Bye, world

Astad Deboo, dance pioneer and acclaimed choreographer bows out Mumbai Mirror / Updated: Dec 11, 2020, 09:11 IST Astad Deboo (July 13, 1947 - December 10, 2020): The dance pioneer and acclaimed choreographer bows out. Ironically, the very first show I ever saw at Prithvi Theatre in Juhu, which later became my regular haunt, was a performance by the dance legend Astad Deboo along with (Satyadev) Dubeyji’s actors. It was part of the Prithvi Theatre Festival, sometime in the 1980s, and I remember being absolutely spellbound. I later went on to work with Dubeyji a lot. At one point in his career, he conducted several acting workshops. Astad would come in to conduct the movement workshops for his actors. They were extremely good friends, and in fact shared the same birthday (July 13). What struck me about their friendship was their deep passion and hunger for their respective performances, Dubeyji’s drama and Astad’s dance.