Gopal Prasad Dubey | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 June 1957 |
| Died | November 14, 2022 (aged 65) |
| Occupation | Classical dancer |
| Years active | Since 1971 |
| Spouse | Nalini gopal |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards | Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2016 Life time achievement award 2017 from CMSB New Delhi Vocational Achievement AwardContentsJharkhand State Award Suvarna Shankhu Award Natya Shri Puraskar Golden Conch Award Natya Tarang Puraskar Natya Keerthi Shikha Puraskar Natya Veda Puraskar |
| Website | Official web site |
Gopal Prasad Dubey is an Indian classical dancer, known for his expertise in the Indian classical dance form of Chhau. [1] [2] [3] He is considered by many as the leading exponent of the Seraikella variant of the art form. [4] Dubey was honored by the Government of India, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of Padma Shri. [5]
Gopal Prasad Dubey was born on 25 June 1957 in a Brahmin family at Seraikella, in the Indian state of Bihar (now Jharkhand). [6] [7] [8] [9] He started training Chhau at the age of 14 [4] under renowned gurus such as Rajkumar S. N. Singhdeo, Kedar Nath Sahoo, both Padma Shri award winners [5] and Natasekhar Banbihari Pattanayak. [7] [8] [9] [10] He also had training in New York, under a grant provided by the Asian Cultural Council. [9]
Dubey founded Trinetra, an institution for promoting Chhau dance, [11] in 1985, [4] under the aegis of which he has performed at many places across the world. [11] He has worked as the faculty member for dance at the Panjab University, Chandigarh. [8] [7] He has also worked with many international universities such as the University of Kansas, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University, University of London, Chungang University, Seoul, Seoul Institute of the Arts and American College of Greece and has taught at the Theatre Group and Multi Cultural Centre, both based in Inchon, South Korea. [8] [7] [10]
Dubey presented two classic plays, Antigone, in 1984 in New York and Shakuntalam, in 1987 at the Volos Theatre in Greece. [7] [10] His compositions were included in Bharat Ek Khoj , a TV series produced by the renowned film makerShyam Benegal. [8] He is also credited with the choreography of productions and presentations such as:
An approved artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, [7] [2] a Government of India agency, Gopal Prasad Dubey has travelled in many parts of the world with his performance, [9] which includes a performance at Symphony Space, Broadway, New York [10] [7] and has conducted many workshops and demonstrations in India and abroad. [11] [7] [10] [9] He has also collaborated with mainstream cinema and experimental theatre. [1] [4] [7]
Gopal Prasad Dubey lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka. [6]
Gopal Prasad Dubey is a recipient of the Vocational Achievement Award from Rotary Club International. [8] He received the Jharkhand State Award in 2007 for his contributions in promoting Chhau dance. [7] [10] [8] He was awarded Suvarna Shankhu at the Keli Chhau festival in 2010. [8] [7] The same year, he received the Natya Shri title from Nataraj Music Academy [7] [10] and Golden Conch from Keli Foundation, Mumbai. [10]
Holder of a senior fellowship from the Ministry of Culture, Dubey was honored by the Government of India in 2012, with the fourth highest civilian award of Padma Shri. [7] He also received Natya Tarang Puraskar from Nataraj Music Academy and Natya Keerthi Shikha Puraskar from Sathyanjali Academy, Cochin, both in 2013 and Natya Veda Puraskar from Nataraj Music Academy in 2014. [10]
Indian classical dance or Shastriya Nritya is an umbrella term for various performance arts rooted in Hindu musical theatre styles, whose theory and practice can be traced to the Sanskrit text Natya Shastra. The number of classical dances range from eight to more, depending on the source and scholar. The Sangeet Natak Academy recognizes eight – Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Kathakali, Sattriya, Manipuri and Mohiniyattam. Scholars such as Drid Williams add Chhau, Yakshagana and Bhagavata Mela to the list. Additionally, the Indian Ministry of Culture includes Chhau in its classical list. These dances are traditionally regional. They consist of compositions in Hindi, Malayalam, Meitei (Manipuri), Sanskrit, Tamil, Odia, Telugu, or any other Indian language and they represent a unity of core ideas in a diversity of styles, costumes and expression. Currently, there are 9 official classical dances in India.
Chhau dance, also spelled Chhou dance, is a semi classical Indian dance with martial and folk traditions. It is found in three styles named after the location where they are performed, i.e. the Mayurbhanj Chhau of Odisha, the Seraikella Chhau of Jharkhand, and the Purulia Chhau of West Bengal.
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