Astad Deboo, the dancer who broke free, dies at 73 Indians saw his style as ‘too western’ while westerners found it ‘not Indian enough’
Astad Deboo, who broke free of the constraints imposed by traditional dance forms to create a modern idiom of rhythm and movement that was uniquely Indian and his own, died on Thursday. He was 73, leaving behind two sisters and a legion of fans and friends.
Avant garde, unconventional and pioneer, the epithets were many for the artiste who, borna month before India’s Independence, defied societal norms of gender and regular career choices to become one of India s first and perhaps most well-known contemporary dancers.
Dance Pioneer Astad Deboo Dead at 73
The dancer was renowned for marrying Kathak and Kathakali into a unique form.
Dance pioneer Astad Deboo. Photo: Ramesh Lalwani/Flickr CC BY 2.0
Mumbai: Contemporary Indian dancer Astad Deboo, renowned for marrying Kathak and Kathakali into a unique form, died here on Thursday, his family said. He was 73.
“He left us in the early hours of December 10, at his home in Mumbai, after a brief illness, bravely borne,” the family announced on social media.
“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,” it said.
Astad Deboo Danced His Way Into Hearts Across the World
Deboo is now a well-known name, but it had been a long struggle in trying to make sponsors and audiences understand modern dance.
Astad Deboo dancing on the steps of the Asiatic Gallery, Mumbai. Photo: Instagram/astaddeboo
One of Astad Debooâs biggest grouses used to be that whenever he approached potential sponsors for money for his performances or his projects, they invariably asked him, âWhat is modern dance?â To them, the arts worth funding were classical Indian music, theatre and all the traditional dance forms â they understood those things; modern dance was an alien concept, one they could not figure out.