Anne Marie Gaston

🪔 About

Dr. Anne-Marie Gaston, who performed under the stage name Anjali, was an internationally recognized Canadian Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, scholar, and author. Born on July 6, 1941, in Ottawa, Canada, she passed away in her hometown in April 2018. Gaston began her extensive studies in Indian classical dances and arts in India in 1964, specifically focusing on Bharatanatyam in Chennai with Guru Ellappa Pillai. Her performing career commenced in India in 1966 and in Canada in 1967, where she presented the full Bharatanatyam classical margam repertoire. She was recognized as the first native-born Canadian to perform classical East Indian dance professionally. Beyond Bharatanatyam, Gaston was a versatile performer, having studied and performed several other classical Indian dance styles including Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathakali, Chhau, and Kathak. She earned an M.Litt. and a D.Phil. from Oxford University, specializing in the Sociology of Arts, Indian Arts, and South Asian Artistic Traditions. Her academic pursuits complemented her performance career, leading her to teach at universities and colleges across North America and the UK. Gaston was known for her pioneering work using mixed-media in Indian dance presentations, emphasizing the connections between dance, sculpture, and painting. She authored significant scholarly works, most notably "Bharata Natyam: From Temple to Theatre," which critically examines the evolution of the dance form. At the time of her passing, she was a Research Associate in Music at the School for Studies in Art and Culture, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.