I still get nervous before every show: Astad Deboo

In a candid interview, he speaks about the contemporary dance scene in the country, how difficult it is for artistes like him to keep going, and why a bit of nervousness before one gets on the stage is always good. 

“Dance is my life,” he begins as we settle down for a conversation. While it might seem like a clichéd statement otherwise, coming from 69-year-old Astad Deboo, who embraced dance at the tender age of 6 and is considered the pioneer of contemporary Indian dance, there couldn’t be a better way of putting it. The dancer and choreographer has manoeuvred his training in Kathak and Kathakali to create a dance form that is unique to him. 

Throughout his illustrious career, he has worked with various prominent performers such as Pina Bausch, Alison Becker Chase and Pink Floyd, and performed in over 70 countries across the world. 

“Life has been a tapestry of experiences for me. I’ve experienced and learnt about various cultures, traditions, styles and techniques through my art,” adds Deboo known for his control, silence and minimalism. What has evolved from these experiences, is an inimitable Astad Deboo oeuvre, brilliant in style, unique in presentation. 

And he recently treated dance aficionados in the city to a slice of the same, through a performance titled Eternal Embrace, an act that kept the audience spellbound. For Eternal Embrace, Deboo collaborated with musician Yukio Tsuji. 

This original dance, choreographed and performed by him, is inspired by the poem Maati, written by Sufi poet Hazrat Bulleh Shah. Embodying the poem’s central themes, the piece explored the tensions between annihilation and infinity, the ephemeral and the material worlds. 

Tsuji’s musical accompaniment on zither, shakuhachi flute, and percussion, composed specifically for the performance, topped by Deboo’s towering presence on stage with movements that went beyond the mechanistic level, investing it with mood and emotion, the 60-minute solo was a mesmerising act. 

Brushing aside compliments, Deboo admits, “What we performed in New York (where the play was originally commissioned in 2015 by the metropolitan museum of New York), was quite different. In a way, this was a brand new performance. 

Movement wise, there were certain phrases that were retained but in terms of music, it was completely different from the original. I was a bit apprehensive because it was very minimal in terms of the elements involved. But I’m glad it has been accepted extremely well.” 

Speaking of apprehensions, does he ever get nervous, considering his confidence and experience on stage? “Always. It’s good to be nervous before you get up there. There’s no rule to get over it. It’s a temporary feeling and it fades as you start performing and as you get to feel the audience. But, the day you’re not nervous, there’s something missing,” he explains. Deboo started out at a time when contemporary dance was hardly heard of. Five decades later, he says it’s still difficult for artistes to create an identity for themselves. 

“I speak from my own experience of 47 years as a professional. Yes, I do have a good following in the country. But it’s taken me time to cultivate my audiences. It is still difficult for me. There are many limitations one is subjected to most of the time — from finance to acceptance. Also, the word contemporary has become a buzz word which people use without even having any training. There are just a handful of people in the Indian dance scenario who are really exploring and doing work of substance. It’s also because we as country are more lured by entertainment and not as much by the true essence of art,” remarks Deboo. 

He adds that most of the “so-called” contemporary dance performances on Indian TV is merely “Bollywood mumbo jumbo”. “In a way it’s contemporary because it’s now. But otherwise, it’s just entertainment with no depth. There’s nothing more than that. These gymnastic-like dances have a short life span,” adds Deboo.    

However, he also sees the bright side of the scenario. “What is so wonderful is that I find a lot of younger generation people coming to attend my performances. It is very heartening and an indication that the dance form has a good future,” he concludes.