Padma Shri recipient, Astad Deboo, respected as the pioneer of modern dance in India, passed away in the early hours on the 10th of December, 2020, at the age of 73. He had been diagnosed with cancer in November. He is survived by his sisters – Kamal Deboo and Gulshan Deboo. A private funeral was held at Worli with only immediate family members present, due to the pandemic restrictions.

Sharing the news on social media, his family said in a brief announcement, “He left us in the early hours of December 10… after a brief illness, bravely borne. 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.”

A champion of Indian dance forms – Kathak and Kathakali – Deboo was known for pioneering and promoting fusion dance which broke through all barriers of style, culture and nationality. Born on 13^th July, 1947 in Navsari, Gujarat, Astad Deboo studied Kathak under Prahlad Das, followed by Kathakali under E K Pannicker. As a young man in his 20s, he studied the Martha Graham dance technique in London and Jose Limon’s technique in New York.

He performed in over 70 countries, across solo, group and collaborative concerts. He leaves behind a proud legacy lined with significant eclectic moments, including a performing with Pink Floyd in London in 1969; a commission by Pierre Cardin; as also being asked to choreograph a piece for Maya Plisetskaya – prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet company. He has even performed at the Great Wall of China, the Guruvayur Temple in Kerala and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi. Deboo also choreographed for a select few films, including Vishal Bhardwaj’s Omkara (2006) and legendary painter, MF Hussain’s film, Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities (2004).

He founded The Astad Deboo Dance Foundation in 2002 with the aim of providing opportunity and creative training to marginalised street children and also to provide artistic development to deaf dancers. He received the Sangeet Natak Akademi award in 1995, for his contribution to contemporary creative dance and was felicitated with the prestigious Padma Shri in 2007.

His citation for the Sangeet Natak Akademi reads, “(He) has created a dance-theatre style which successfully assimilates Indian and Western techniques. He has experimented with a variety of forms, themes, concepts and performance spaces, and has collaborated with other dancers, composers and designers to create innovative works of aesthetic value. His works represent an important segment in contemporary dance expression in India.”

Noted for creating a modern dance vocabulary that was uniquely Indian, Deboo would speak of a time when most Indians saw his style as “too western,” while Westerners found that it was “not Indian enough”!

“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,” concluded his family’s the online announcement.

Parsi Times extends heartfelt condolences to his family.