Rabindranath Tagore had invented a departure from the classic Indian dance forms, choreographing instead, movements and expressions that flowed naturally with his songs. Known as Rabindra-nritya, it initiated the first steps to ‘modern dance’ in India. This style has since then relied on the creative impulse of the individual dancer or choreographer interpreting poetical compositions. While Tagore’s dance style has not gone beyond the Bengali cultural domain, there are international dancers like the magnificent Astad Deboo who have paid homage to the redoubtable Gurudev [Divine teacher], in his own vocabulary.

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