Uday Shankar
Uday Shankar | |
---|---|
British India | |
Died | 26 September 1977 (aged 76) |
Nationality | Indian |
Occupation(s) | Dancer, choreographer |
Spouse | Amala Shankar |
Children | Ananda Shankar Mamata Shankar |
Honours | Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1962) Padma Vibhushan (1971) |
Uday Shankar (born Uday Shankar Chowdhury; 8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an
In 1962, he was awarded by
Early life and education
Uday Shankar Chowdhury was born in Udaipur, Rajasthan, the eldest son of an
Uday Shankar's father was a Sanskrit scholar, who graduated with honours from the
In 1918, at the age of eighteen, he was sent to Mumbai to train at the
Career
Uday Shankar did not have any formal training in any of the Indian classical dance forms. Nevertheless, his presentations were creative.[11] From a young age, he had been exposed to both Indian classical dance and folk dance, as well as to ballet during his stay in Europe. He decided to bring elements of both styles together to create a new dance, which he called Hi-dance. He went on to translate classical Indian dance forms and their iconography to dance movements, after studying the Rajput painting and Mughal painting styles at the British Museum. Further, during his stay in Britain, he came across several performing artists, subsequently when he left for Rome on the 'Prix de Rome' scholarship of the French Government, for advanced studies in art.
Soon his interaction with such artists grew and so did the idea to transform Indian dance into a contemporary form. The turning point came with his first meetings with legendary Russian
He worked with Anna for one and a half years, before starting out on his own in Paris.
Shankar returned to India in 1927, along with a French pianist, Simon Barbiere, who was now his disciple and dance partner, and a Swiss sculptor, Alice Boner, who wanted to study Indian art history. He was welcomed by Rabindranath Tagore himself, who also persuaded him to open a performing arts school in India.
On his return to Paris in 1931, he founded Europe's first
Soon he embarked on a seven-year tour through Europe and America with his own troupe, which he called – 'Uday Shankar and his Hindu Ballet', under the aegis of impresario Sol Hurok and Celebrity Series of Boston of impresario, Aaron Richmond. He performed in the United States for the first time in January 1933 in New York City, along with his dance partner Simkie, a French dancer. As part of the visit, a reception was held at the Grand Central Art Galleries.[15] After,[when?] Shankar and his troupe set out on an 84-city tour throughout the country.[16][17]
His adaptation of European theatrical techniques to Indian dance made his art hugely popular both in India and abroad, and he is rightly credited for ushering in a new era for traditional Indian temple dances, which until then had been known for their strict interpretations, and which were also going through their own revival. Meanwhile, his brother Ravi Shankar was helping to popularise Indian classical music in the outside world.
In 1936, he was invited by
In 1938, he made India his base, and established the 'Uday Shankar India Cultural Centre', at Simtola, 3 km from
Uday Shankar settled in
Personal life
Uday is the elder brother of Ravi Shankar. He married his dance partner, Amala Shankar, and together they had a son, Ananda Shankar, born in 1942, and a daughter, Mamata Shankar, born in 1955. Ananda Shankar became a musician and composer who trained with Dr. Lalmani Misra rather than with his uncle, Ravi Shankar, and in time became known for his fusion music, encompassing both European and Indian music styles. Mamata Shankar, a dancer like her parents, became a noted actress, working in films by Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen. She also runs the 'Udayan Dance Company' in Kolkata, and travels extensively through the world.[21]
Legacy
Uday (b. 1900, d. 1977) and Amala Shankar (b. 1919, d. 2020) decided to open Uday Shankar India Culture Centre (named after Uday Shankar's Almora centre for dance) in Kolkata in 1965, where Amala Shankar remained the Director-in-Charge, from the day of its inception. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 1991. The school continued until 2015, remaining dedicated to carrying on with Shankar's ideas about processes of innovative and creative dance making.
