JOIN USPadma Shri Astad Deboo is a man who defies age with the sheer grace in his movement. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, he has been a pioneer of modern dance in India with his contemporary style of dancing that incorporates elements of kathak, kathakali and chhau.
He recently performed ‘Interpreting Tagore’ at Chowdiah Memorial Hall as a part of the ‘Bengaluru International Arts Festival 2012’.
The dance was his interpretation of four poems by Tagore — ‘Walking Tall’, ‘Your Grace’, ‘Surrender’ and ‘Awakening’. Throughout the evening, he was accompanied by eight young adults, who are originally from the Salam Baalak Trust and then trained for four years in the Astad Deboo Dance Company.
“It was a very signature Astad performance, with a lyrical and meditative quality to it. I liked that the focus was on the essence of the poetry and how it was suggestive, visual and metaphorical instead of being literally interpretative,” says Mayuri Upadhya of Nritarutya Dance Collective, who attended the show.
“It’s not the complication of his movement, but it’s simplicity, that makes him who he is today,” she adds.
The show began with ‘Surrender’, which was set to a dhrupad composition
by Italian vocalist Amelia Cuni.
The flexibility and precision of the movements demonstrated by both him and his students were interesting. Motions were slow, swift-moving strokes, that gave the feeling of a flowing river.
‘Walking Tall’, based on Tagore’s popular poem Ekla Cholo Re, was like a vigorous dance routine, with the movements complementing the music perfectly. Astad gracefully danced in the middle of the circle of eight dancers and in his signature way, moved as if the stage was his.
But it was the ‘Your Grace’ that really stole the show, with eight-foot high puppets of Goddess Kali with elaborate masks making their way down the aisle and eventually, taking the stage to dance with the devotees. It was a spine-chilling, moving piece that reminded one of a mother (Kali) fighting all odds to protect her child (her devotees). The energy of the young dancers, with their full body spins, jumps and kicks in the air, was also impressive.
The final piece, ‘Awakening’, was Astad’s solo piece, which introduced the kathak technique of the chakkars along with the Sufi tradition of whirling. For more than ten minutes, he spun without stopping to the extent that it was dizzying to watch him.
“It was amazing for his age. His spins were beautiful and mesmerising,” says Anita, another audience member.
‘Interpreting Tagore’ was an absolutely absorbing performance for all present and saw a standing ovation for the 65-year-old dancer and his eight-member troupe. “The eight students only used to do Bollywood dance.
Now, they know how to work within contained and confined spaces and have mastered a whole new kind of dance,” shares a proud Astad after the show.