Book: Ram Gopal: The intersection of Indian dance history
author: Ann R. David, Bloomsbury, February 2024.
Ann R. David Ram Gopal: The intersection of Indian dance history is a fascinating, highly detailed, and extensively researched book detailing the life and times of famed Indian dancer Ram Gopal (1912-2003) and how he influenced and changed the Dance point of view. He performed extensively from the 1930s to the 1960s and, along with Uday Shankar, was one of the first artists to present Indian classical dance works to Western audiences. There is a lot of cross-fertilization between Indian dance, especially ballet, and “modern” dance such as Laban and Wegman. He is also inspired by other artists’ paintings, drawings, sculptures, films and television. It is of medium size and thickness, divided into six parts, with an index, bibliography, appendices and a number of photographs (some in color, most in black and white).
It is not written specifically in chronological order, but each section takes a specific item and uses it as a basis for further discussion (Gopal’s passport, for example, or his glorious Shiva headdress). It is both a biography and a history. David examines incredibly charismatic dancers and individuals through extensive interviews with his partners, friends, partners/company members, costume makers, and audience recollections. David contextualizes the Indian dance culture of the era, providing a scholarly examination of the tense politics of naming dance styles, the significant changes brought about by the breakup of colonialism, and the patriotic sentiments of both. and how ballet influenced the expansion, styles, and audiences of Indian dance.
The book touches on Gopal’s personal life. He was gay but had to stay “in the closet” and was briefly married in the 1960s, while living in Chelsea, London, to Edith Alexander, although a few years later the marriage Ended by the death of Edith Alexander. The couple has no children.
David reveals details about Gopal’s upbringing, his parents (the son of a Rajput lawyer father and a Burmese mother), siblings, his early dance training and brief performances in India Career, first sold-out international tour to Eleven, with performances in the United States and London to critical acclaim.
David also investigates celebrity photographers such as Cecil Beaton and Carl Van Vechten, authors such as Cyril Beaumont, and Kay Ambrose Gorgeous images of Gopal by brilliant artists like Kay Ambrose, Milein Cosman and Felix Topolski, and what this meant for possible but obvious homosexuality What the audience looked at, the fascination with his body of that era and the perception of Indian dancers of that era. She also details Gopal’s relationships with various agents/hosts such as Sol Hurok.
Gopal moved to London in the 1950s, where, in addition to touring, he remained and became friends with Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin Friends, performing with Markova and Harlequin Ballet. He tried to establish a dance school but failed.
In the 1980s, Gopal became very frail and entered a sanitarium, although he continued in the dance world. In 1999 he was awarded an OBE.
This is a vital, vibrant and much-needed investigation of a now overlooked but hugely important figure in the history of dance.
Author: Lynn Lancaster Dance information.
