A Pioneer of Indian Creative Dance
Prabhat Ganguli was born in Banaras on August 15, 1913, into a conventional Brahmin family. His first attraction to dance came from watching the Ahirs and Dhobis of his neighborhood perform. As he grew older, he developed a strong physique and gradually became adept at physical feats.
In 1935, renowned choreographer and artist Uday Shankar’s visit to Calcutta coincided with Ganguli’s presence in the city. Shankar stayed there for a year composing new dances. In 1939, Ganguli met Shankar and joined his Cultural Centre at Almora, marking the beginning of his professional career as a dancer.
Through methodical hard work, Ganguli mastered the fundamentals of dance. While he didn’t exactly follow Uday Shankar’s style, the intense training under Shankar’s guidance significantly influenced his approach to creating new dances and developing work methods.
Career and Achievements
In 1944-45, Ganguli choreographed the ballet “Hunger” for the Indian People’s Theatre in Delhi.
In 1948, he joined the Indian Renaissance group, founded by Shanti Bardhan. This group produced “The Discovery of India,” based on Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru’s book of the same title.
In 1959, he joined the Little Ballet Troupe as choreographer, and from 1965 onwards served as the troupe’s Principal Choreographer, creating numerous acclaimed ballet productions.
In 1976, he established a theatre wing in Gwalior, where he produced and directed several full-length plays. His choreographic style was distinguished by its incorporation of Indian folk dance elements, with narrative serving as the nucleus around which movements and choreography developed.
His choreographic work and ballets took him to many parts of the world through various cultural exchange programs. His contributions to dance earned him several prestigious honors:
- 1968: Awarded a diploma at the Mundial Festival in Mexico
- 1978: Invited as a delegate to the first Congress of Choreographers in New York
- 1979: Received the National Award for Creative Dance from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, Delhi
- 1989: Conferred the Shikhar Samman by the Government of Madhya Pradesh for his dedication to exploring new possibilities in dance while preserving Indian traditions
Academic Contributions
Ganguli served as a visiting professor of mime and movement at both Jabalpur University and the National School of Drama in Delhi. His teaching helped shape the next generation of Indian performers and choreographers.
His legacy lies in his unique ability to blend traditional Indian dance forms with contemporary choreographic techniques, creating a distinctive style that both preserved cultural heritage and pushed the boundaries of creative expression.
