Contemporary Indian dancer Astad Deboo, known for amalgamating Indian and western dance techniques, died here on Thursday, his family said. He was 73.
Deboo employed his training in Indian classical dance forms of Kathak as well as Kathakali to create a unique fusion dance form.
“He left us in the early hours of December 10, at his home in Mumbai, after a brief illness, bravely borne,” the family announced on social media.
“He leaves behind a formidable legacy of unforgettable performances combined with an unswerving dedication to his art, matched only by his huge, loving heart that gained him thousands of friends and a vast number of admirers,” it said.
According to Padma Alva, a long-time friend of Deboo and a former PTI journalist, his funeral was a private affair due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
“The funeral was held at Worli here at 11am. It was a private funeral because of Covid restrictions. So, only immediate family members were present,” Alva said.
Deboo is noted for creating a modern dance vocabulary that was uniquely Indian.
He once said there was a time when most Indians saw his style as “too western” while westerners found that it was “not Indian enough”.
His innovative style of Indian dance may have raised some eyebrows in the 1970s and 80s, but the 1990s saw people embrace this new idiom.
Recalling their bond of over four decades, Alva said she had lost a “friend of a lifetime”.
“Astad called me a few days ago to say it was goodbye. We were in touch every day till Monday when he went under, never to come up again. Have lost a friend of 45 years, a friend of a lifetime,” Alva said.
Actor Anupam Kher took to Twitter to pay tributes to the dance icon and wrote that Deboo’s art would be missed.
“World of modern dance has lost a pioneer and India has lost a cultural treasure. Dearest #AstadDeboo it was a privilege to know you. Will miss your art, warm persona and your infectious smile! Rest in peace my friend!!#OmShanti,” Kher said.
Filmmaker Nandita Das said Deboo had a lot of dance still left in him.