Gurudev's works rendered by Astad

Interpreting Tagore by Astad Deboo first premiered in Mumbai in November 2011. It will soon be performed in Delhi as well

Choreographer and pioneer of modern dance Astad Deboo will pay a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore as part of 150th birth anniversary celebrations of the first Nobel laureate of Asia. Astad will present the fund raiser show ‘Interpreting Tagore’ in the City on April 30 at Kamani Auditorium.

The dancer has choreographed the show with the young people from Salaam Baalak Trust who have been training in contemporary dance for the last four years and are members of the Astad Deboo Dance Company.

The show will be based on premier poems of Tagore – ‘Walking Tall’', ‘Your Grace’ and ‘Awakening’. The poems have been translated in English by Aruna Chakrabarty and the music has been composed by Japanese and Finnish composers. Recipient of Sangeet Natak Akademi and Padma Shri Awardee, Astad has been mentoring these boys since 2008. The show has travelled to Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkata and received rave reviews.

The 64-year-old Astad’s name is synonymous with contemporary Indian dance, a style that he pioneered at a time when innovation in Indian dance was not welcomed. Astad’s journey with a dynamic career of over 40 years is a testament to his faith in his own artistry and the fierce integrity with which he has danced, created and collaborated with various performing artists nationally and internationally. His stunning signature style is characterised by intense focus, concentration and technical virtuosity along with a distinctive Indian aesthetics of evoking rasa.

The first show of ‘Interpreting Tagore’ was staged in November 2011 in Mumbai and since then the work has been performed in various cities. The presentation has been named as so because it will Astad’s own interpretation of Tagore’s poems as a tribute to the bard.

Tanya Alag, coordinator of resource mobilisation, Salaam Baalak Trust says Astad has been mentoring some of the young performers of the NGO from 2008. “In 2009, he premiered the work ‘Breaking Boundaries’ which has been performed in 10 metro cities. For his new work, he took eight of the young performers into his dance company to be a part of his latest creation ‘Interpreting Tagore.’’

‘Interpreting Tagore’ was first premiered in Mumbai on November 2011. Since then the work has been performed in various cities. It was invited for the Kala Ghoda Festival in Mumbai and most recently was performed at Kolkata and now Delhi can look forward to it.