Pandit Ram Gopal (1912-2003), Dancer, choreographer and teacher

Sitter in 13 portraits
Dancer, choreographer and teacher. The pioneer of classical Indian dance in this country, Ram Gopal was born in Bangalore, and initially trained in the classical Indian dance style of Kathakali. After the War he starred in a number of Hollywood epics made on location, such as The Purple Plain (1954), and William Dieterle's Elephant Walk (1954), for which he had also choreographed the dance sequences. After a series of successful world tours he settled in this country in 1954 in London, where he still lives. In the 1960s Gopal was a partner of Alicia Markova, having appeared with her at the Prince's Theatre in 1960, in a duet - Radha-Krishna - choreographed by him, which transferred to the Edinburgh Festival later that year.