Uday Shankar

Uday Shankar (8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) (), the pioneer of modern dance in India, and a world renowned Indian dancer and choreographer, was most known for adapting Western theatrical techniques to traditional Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian classical, folk, and tribal dance, thus laying the roots of modern Indian dance, which he later popularized in India, Europe, and the United States in 1920s and 1930s and effectively placed Indian dance on the world map. Encyclopedia Britannica The Hindu, December 21, 2001. New York Times, October 6, 1985.Calcutta, the Living City: The present and future, by Sukanta Chaudhuri. Oxford University Press, 1990. Page 280. India's dances: their history, technique, and repertoire, by Reginald Massey. Abhinav Publications, 2004. ISBN 81-7017-434-1. Page 221-225. Chapt. 21.

In 1962, he was awarded by Sangeet Natak Akademi, India's The National Academy for Music, Dance and Drama, with its highest award, the Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship for lifetime achievement, and in 1971, the Govt. of India, awarded him with its second highest civilian award the Padma Vibhushan.

Early life and education

Born Uday Shankar Chowdhury, in Udaipur, Rajasthan, to a Bengali family with origins in Narail (present Bangladesh). His father Shyam Shankar Chowdhury, a noted barrister, was employed with the......
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