A dancer who wore many hats Astad Deboo passes away at 73

New Delhi: Contemporary Indian dancer Astad Deboo, known for amalgamating Indian and western dance techniques, died here on December 10, his family said.

Deboo 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.

Deboo employed his training in Indian classical dance forms of Kathak and Kathakali to create a unique fusion dance form. The range was bewildering, going all the way from performing with rock band Pink Floyd at London’s Chelsea Town Hall and Dhrupad singers, the Gundecha Brothers, to Pina Bausch of the Wuppertal Dance Company in Germany and the Pung Cholom dancers of Manipur.

Actor Anupam Kher took to Twitter to pay tributes to the dance icon and wrote Deboo’s art would be missed.

“World of modern dance has lost a pioneer and India has lost a cultural treasure. Dearest #AstadDeboo it was a privilege to know you. Will miss your art, warm persona, and your infectious smile! Rest in peace, my friend!!#OmShanti,” Kher said.

Known for his charitable endeavours, Deboo worked with deaf children, both in India and abroad for two decades. In 2002, he founded the Astad Deboo Dance Foundation, which provided creative training to marginalized sections, including the differently-abled.

“He has created a dance-theatre style which successfully assimilates Indian and Western techniques,” said the citation for the Sangeet Natak Akademi award he received in 1995 for his contribution to contemporary creative dance. He was also a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2007.(PTI)