Like any other classical dance, its moves are elegant and graceful, complete with colourful attire, strong facial expressions, and symbolic hand gestures known as mudras.

In Malaysia, Mayilattam is considered a dying art as there are not as many dancers and teachers of this classical style compared with more popular ones such as Bharatanatyam and Oddissi.

But one man who knows the beat of the dance by heart, and is determined to keep this sacred art form alive, is classical dancer Kalaivanan Rajenthiran.

The 35-year-old from Batu Caves has been performing during Thaipusam since 2009, when a kavadi bearer asked him to perform at the temple.

“The peacock dance is performed for both Lord Murugan and Lord Krishnan, so Batu Caves is a special place for me when it comes to Thaipusam,” he told FMT.

“Whenever I put on my anklets and step with the beat, I consider it a gift to be able to perform for Lord Murugan. I feel so blessed, I don’t even know how to describe it.”

According to him, the peacock dance differs from other styles as it requires him to know the different beats of the music, while making performative gestures in the form of mudras such as anjali and tripataka.

“People think the dance is easy, but I have to practise very hard to know the right moves. One needs to love the peacock dance to understand its movements,” he said.

He also stressed that it’s important to learn mudras properly as it’s “a blessing, as opposed to learning for the sake of making money”.

‘Beautiful like a peacock’

Kalaivanan has been fascinated by dance from a young age and has been studying Bharatanatyam since his school days.

The artistic director of Power of Rhythm Arts – a dance academy where he teaches Bharatanatmyam, Mayilattam, and even folk dance – will be performing his arangetram, or solo dance debut, once the festivities are over.

In further tribute to the beloved deities, Kalaivanan puts a tremendous amount of effort into the aesthetics of his performance during Thaipusam. This includes his brightly coloured costume, headgear, ornaments and accessories, and skirt of iridescent peacock feathers.

“I make my costume through my own hard work,” he explained, adding that it can take him two to three weeks to obtain the feathers and painstakingly assemble them.

And, as with any other performer, makeup is important to make his expression “glow” while he is dancing.

The end result is absolutely worth it, though – Kalaivanan looks stunning, and admittedly feels “beautiful like a peacock, inside and out”.

Still, being so eye-catching has its setbacks, as he always needs to make sure the feathers are intact and that nobody plucks them, especially curious children!

While his presence and performance always draw praise from tourists, this isn’t as important to Kalaivanan as honouring Lord Murugan and preserving the art form.

To that end, he hopes to entice members of the younger generation so they, too, might be eager to learn Mayilattam someday.

“I told myself, if I wasn’t keen on peacock dancing, then who would be? There are so few peacock dancers in Malaysia,” he said.

“I’m interested in creating more dancers as I don’t want it to be a lost art.”