CTYA’s Blog has started a new Feature on Fridays, Thulirkal. Thulirkal meaning bud reflects the young Tamil youth we will be featuring. These youth are the buds of our community, and are growing into to strong, achieving young men and women! Each week we will feature a Tamil youth of the week. For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org!
This week, we’ve brought you Jesi Jeyanthiran!
Top Talents Special Category Award seeks to recognize an individual who has shown tremendous talent and ability overall within a category not included in the rest of our Top Talents Nomination Package. The recipient of this award must demonstrate in their personal statement why they deserve to be a “Top Talent” by highlighting their achievements, community service involvement, and extracurricular involvement.
Jesi is an artistic minded individual with strong interests in music and dance. He followed his interests in music by teaching himself to play the violin, cello, piano, and guitar all driven by the passion he has for music. His strong interest in music led him to be able to learn various styles of dance such as hip hop, contemporary, and ghaana. He learned to choreograph dances using the details in music he can relate to from his experience in learning to play various instruments. In dance, he has participated with the York Huskies, York Lions, and OUCH hip hop dance team. A major accomplishment for the recipient was when he starred as the lead male role in the dance drama “Rose is a Rose” that had choreography by critically acclaimed Indian dance choreographer Kalaimaamani Zakir Hussain. Recently, he was the lead choreographer for a dance team that participated in an international dance competition called Aadukalam where the team placed 2nd.
Photo Credits: DEV (Design Engineered Visuals)
CTYA Blog Team: Thank you Jesi for sitting down with us today. So, let’s get warmed up. Ok, now don’t think, just say what first comes to mind. 1, 2, 3…
- Favourite Superhero? Batman for sure
- Country Boy or City Boy? City
- Can you cook? I’m not too bad at it
- Night Hawk or Early Riser? Night hawk, I love my sleep
- Gaana or Rap? Gaana, can’t live without that kuthu
Photo Credits: AJ Impressions
Photo Credits: Sigma6 Photography
Photo Credits: YG Photography
CTYA Blog Team: Tell us a little bit about yourself.
Jesi: I’m currently studying Kinesiology at York University. I absolutely love dancing, sports, and running, basically anything that keeps me moving. Aside from athletics, my number one passion in life is music, and teaching myself how to play various musical instruments is my favorite hobby.
CTYA Blog Team: What got you interested in dance? What is it about dance that makes you continue to pursue dance to the extent that you do today?
Jesi: I started dancing a little over 4 years ago for fun with my friends but I soon realized that dance was my stress reliever and escape from this problematic world. I would ultimately have to owe it to my close friend Janojjan Jayapalan for helping me dive into the dancing world as my initial mentor. Hard work and practice is what took me where I am but I would never say I’m an amazing dancer yet, I personally know I have a long way to go. Expressing myself on stage and hearing the crowd roar, it gives me an excitement and adrenaline I can’t explain but that, definitely, is the reason why I dance to the extent I do today.
CTYA Blog Team: Tell us a little about your new venture with Dhill, how do you feel about this challenge?
Jesi: As any new dance venture, I’m excited. Not only to perform and compete, but to meet other dancers and see their unique styles that they will bring to the floor. My team members (Thivakar, Sharanya, Kiruthika, Djiv, and Sheriena) are all amazing, versatile dancers and choreographers so everyone will definitely get to see an amazing show whenever we’re up. Get ready for us, Checkmate Crew!
Photo Credits: AJ Impressions
CTYA Blog Team: “Failure is the first step to success.” How have your failures in life helped shape the person you are today?
Jesi: My family and close friends definitely know, failures have a way of getting to me, but I rise back just as hard as they hit me. My failures and struggles have pushed me to succeed, overcoming every obstacle I’ve met. I would have to thank my family and friends for this, their support helps me get back up and try again. Every poor performance I have ever done has pushed me to work harder and improve for the next, every mistake has motivated me to succeed. Even though my failures may initially discourage me, I will never let them permanently destroy me.
CTYA Blog Team: How do you use dance to facilitate your identity as a Tamilan?
Jesi: I see dance as an art to express. Performing on mainstream stages is one very important way of expressing myself but there is also other ways to express this art. Being a Tamilan, our identity is extremely important to us because of our struggle and injustice to our people in our home country. I use dance to express our sorrow, our struggle, and our flame for justice. This is just one of my ways of trying to show the world what has happened to our people and what continues to happen today.
CTYA Blog Team: If you could say a few words to your younger self, what would you say?
Jesi: What I’ve always told myself from a young age, “I know everything’s hard right now, but don’t worry. Tomorrow will be better.”
CTYA Blog Team: Finish the sentence. “To me, Tamil youth are..”
Jesi: To me, Tamil youth are full of potential. What I continue to see is that they use that potential and start something meaningful and make something amazing of it. If you’re not sure how to reach your goals, just trust me when I say you can find a way as long as you try. For example, I have an insatiable passion for music, playing musical instruments to be specific. How do I fulfill my passion? My friends give me their old instruments that they don’t play anymore and I practice, practice, and practice. Today, I’m able to play 6 and I’m still at it, I won’t give up. Don’t give up youth, start today.
Check out YUTSA’s Multicultural Week 2013 Performance. Jesi was the Head Coordinator and Head Choreographer for this performance!
For more information or to suggest a youth to feature, please feel free to email us at blogs@ctya.org! Catch up with us next Friday where we’ll be bringing you another Talented Tamil youth story!
