Ram Gopal Biography 
Ram Gopal was an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who had performed worldwide. He along with Uday Shankar has experimented fusion in Indian classical dance with western dance forms and has popularized it worldwide by conducting concerts; a modernist and one among the first to showcase Indian classical dance in the West since 1930’s. Legend of the Taj Mahal, Dance of the Setting Sun and Dances of India are his most noted works as a choreographer. His fusion work in 1960 - "Radha-Krishna" with British ballerina, Dame Alicia Markova needs special mention. He received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to dance in 1999. He has also received Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship in the year 1990.
Ram was born in Bangalore to Burmese mother and Rajput father in the year 1912. He learned Kathakali, traditional art form of Kerala from Guru Kunju Kurup and Chandu Panickar. Once his performance was appreciated by Maharajah of Mysore and thus began the shining career of Ram Gopal. He learnt bharatnatyam from Guru Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai of Pandanallur style. Not only that, he also learned Kathak from Sohanlal and Bowri Prasad and a little bit Manipuri too. Combining all these art forms, he choreographed for his musical ballets and toured many foreign nations. He was invited to the US by La Meri, an American dancer and together they conducted many tours during 1930’s. His first solo performance in a foreign country happened in New York in the year 1938, May first.
While he was staying at London during 1960’s, he was married to Edith Alexander. But she died within a few years and the couple didn’t have any children. Important works published by Gopal include - Indian dancing (1951) and Ram Gopal: rhythm in the heavens: an autobiography (1957). He spent his last three years in Croydon, South London, where he died in 2003 aged 90.
Published: N/A
Updated: January 08, 2014
