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Ram Gopal
After World War 2, Indian dancers and companies became regular
visitors to London, including Mrinalini Sarabhai and Ram Gopal.
Ram Gopal was born in 1912 and trained in classical Indian dance
from an early age. Like Shankar, he took up dance in opposition
to his father’s wishes. He had a good knowledge of Indian dance
traditions and was interested in developing the classical dance
tradition for new audiences. Western audiences were captivated
by the magnetism of Gopal’s performance and christened him the
‘Indian Nijinsky’.
Over the last 25 years, South Asian dance has become a major
part of the British contemporary dance scene and Asian communities
now living in Britain have developed the traditional art forms
in new directions. Asian British institutions like Akademi and
AdiTi have promoted South Asian dance in performance and in education
and the community. Prominent figures include choreographer Shobana
Jeyansigh and director of Akademi, Mira Kauhik.
To discover more about South Asian Dance in the UK since 1945
visit http://www.salidaa.org.uk
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Origins of South Asian Dance
