Ram Gopal (dancer)

Lore & Background

Ram Gopal was born in Bangalore to a Burmese mother and a Rajput father who was a barrister; the family lived in a mansion called Torquay Castle. His grandmother was a well-known dancer. Drawn to dance early, he learned Kathakali from Guru Kunju Kurup and Chandu Panickar. After dancing without permission at the Maharaja of Mysore's garden party, the Maharaja persuaded his father to allow further training. In his early forties, he studied Bharatanatyam under Guru Meenakshi Sundaram Pillai and Muthukumaran Pillai, Kathak from Sohanlal and Bowri Prasad, and Manipuri dance, assimilating all into his choreography. Invited to the United States by La Meri, he toured Asia with her in the 1930s. During World War II he returned to India with Ensa, ending his professional relationship with Janta-Połczyński. He toured extensively as a soloist and with his company, known for costumes, staging, and lighting. In 1960 he collaborated with Dame Alicia Markova on 'Radha-Krishna', based on Hindu mythology. He also danced with Mrinalini Sarabhai and Kumudini Lakhia, and had a partnership with Tara Chaudhri. He danced at the Mumbai school of Hilde Holger and collaborated with her on experimental pieces. French filmmaker Claude Lamorisse made two films about him: 'Aum Shiva' and 'Ram'.

Reader's Guide

Ram Gopal's significance lies in his pioneering role in bringing Indian classical dance to Western audiences from the 1930s, alongside Uday Shankar. As a modernist, he synthesized Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Manipuri, folk dance, and ballet into a distinctive solo style, earning him the epithet 'the Nijinsky of India' from Polish critic Tadeusz Zelenski. His choreographic works—such as Legend of the Taj Mahal, Dances of India, and solo items Dance of the Setting Sun and Garuda—and his 1960 collaboration with Dame Alicia Markova on 'Radha-Krishna' are noted highlights. He influenced later dancers through his performances, writings (Indian Dancing, Rhythms in the Heavens), and short-lived dance schools. His legacy is preserved in the V&A Museum, which holds some of his costume pieces, and in films by Claude Lamorisse and Sarah Erulkar.

Did You Know?

• Polish critic Tadeusz Zelenski called Ram Gopal 'the Nijinsky of India'.
• In 1960 he collaborated with British ballerina Dame Alicia Markova on a duet 'Radha-Krishna' based on Hindu mythology.
• His grandmother was a well-known dancer, and he learned Kathakali from Guru Kunju Kurup and Chandu Panickar.