Costume worn by Ram Gopal in a Kathak dance

Dance costume worn by Ram Gopal consisting of a long-sleeved, cross-over, skirted coat in oyster brocade woven with a floral lattice and sprays in gold with blue highlights, a pair of tapering trousers of white synthetic fabric, trimmed with silver braid around the ankles, and a soft turban of white synthetic silk, with the crown formed of padded rolls bound with strips of gold lame ribbon.

Given by the Trustees of the Ram Gopal Estate

This costume was worn by Ram Gopa in a Kathak dance.

Ram Gopal (1912?-2003) and Uday Shankar, were the most important Indian dancers of the 20th century. Gopal built on Shankar's pioneering revival of Indian dance and its introduction to audiences both in Asia and the West, taking it one stage further. He remained faithful to the pure discipline, technique and ethos of Indian classical. but he also started to open out a deeper appreciation of Indian classical dance traditions, shrewdly tailored to Western audiences, using modern theatrical techniques and spectacular presentation. He widened audiences experiences by including music and other folk and classical styles alongside his own pieces. Each item was preceded by an explanation, enabling audiences to understand and appreciate what was, at that time, a very esoteric art form.
For three decades he was a major world star, with a glamour and charisma equal to any other major dance star of the period. He not only raised public awareness of the richness of Indian dance but worked with dancers trained in other dance forms, like Alicia Markova, thus setting a precedent in Britain for the current thriving and creative South Asian dance scene, which mixes classical Indian dance with other contemporary and classical dance styles to create something uniquely itself.
Each of Gopal's costumes was hand made and tailored to his own design. He spent huge sums on his costumes, which could be insured for as much as £25,000. Some were made of cloth of gold, woven and tailored in India; when it became worn, it was sent back to India, melted down and rewoven.

Ram Gopal was one of the most important dancers of the 20th century Ram Gopal was one of the most important dancers of the 20th century and certainly one of the most exotic theatre performers. He was a major figure in the revival of Indian dance and his spectacular theatrical presentations introduced it to audiences both in Asia and the West. He was proud of the authenticity of his music, costuming and style, shrewdly tailored his presentations to Western audiences, using modern theatrical techniques and spectacular presentation.
This costume was worn by Gopal in a Kathak dance. Kathak is one of the major classical dance forms of India, derived from 'katha' which means 'the art of story telling.' Dancers develop exceptional fluid use of the hands and eyes to tell the story without words. The costume is relatively simple compared with others worn by Gopal, but the full skirt of the coat would have been spectacular in performance, swinging and flowing around the dancer.
The turban was originally created for a kathak dance in which Gopal played the Emperor Shah Jahan, but in later years he would also wear it off stage.

S.114:1 to 3-2004