Udaya Sankar

🪔 About

Uday Shankar, born Uday Shankar Chowdhury on December 8, 1900, in Udaipur, British India, was a pioneering Indian dancer and choreographer, widely recognized as the founder of modern dance in India. He is best known 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. Despite not having formal training in any traditional Indian classical dance forms, Shankar's presentations were highly creative, drawing inspiration from Indian classical and folk dances, as well as ballet he encountered in Europe. He translated classical Indian dance forms and their iconography into dance movements after studying Rajput and Mughal painting styles. Shankar's career began with a significant collaboration with Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova in the 1920s, where he choreographed and performed in Indian-themed ballets such as "Radha-Krishna" and "A Hindu Wedding". In 1931, he founded Europe's first Indian dance company in Paris. Returning to India, he established the 'Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre' in Simtola, Almora, Uttarakhand, in 1938. At this center, he invited renowned gurus like Sankaran Namboodri for Kathakali, Kandappa Pillai for Bharatanatyam, Amubi Singh for Manipuri, and Ustad Allauddin Khan for music, fostering an environment for innovative and creative dance making. The Almora center, however, closed in 1942 due to a lack of funds. He later settled in Kolkata in 1960 and opened the "Uday Shankar Center for Dance" in 1965. Shankar also directed his only film, the semi-autobiographical dance-based "Kalpana" (1948), starring himself and his wife Amala Shankar. Uday Shankar passed away on September 26, 1977, in Kolkata. Awards & Honours: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – 'Creative Dance' (1960), Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1962), Padma Vibhushan (1971), Desikottama (1975).