Pioneer of Modern Dance in India; Astad Deboo Passes Away
Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo who fused Indian and western techniques to create a modern and unique dance form, has passed away in his house in Mumbai. He was 73.
Indian contemporary dancer Astad Deboo who fused Indian and western techniques to create a modern and unique dance form, has passed away in his house in Mumbai. He was 73.
The dancer who was born into a Parsi family in Navsari, Gujarat performed all over the world. He began learning Kathak at the tender age of six from the late Indra Kumar Mohanty and late Prahlad Das.
When he was studying in Mumbai, he was greatly inspired to witness contemporary dance by the American Murray Louis Dance Company in Mumbai. He then began to pave his way into the vibrant world of dance.
With the help of a friend artist, he joined the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance in New York. The artist left Bombay in 1969 in a cargo boat that set sail from the Bombay port, hitchhiked his way in Europe to finally reach America in 1974. He picked up various dancing techniques in prominent dancing schools.
On his return to India in 1977 he learned Kathakali under Guru E Krishna Panikar who defined his dance style as “contemporary in vocabulary and traditional in restraint.”
As claimed by him, most Indians perceived his style as “too western” and the westerners thought it was “not Indian enough.”
Speaking about Astad, his family put these lines forward, “He left us in the early hours of December 10, at his home in Mumbai, after a brief illness, bravely borne.”
They added, “He leaves behind a formidable legacy of unforgettable performances combined with an unswerving dedication to his art, matched only by his huge, loving heart that gained him thousands of friends and a vast, number of admirers.”
The announcement said, “The loss to the family, friends, fraternity of dancers, both classical and modern, Indian and international, is inestimable. May he rest in peace. We will miss him.”
Though initially his fusion dance form was not easily accepted by audiences, they began to embrace his creativity gradually. He worked with Bollywood directors such as Mani Ratnam and Vishal Bhardwaj. He also collaborated with international artists such as Pink Floyd, Pina Bausch, and Alison Becker Chase.
Astad Deboo also choreographed the 2004 M F Hussain’s film ‘Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities’. Being charitable at heart, Astad worked with deaf children in India and abroad. He founded the Astad Deboo Dance Academy that catered to the marginalized sections as well as the differently-abled community.