Uday Shankar’s Debut Performance

In 1922 the Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova returned to London from her tour of East Asia and India. This trip had inspired her to stage a ballet on Indian themes. She had decided on three miniature ballets, Ajanta Frescoes, A Hindu Wedding and Krishna and Radha. Her husband, Victor Dandre, who was also the manager of her dance troupe, commissioned the Indian musician Comolata Banerji, the daughter of Sir Albion and Lady Banerji, to write the scores for Krishna and Radha and A Hindu Wedding.

Through the wife of Mr N. C. Sen, who was the India Office official responsible for education and informally charged with looking after the Indian community in London, Pavlova was introduced to Uday Shankar. Immediately after he had auditioned for her, Pavlova asked him to choreograph the two ballets for her, and to partner her in the Krishna and Radha ballet. Shankar’s choreography drew from his experiences of life in Rajasthan. The costumes and décor were based on miniatures in the Victoria and Albert Museum and the costumes were designed with fabrics Pavlova had bought during her visit to India. The music was played by a western orchestra, with Banerji’s orchestrations emulating Indian melodies and rhythms.

Pavlova was scheduled to give a season of performances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 10 September 1923. The season opened with Pavlova offering six new ballets over the season: Ajanta Frescoes, A Polish Wedding, Dionysus, Oriental Impressions, Russian Folk Lore and La Fille mal gardée. On the first three nights, Ajanta Frescoes was presented; Oriental Impressions, which included Shankar’s choreography, followed on 13 September. These set pieces received enthusiastic notices. The Times praised the ‘imaginative atmosphere’ of Krishna and Radha. In the newspaper reviews of the performances, Uday Shankar is not mentioned; even in the publicity and souvenir materials, he is merely acknowledged as the person who ‘arranged’ the dances.

Following the success of the Covent Garden season, Shankar joined Pavlova on her American tour, which opened at the Manhattan Opera House on 9 October 1923.