THE ASTAD

He recently completed 50 momentous years of performing on stage, but for Astad Deboo, it may well have been just another day at work. Born in 1947, this prolific dancer and choreographer has spent decades exploring freedoms of a different kind. At 72, he continues to dance with the energy of a young man and inspires his peers, students, and fans.His early life as a smalltown boy from Jamshedpur, his ride to foreign shores on a cargo ship, his groundbreaking collaborations with artists like Pink Floyd and training under Pina Bausch are the stuff of legend, and yet he remains rooted in the now. Constantly pushing the boundaries of performing arts, he has created new vocabularies of movement. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that Astad Deboo is synonymous with contemporary Indian dance.

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In a conversation with Urmi Chanda-Vaz, Astad Deboo talks about his work, sexism in the performing arts, and walking on more than his share of less-trodden paths.

You are known for your extensive work with deaf children, which has been a beacon of hope and inclusion for the disabled community. But there aren’t too many like you. Art (at least the ‘elite’ kind) continues to be the preserve of a privileged few. What other kinds of marginalization do you see in the realm of performing arts? What must artistes and teachers do better to be more inclusive?

It really is an individual artiste’s choice. There are many artistes who undertake workshops or perform shows with these marginalised and underprivileged communities, but those often tend to be done for reasons of publicity. Of course, there are others who are doing great and consistent work, such as Priti Patel, who works with people suffering from cerebral palsy or Hrishikesh Pawar, whose work with people afflicted by Parkinson’s disease is notable. But generally speaking, these endeavours are one-off things.