Uday Shankar

🪔 About

Uday Shankar (born Uday Shankar Chowdhury on December 8, 1900, in Udaipur, Rajasthan) was a pioneering Indian dancer and choreographer, widely recognized as the "Father of Modern Dance" in India. He is celebrated for creating a unique fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical, folk, and tribal dance forms, which he popularized in India, Europe, and the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. Shankar did not receive formal training in any single Indian classical dance form but drew inspiration from various Indian art forms, including Rajasthani paintings and Mughal painting styles, as well as the frescoes of Ajanta and Ellora caves. His innovative approach moved away from strict adherence to traditional *tala* (rhythm) and *abhinaya* (expression), focusing instead on flowing, expressive movements. He collaborated with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in the 1920s, performing orientalist fusion ballets like 'Radha-Krishna'. In 1938, he established the 'Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre' in Simtola, Almora, Uttarakhand, where he invited renowned gurus of Kathakali (Sankaran Namboodri), Bharatanatyam (Kandappa Pillai), and Manipuri (Amubi Singh), along with Ustad Allauddin Khan for music, to teach and collaborate. The center, however, closed in 1942 due to a lack of funds. He later settled in Kolkata in 1960, where the 'Uday Shankar Center for Dance' was opened in 1965. Shankar also directed his only film, the semi-autobiographical dance-based *Kalpana* (1948), starring himself and his wife Amala Shankar. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1960), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1962), Padma Vibhushan (1971), Desikottama (1975).