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Power of movement
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Astad Deboo's unique dance idiom has brought new meaning to the lives of the hearing impaired. CHITRA SWAMINATHAN on his artistic pursuits
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Students of the Clarke School For the Deaf perform a piece from "Contraposition", choreographed by Astad Deboo. -- Pics. by R. Ragu
ASTAD IS the ustad of modern Indian dance but his style is sans new-age trappings. Rather, it smacks of old-world sensitivity. So was his presentation at the Duchess Club recently at Hotel Savera. It was a heart talk on art. Though Astad's dance vocabulary is devoid of words, his multi-culture-influenced movements and music speak a universal language. Now we know how he danced his way into the world of silence and inspired its inhabitants. For the last 16 years, Astad has collaborated with various institutions for the hearing impaired the world over to create visual poetry.
"Whether performing as a soloist or in a group, I don't need lyrics because I go in for music that is packed with rasa and rhythm. The body and face are enough to lend meaning to a musical piece and explore its nuances," says Astad matter-of-factly. "My style of dance is my own and it falls under the contemporary category. Each artiste creates his own script."
Variety of vignettes
There are shades of Kathak and Kathakali, a touch of Tai Chi, Bharatanatyam mudras, physical rigours of yogasanas, vibrancy of the martial arts, rustic charm of folk forms, fluidity of the ballet and the trendy appeal of the West in his choreography. You can interpret it the way you want.
"Labelling dance styles is an academic approach. Just stop looking at them with tinted glasses on. Any artistic work is a variety of vignettes," says a slightly put off Astad. For obviously, he must have been answering such questions several times over the years.
There are many like him even in the classical genre who want to contemporise ethnic styles for modern audiences, but they are scared of being termed `non-conformist or rebel'. Fortunately, Astad is a `modern' dance performer, whose art does not fall into a pattern. That saves his works from being scanned and scrutinised by the conservatives. That also allows him to collaborate freely and assimilate generously. He has drawn from classical Indian arts, the martial arts, puppetry, folk forms, traditional and modern styles of South East Asia, Europe and the West.
Not surprisingly, his creative quest has taken him to all corners of India and more than 50 countries. "Such artistic exchanges and interactions are the lifeline of my choreography," says Astad.
The Parsi dancer began his artistic journey with training in Kathak in Jamshedpur. After a chance encounter with the doyen of modern dance Murray Louis, he turned into a cultural traveller, stopping over in South America, Japan, China, Indonesia, Europe and the U.S. to take lessons in dance. He returned to his roots after many years and headed towards Kerala to get trained in Kathakali. Having combed through several resources, he came up with a phenomenal artistic range.
"Dance is a combination of perfect physical control and moving visual impact. So you can strike a pose that is as classical as it is contemporary. It is just the way you perceive it," avers the artiste.
Meaningful journey
Astad, who is in his fifties, has had his share of critical attention. For a long time, his unique idiom did not get an appreciable Indian audience. However, with globalisation the cultural borders blurred giving him a firm footing on the world stage and most important, gaining acceptance on the native shores. Sample these: He was given the Sangeet Natak Akademi award for creative dance, commissioned to choreograph a piece by Gallaudet University, Washington, which is the world's largest university for the deaf, commissioned by Pierre Cardin to choreograph a dance for Maia Plissetskaia, the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Ballet, performed at the Great Wall of China, shared stage with Pink Floyd at the Chelsea Theatre in London, invited by the deaf theatre companies of Mexico and Hong Kong and what's more, he was invited to perform along with classical dancers at the Khajuraho festival.
Exploring the navarasas
Though the Mumbai-based Astad does not teach regularly, he conducts workshops whenever he is not touring. The Astad Deboo Foundation set up in 2002 by him and his admirers focusses on training and supporting the disabled and the hearing impaired who want to pursue performing arts. "Though I am not a brand equity, I am a familiar face who can bring recognition for the talent of the hearing impaired. I work with the hearing impaired not out of sympathy but because I believe in them."
Today at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre (7 p.m.), Astad Deboo will stage his new work, "Contraposition" in which he explores the navarasas, along with the students of the Clarke School for the Deaf in Chennai. After travelling to a few other cities, "Contraposition" will be part of the opening ceremony at the 20th Deaf Olympics in Melbourne, Australia, in January 2005. Astad and his team through their performances are also raising funds to reach the Olympics stage.
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