was the only girl in the crew.
More than a decade later, her journey brought her to an international stage as part of Hakchang Polang (Body Vessel), a contemporary performance curated by renowned Manipuri artist Surjit Nongmeikapam.
Drawing from Pheichak, Manipuri dance, Thang-Ta and everyday movements, the performance brought together different dance traditions to tell a story rooted in home and lived experience.
For Ringwon, Venice meant more than performing abroad. It was the feeling that the place she came from, the community she carried and the stories that shaped her could also find a place on the world stage.
“I felt seen,” she says.
In a conversation with EKHON, Ringwon reflects on her unexpected journey from Ukhrul to Venice, the making of Hakchang Polang, the lessons of working with the team, and her dream of creating work rooted in the culture and stories of home.
Q. Tell us briefly about your journey as a dancer and how you came to be part of this project.
Ringwon T Ngahor: I started dancing as a young child. Like many students, I had opportunities to perform at school, but I began dedicating much more of my time to dance in 2014, when I joined Generation Squad.
The crew was making waves and influencing a lot of young people. At that time, I was the only girl in the group, and it wasn’t common to see girls dancing in that particular way. We used to call it breakdancing.
As we began performing at different events, dance gradually became a much bigger part of my life. I eventually realised that I wanted to pursue it professionally.
One of the biggest reasons was my belief that God must have given me this talent to nurture, and that I shouldn’t give up on it. Coming from a community where we didn’t have many people to guide us, I also felt that I should pursue dance so that I could guide the younger generation.
The possibility of making dance a sustainable career was another important reason.
With these thoughts, I went to Delhi in 2019 and completed a two-month Professional Dance Study Programme. There was no looking back after that. In 2023, Zaishin Dance Studio, Ukhrul’s first dance studio, came into being.
My connection with this project came through Surjit Nongmeikapam. During the lockdown, he was doing a series of Instagram Live conversations with artists from Manipur, and I was one of his guests. Later, I was invited to one of his events as a judge, and eventually I debuted in his contemporary piece Meepao, which toured cities including Kolkata, Bhopal, Hyderabad and Chennai.
That experience eventually led to this opportunity.
Q. How did the opportunity to perform in Venice come about, and what was your reaction when you heard the news?
Ringwon T Ngahor: Months before the project was confirmed, Surjit asked me for my biodata. He said he needed it to pitch for a project. I sent it without giving it much thought.
About a month later, he asked if I had a passport. Then he told me that we were going to Venice to perform.
I was partly elated, but I didn’t want to trust it too much because I didn’t want to be disappointed. It was only after I was added to the WhatsApp group that I became convinced that it was actually going to happen.
That evening, I suddenly felt very nervous. I was supposed to send some documents and confirmation, but instead I took that moment all to myself and replied only the next day.
I can still remember that evening. I thought, Oh my! I didn’t even ask for it, but it was coming my way.
Q. What did performing in Venice mean to you as a young artist from Manipur?
Ringwon T Ngahor: For someone who had never dreamed big enough to imagine performing on such a platform, let alone internationally, it was a wonderful reminder of why I started dancing in the first place.
It filled me with so much hope for the future. It made me realise that stories from our land and our unique life experiences can be shared with the world.
I felt seen at the same time. It wasn’t simply about performing abroad. It was about realising that the stories we carry from home have a place on an international stage.
Q. Tell us about Hakchang Polang (Body Vessel). What is the performance about?
Ringwon T Ngahor: The piece is titled Hakchang Polang, or Body Vessel. The idea of the body as a vessel is central to the work—the body carries memories, experiences and stories that cannot always be expressed through words.
We spent 17 days in Imphal researching, experimenting, learning and trying different styles and techniques to put the piece together.
We drew inspiration from Pheichak, Manipuri dance and Thang-Ta. We also incorporated a section of us winnowing rice. I had to teach Maitreyee, who is from Pune, that movement.
We each had our own solo sections as well, reflecting our different training and movement languages. One dancer was trained in contemporary dance, another in Manipuri dance, while my background is in street styles.
So we had three very different bodies moving in different ways, but all of us were telling the same story.
Q. How did audiences respond to the performance?
Ringwon T Ngahor: We performed four times—three outdoors in public spaces and once in a cultural hub. Each performance had a different audience, and after every performance we received a very good response.
There were long rounds of applause.
During one interaction, a woman complimented me on how much I seemed to enjoy performing. I immediately told her that I enjoyed the process even more.
For me, that was important because the performance wasn’t only about how it looked. It was about what it carried and what it could make people feel and think about.
Q. What role did you play, and where did you draw your inspiration from?
Ringwon T Ngahor: My role was closely connected to my own movement vocabulary and my roots.
I come from a street-dance background, so I brought that physical language into the work. But I wasn’t simply using my skills and technique. I researched and contributed my own story, inspired by where I come from.
That made the experience particularly meaningful. I wasn’t merely a performer executing someone else’s choreography. I was contributing something of myself to the larger story.
Q. What was the biggest challenge in preparing for a performance of this scale?
Ringwon T Ngahor: The biggest challenge was time.
We wished we could have spent even more time together because so many good things were discovered during the residency. I spent 17 days in Imphal, and we worked together for about 11 days specifically on this piece.
It was a one-hour performance, and given how much the work developed within such a short period, we could see how much more we could have explored and improved with additional time.
Q. What did working with the team teach you as a dancer?
Ringwon T Ngahor: It is difficult to put everything into words because the experience was quite overwhelming.
It was the kind of experience where you kept acquiring knowledge through dialogue, discussions and practice.
Surjit, Che Babina and Maitreyee each brought different qualities and different kinds of wisdom. At the same time, I felt that it was a safe space for my thoughts. I wasn’t intimidated; rather, I was encouraged on so many levels.
The biggest takeaways for me were discipline, hard work and understanding how stories can be told through the body.
It also encouraged me to step beyond the styles and techniques I am comfortable with and explore how different movement languages can come together.
Q. What does it mean to represent Manipur as an artist from a small town like Ukhrul?
Ringwon T Ngahor: I never imagined that I would represent Manipur on an international stage.
It felt like a huge responsibility and a huge honour at the same time. There were many moments when I felt emotional. It was surreal to realise how far I had come.
I wasn’t representing only myself. I felt that I was carrying my town, my community and our stories with me.
Most importantly, it filled me with hope. It showed me that where you come from does not necessarily limit how far you can go.
Q. Do you think this opportunity can open new possibilities for young artists from the region?
Ringwon T Ngahor: I dare say this is just the beginning.
This experience has already opened a door for everyone back home. Our life experiences and stories are so rich, and I believe they need to be told on international platforms.
I’m still figuring things out through this experience, but I’m convinced that we can all make it there someday.
I hope young people from our region can see that there are possibilities beyond what they may currently imagine for themselves.
Q. After Venice, what is the next dream for you as an artist?
Ringwon T Ngahor: My dream has become bigger.
It isn’t just about continuing to guide the younger generation and making a positive impact on my community anymore. I want to start creating my own work rooted in our culture and traditions.
I want my work to travel around the world, carrying stories from home and inspiring people.
I want to tell our stories in ways that allow people who have never been here to experience something of where we come from.
For me, this experience has made the world feel a little bigger—but it has also made home feel even more important.
The journey that began with a young girl dancing with a crew in Manipur has now carried Ringwon T Ngahor to Venice. Her next ambition is to carry the stories of home even further.
