Rangi Fernando is vivacious when it comes to the subtle art of connections with body, mind, soul and emotions and that movement itself could be a massive change in a person’s life. Rangi shared her journey of being a movement artist with ‘Youth Observer’.
Q: Who is Rangi Fernando?
A: I would say; Rangi Fernando is a movement artist, meditation coach, yoga instructor, someone who has figured out some tools that could unlock certain things in life.
I’m someone who has a goal to use movement to impact people’s lives, add a new perspective to movement and also to add an unconventional way to challenge suicidal notions and get people to question “WHY?”.
Q: What made you embark on a journey as a dancer?
A: Dance wasn’t anything new for me. My father was a musician, therefore, music and dance was something inbuilt in us. I’ve been dancing since the age of six. In terms of our culture, I followed the checklists of getting my degree and having a corporate job.
I did all of that and after spending about ten years in my corporate job, I thought to myself whether this is what I really want to do in my life, and it came to a point of now or never. I left my corporate job a year ago, after spending two years deciding whether to or not to.
Q: Recently you conducted your show “Spotlight, by Sync and Move.” What is the concept behind the show? How did ‘Sync and Move’ originate and what was the purpose?
A: ‘Sync and Move’ is an archive of all my learning and different things that have worked out in my life in terms of movement. It wasa mix of various techniques, dance forms and tools I’ve learned that would help unlock certain problems within individuals.
Q: Rangi, what made you explore the subtle art in the connection of body, mind, soul and emotions?
A: Somewhere in the way of being in corporate life, dance was still alive within me and I kept performing, but slowly the process started to change, and I started performing for myself which later became a place that I want to be connected to myself. I went on to learn yoga and meditation.
Q: What does dance and movement look like in your own perspective?
A: I made a conscious decision to always call it movement, because when it comes to my own way of viewing it, movement for me includes so many different things. It could be just human movement; brushing your teeth, the way you get out of bed, the way you walk or run, and all that for me is movement. I think movement still has a wider inclusion.
Q: How do you express yourself through movements? What is your style of movement?
A: For me it’s about being free in my movement. When I move, I move with my heart.I believe that my style is my own self; it’s none other than “Rangi.”
Q: What are your future plans?
A: I’m embarking on a new journey concerning movement, where I’ll be studying more about movement, so that I can come back and contribute to Sri Lanka more. I’m also planning ahead about Spotlight 2.0.
Pic: Sanjay Mendis and Priyanga