Pushkala Gopal

🪔 About

Pushkala Gopal MBE is a distinguished British practitioner of Bharatanatyam, an Indian classical dance form, renowned for her extensive contributions as a performer, choreographer, educator, and artistic director in the United Kingdom. Born in Chelmsford, Essex, she developed a deep connection to Indian heritage, beginning her formal Bharatanatyam training in India during her childhood. She earned a BA Honours degree in Mathematics and Economics in 1974 before pursuing advanced training in Bharatanatyam under the tutelage of the esteemed Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan. In 1975, she received a National Scholarship for Advanced Training in Bharatanatyam from India's Ministry of Education, followed by a postgraduate diploma in Bharatanatyam in 1977. Gopal commenced her professional career in 1977 as a freelance performer, lecturer, and teacher. Her early accolades include the Singar Mani title in 1977 and the Natya Purna award in 1979. In 1983, she was awarded a British Council Fellowship, enabling her to study Western theatre, dance, and education techniques at Trent Park. She served as Artistic Director of Akademi from 1985 to 1987, overseeing productions like "Adventures of Mowgli" and "Return of Spring." She later founded Mudralaya, her own dance school in Newham, London, where she created and directed acclaimed dance theatre works such as "Tapestry of Tales," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Devi Diva." She is also the artistic director of Sanskriti, an organization focused on Indian dance and music, founded in 2000. A prominent educator, Gopal has lectured at institutions including the Laban Centre, Surrey University, Middlesex University, and Goldsmiths College. She has played a crucial role in institutionalizing classical training within British dance education by contributing to the Bharatanatyam syllabus for the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and serving as a Lead Examiner and Vice Chair of its South Asian Dance faculty. She has mentored numerous students, with "more or less 50 children" completing their Arangetrams since the 1990s. For her exemplary service to dance and the community, Pushkala Gopal was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours. Awards & Honours: National Scholarship for Advanced Training in Bharatanatyam (1975), Singar Mani (1977), Natya Purna award (1979), British Council Fellowship (1983), Time Out Dance Award (1988), Digital Dance Award (1988), Gulbenkian Award for Musical Studies (1992), Acharya Ratna (Nritya) award from Milapfest (Distinguished Teacher in Bharatanatyam) (2015), Viswakala Bharati award from Bharat Kalachar, Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (2020).