We’re all passionate about something in our lives. Sometimes this passion stems from interest, other times from influence. Passion can also manifest itself from talent and creativity. When you have these traits, it is only natural to pursue them in force. But what comes after? What happens when you hit a plateau and cannot go any further in your passion? When your ambition and drive is halted by other mitigating factors?
Ahmad Kamil (@sayakamil) has an answer to that and more in this exclusive interview by MUTE. An ambitious dancer with roots in the performing arts, sayakamil isn’t just skilled on the dance floor, but also possesses the ethic and drive to lead his own dance company. His vast experience and insight are explored in this creative showcase, just for you.
sayakamil:
My name is Kamil, I’m a director and choreographer for SIX.5 Dance Company and O School for the past six years.
MUTE:
What was your first touchpoint with your creative industry?
Credit: @sayakamil
sayakamil:
I think for me, my family has been very involved in the arts since I was very young. So, my dad is actually a director, a screenwriter.
I’ve been seeing theatre shows and seeing productions since I was very young.
So, I think when I was little, that was like my very first touchpoint with arts and then along the way, as I grew up, I become more involved through dance.
In secondary school, when I was like 13, that’s where I was involved in a performance for my school. That was my first time having rehearsals, having dance performances and since then it just became stuck to me and until now, I’m still doing it.
Having a familial background in the performing arts can certainly help one cultivate an interest in the field. Heavy exposure to the industry during the crucial, developmental years would undoubtedly prove to be a strong influence in dictating one’s creative direction. The benefit of a head start like that is often hard to ignore.
MUTE:
What about your industry draws you in?
sayakamil:
I think one thing about this is the freedom to be able to express myself in a lot of layers, not just movement but also visual ideas and even though it’s a job, I think it’s a job that allows me to find myself all the time.
I think every job is different and every job is always a way for me to discover something new about myself. So that’s something that I find always very fulfilling.
After every project, there’s something that I discover, I learn, something that I look forward to grow towards every time.
It is a curious thing, how we all find ourselves suited to different industries. This fact is a testament to how every one of us is unique, each with different strengths and skills. The fortunate among us find love in what we do. It becomes an added bonus when one experiences growth and fulfilment through labor, achieving more than just what we set out for.
Credit: @sayakamil
MUTE:
What were some of the struggles you faced at the start?
sayakamil:
I think when you first start out as a dancer in the first place, you are always wanting to train every day. So, when you train every day, you don’t work, then you have no money. So, I think in the beginning, it’s always a struggle because you want to dedicate time to just train and do better in dance. It’s a different struggle but along the way as I progress in my career, there’s always a new challenge.
Every phase is either I have to learn something very new, I have to adapt to a different way of creating or a different way of working and also diversify the way I see art as just a dance thing, but I see more than that. I see the business side of it. I see the way to manage it, the way to nurture it. So, every aspect of that has its challenges.
I don’t find any specific part to be the most memorable because there’s so many to face every day. Every day is something new to look forward to and solve and figure out how to do it again and again.
Imagine becoming so heavily involved in your craft, that it slowly turns into an obsession. This is road that may appear unassuming and even beneficial, but harbors a subtle danger. Over-committing may very well lead to disappointment when your standards for yourself are not met. This may not even be through any fault of your own, rather the culprit could be as simple as basic human limitations. Having realistic expectations and branching out into different aspects of one’s creative passion is a way to avoid this pitfall.
Credit: @sayakamil
MUTE:
What were your parents’ views on you embarking on your industry?
sayakamil:
Even though my parents were all creatives, they still had their worries about me going full-time into the industry. First things first were the financials like “Will I be stable?”, “Can I support myself in the future?” or “Can I have family?”, etc.
I think that’s a very natural response from any parent because whether it’s arts or not, whether what you’re going to do can support you and whether it can carry you further, it’s always a concern because they are parents.
But thankfully they trusted my vision and where I’m going which for me was to prove that I could do it. So for me, I was one of the lucky ones because they trusted that I was able to go further and fulfill what I promised myself to do in a sense. So even though there were doubts in the beginning, there was still the trust from them for me to try and go for it.
sayakamil may have been fortunate enough to have parents with a background in his industry, but not every aspirant can say the same. For those of us afraid to pursue our dreams because we’re concerned about the look on our parents’ faces, a leap of faith has to be made. Of course, this faith needs to be backed by something substantial, such as a strong interest, unwavering determination or an innate talent.
Credit: @sayakamil
MUTE:
Any advice for individuals who want to become dancers?
sayakamil:
My number one advice is to diversify. Everyone can be a dancer like literally anyone can be a dancer but if we talk about being sustainable in the career, you definitely have to diversify your skill set.
So let’s say you’re a dancer, so what is your next progression? Do you want to become a director? Do you want to become a choreographer? And even as a choreographer, you don’t just dance and create things. You need to see things from a video and theatre point of view.
So how do you start to diversify your knowledge not just in dance, but maybe in production and maybe in creation? And then what is your niche as a creator that’s going to set you apart from everyone else. Finding your niche and also finding ways to diversify so that people will want you because you have so much things to offer while you are still like mastering your craft.
So, diversify and don’t settle for one thing and then, try anything.
Harkening back to earlier chapters, we are all unique in our own ways. We all have something that we are naturally gifted in. It remains entirely up to us to find and embrace these strengths. But talent alone is not enough to make it out there in the industry. You would be hard pressed to find a successful industry leader that has not poured every ounce of their being into making it to where they stand now.
sayakamil places a great emphasis on diversifying one’s portfolio and skillset. If you take one look at the world around us, the reason for that would be clear as day. If one thing is all you are truly good at, then what happens when you reach your potential and someone better comes along? This question may be inevitable for all of us, because there is always someone better.
Catch sayakamil in action for the second edition of SIX.5678, featuring works from An An, Ah Lee and himself. Premiering on 19 & 20th August 2022, more details at @sixpoint5 on instagram.
Watch MUTE's full interview with sayakamil below, or read another article:
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