Gopal Prasad Dubey (25 June 1957 – 14 November 2022) is an Indian classical dancer, known for his expertise in the Indian classical dance form of Chhau. He is considered by many as the leading exponent of the Seraikella variant of the art form. Dubey was honored by the

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, in 2012, with the fourth highest Indian civilian award of

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

Biography

Gopal Prasad Dubey was born on 25 June 1957 in a Brahmin family at Seraikella, in the Indian state of

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

(now Jharkhand). He started training Chhau at the age of 14 under renowned

gurus Guru ( ; IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan- Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential figure to the disciple (or '' ...

such as Rajkumar S. N. Singhdeo, Kedar Nath Sahoo, both

award winners and Natasekhar Banbihari Pattanayak. He also had training in New York, under a grant provided by the

Asian Cultural Council The Asian Cultural Council (ACC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing international cultural exchange between Asia and the U.S. and between the countries of Asia through the arts. Founded by John D. Rockefeller III in 1963, A ...

. Dubey founded ''Trinetra'', an institution for promoting Chhau dance, in 1985, under the aegis of which he has performed at many places across the world. He has worked as the faculty member for dance at the

Panjab University Panjab University (PU) is an Indian collegiate public state university located in Chandigarh. Funded through both State and Union governments, it is considered a state university. It traces its origins to the University of the Punjab in Lahor ...

, Chandigarh. He has also worked with many international universities such as the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States. Two branch campuses are in the Kansas City metropolitan area on the Kansas side: the university's medical school and hospital ...

Indiana University of Pennsylvania Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) is a Public university, public research university in Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and Carnegie Classification o ...

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, Chungang University, Seoul,

Seoul Institute of the Arts Seoul Institute of the Arts () is an arts university in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. The Namsan campus in Seoul is used for presentation of arts productions and convergence with industry. The Ansan Campus opened in 2001 and is used for ...

and

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and has taught at the Theatre Group and Multi Cultural Centre, both based in Inchon, South Korea. Dubey presented two classic plays,

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, in 1984 in New York and Shakuntalam, in 1987 at the Volos Theatre in Greece. His compositions were included in ''

Bharat Ek Khoj ''Bharat Ek Khoj'' () is a 53-episode Indian historical drama based on the book '' The Discovery of India'' (1946) by Jawaharlal Nehru that covers a 5,000-year history of the Indian subcontinent from its beginnings to independence from the Brit ...

'', a TV series produced by the renowned film maker

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...

. He is also credited with the choreography of productions and presentations such as: * '' Uttar Ramayan'', (1997) TV series produced by

Ramanand Sagar Ramanand Sagar (born Chandramauli Chopra; 29 December 1917 – 12 December 2005) was an Indian film-television director, producer, and writer. He is best known for his contribution to the television serials '' Ramayan'' (1987–1988) and '' Shr ...

* ''Jeevan Rekha'', (1990)

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dance ballet by Sharon Lowen * ''Death Watch'', play written by

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and directed by Kumara Varma * ''Andhayug'',

production, based on

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

* ''Mrignayanee'', TV series directed by

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* ''The Golden Leaves'', Korean play directed by Lee Sung Kyu * ''Mud Man'', Korean play directed by Jang Jin Ho * ''Last Vision'', (2009) NFDC produced feature film directed by A. K. Bir * ''Dance of the Warriors'', (1996) a collaborative production with Henry Clay Smith of Solaris Dance Theatre, New York * ''Mask of the Warriors'', (1997) another Henry Clay Smith collaboration * ''Pillars Of the Community'', (2009) play in English, directed by Neeraj Kabi An approved artist of the

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 April ...

, a

agency, Gopal Prasad Dubey has travelled in many parts of the world with his performance, which includes a performance at

Symphony Space Symphony Space, founded by Isaiah Sheffer and Allan Miller, is a multi-disciplinary performing arts organization at 2537 Broadway on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. Performances take place in the 760-seat Peter Jay Sharp Theat ...

, Broadway, New York and has conducted many workshops and demonstrations in India and abroad. He has also collaborated with mainstream cinema and experimental theatre. Gopal Prasad Dubey lives in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Awards and recognitions

Gopal Prasad Dubey is a recipient of the Vocational Achievement Award from Rotary Club International. He received the Jharkhand State Award in 2007 for his contributions in promoting Chhau dance. He was awarded ''Suvarna Shankhu'' at the ''Keli Chhau festival'' in 2010. The same year, he received the ''Natya Shri'' title from Nataraj Music Academy and ''Golden Conch'' from Keli Foundation, Mumbai. Holder of a senior fellowship from the

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

, Dubey was honored by the

in 2012, with the fourth highest civilian award of

. He also received ''Natya Tarang Puraskar'' from Nataraj Music Academy and ''Natya Keerthi Shikha Puraskar'' from Sathyanjali Academy, Cochin, both in 2013 and ''Natya Veda Puraskar'' from Nataraj Music Academy in 2014.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dubey, Gopal Prasad 1957 births Living people Indian male dancers People from Seraikela Kharsawan district Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts Dancers from Jharkhand 20th-century Indian dancers Recipients of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Chhau exponents

Biography

Awards and recognitions

See also

References

External links