Dhan Illani Balancing Ice Hockey, Multidisciplinary Artist Career Wisely

By Mohd Afiq Zulkifli

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 30 (Bernama) -- Dhan Illani Yusof, a multidisciplinary artist and part of the Women’s National Ice Hockey team, has been skilfully managing her time to balance her passion for sports and her artistic endeavours, proving that nothing is impossible with hard work and perseverance.

Dhan Illani said that she has been active in various sports since primary school. However, due to persistent injuries, her sporting dreams were temporarily put on hold.

“After a few years of taking a break from sports and recovering from injuries, I tried to make a comeback by throwing myself into the community of freestyle hockey. After completing my Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM), I was unexpectedly approached by Malaysia’s Ice Hockey Federation to be part of the national women's hockey team, after attending several selection sessions,” she said to Bernama recently.

 Sharing her passion for ice hockey, Dhan Illani, 27, explained that she fell in love with the sport because it requires her to balance her whole body while gliding across the ice with a hockey stick and controlling the ball. Stamina and speed are also crucial for executing each movement.

According to her, ice hockey is a high-intensity sport which requires greater cardiovascular function, and each player must wear protective equipment during the game, which adds an estimated four to five kilogrammes of weight.

“When it comes to balancing career and interests, I will look at what is more practical in the current situation, and make a compromise. If there is an ice hockey championship, I will focus more on that and vice versa, without neglecting my creative endeavours,” she said.

Dhan Illani, who has been active in the local hockey sports fraternity since 2014, said that the current focus of the national women's hockey team is to raise at least RM50,000, to enable the team to participate in various international tournaments and prepare for the 2025 SEA Games.

 One of the biggest achievements of the national women's ice hockey team was winning the 'Ice Hockey Women's Challenge Cup of Asia 2018', which was held at the Empire City Damansara Ice Hockey Stadium, and featured teams from countries such as the Philippines, India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Touching on her career as a multidisciplinary artist, Dhan Illani, the youngest of three siblings, said that she is very focused on the creative fields of fashion design, fine arts, installations and performing arts.

 "I have been interested in art since the age of 15 and it has come naturally. I like to experiment and am very curious about things. Many aspects related to art I learn myself through interaction with the community.

“As for my artwork, I produce fewer physical pieces like paintings; a lot of my work depends on invitations from galleries or exhibitions. I lean more towards expressions which contain experimental elements and use different materials, such as mixed media,” said Dhan Illani, who obtained her Diploma in Fashion Design from INTI International University and Colleges.

 -- BERNAMA