Shankar's followers and associates include Shanti Bardhan, creator of Ramayana ballets presentations, Guru Dutt, one of India's finest film directors, Lakshmi Shankar, a noted classical singer, Zohra Sehgal, who performed on the stage, television, and the cinema both in India and in Britain.[18]
In December 1983, his younger brother, sitar player Ravi Shankar organised a four-day festival, Uday-Ustav Festival in New Delhi, marking the 60th anniversary of his professional debut in 1923, highlighted by performances by his disciples, films, an exhibition and orchestral music composed and orchestrated by Ravi Shankar himself.[3] The centenary celebrations of his birth were formally launched at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris on 26 April 2001, where dancers, choreographers and scholars from all over the world assembled to pay homage to Uday Shankar.[14]
In the Tollygunge area of south Kolkata, the Golf Club road has been renamed to Uday Shankar Sarani.[22]
Awards
- 1960: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award – 'Creative Dance'[23]
- 1962: Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship
- 1971: Padma Vibhushan
- 1975: Desikottama, Visva-Bharati University
See also
Selected discography
- The Original Uday Shankar Company of Hindu Musicians, Recorded During the Historic 1937 Visit to the United States, instrumental ensemble: Vishnudass Shirala, Sisir Sovan, Rabindra (Ravi Shankar), Dulal Sen, Nagen Dey, Brijo Behari
- Indian Music: Ragas and Dances, The Original Uday Shankar Company of Hindu Musicians. Recorded during the historic 1937 visit to the United States. RCA/Victrola VIC-1361 (1968 reissue, 10 tracks: 4 ragas, 5 dances, 1 bhajan)
- Ravi Shankar: Flowers of India El Records (2007), containing all tracks from the original album[24]
References
- ^ Uday Shankar Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ "Uday Shankar: a tribute", The Hindu, 21 December 2001.
- ^ New York Times, 6 October 1985.
- ^ Sukanta Chaudhuri (1990) Calcutta, the Living City: The present and future. Oxford University Press. p. 280.
- ^ ISBN 81-7017-434-1. pp. 221–225. Ch. 21.
- ^ Kothari, Sunil (27 December 2018). "Reliving the classic film Kalpana by dance great Uday Shankar". The Asian Age. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- Mamta ShankarDance Company, website.
- ^ Biography of Ravi Shankar Ramon Magsaysay Award website.
- ^ a b Uday Shankar Biography catchcal.com.
- ^ Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Uday Shankar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ Sunil Kothari (2000) Uday Shankar:An Appreciation. Natya Kala Conference
- ^ Nayana Bhat (26 September 2007) The Uday Shankar story. narthaki.com
- ^ Ballet Legacy. The Times of India, 22 March 2003.
- ^ a b UNESCO observes grand centenary functions in Paris. Rediff.com, 27 April 2001.
- ^ Grand Central Art Galleries, 1934 yearbook
- ^ Largest Tour Time, 30 October 1933.
- ^ Dancer from Hindustan. Time, 9 January 1933.
- ^ IGNCA
- IMDb
- ^ World Cinema Project (2008). "Kalpana". www.film-foundation.org. Retrieved 6 July 2021.
- ISBN 983-2085-85-3.
- ^ "Kolkata (Calcutta) Street Road Name Change." Calcuttawe
- ^ Creative Dance Archived 5 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Official listings.
- ^ The Flowers of India – acmem117cd Archived 21 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Cherry Red Records.
28. Sarkar Munsi, Urmimala (2011). 'Imag(in)ing The Nation: Uday Shankar's Kalpana' in Traversing Traditions: Celebrating Dance in India. Eds. Urmimala Sarkar Munsi & Stephanie Burridge. Routledge: India, UK, USA. pp. 124–150.
29. Sarkar Munsi, Urmimala (2010). 'Boundaries and Beyond: Problems of Nomenclature in Indian Dance' in Dance: Transcending Borders. Ed. Urmimala Sarkar Munsi. Tulika Books: Delhi. pp. 78–98.
Further reading
- Uday Shankar and his art, by Projesh Banerji. Published by B.R. Pub. Corp., 1982.
- His Dance, His Life: A Portrait of Uday Shankar, by Mohan Khokar. Published by Himalayan Books, 1983.
- Uday Shankar, by Paschimbanga Rajya Sangeet Akademi. Published by West Bengal State Sangeet Academy, Information & Cultural Affairs Dept., Govt. of West Bengal, 2000.
- Uday Shankar, by Ashoke Kumar Mukhopadhyay. 2008. ISBN 81-291-0265-X.
- Honoring Uday Shankar, by Fernau Hall. Dance Chronicle, Volume 7, Issue 3 1983, pages 326 – 344.
- Uday Shankar’s Short Biography 1900–1977 , A.H. Jaffor Ullah
- Who Remembers Uday Shankar?, Prof. Joan L. Erdman
- Uday Shankar―the choreographer par excellence: A pictorial view, A.H. Jaffor Ullah
- Uday Shankar Troupe's 1937 Recordings of Indian Ragas, A.H. Jaffor Ullah