Amala Shankar (1919–2020) was an Indian classical dancer associated with the revival of Indian dance in the twentieth century. She was the wife and long-time artistic collaborator of the dancer and choreographer Uday Shankar, and the mother of dancer Mamata Shankar and the late composer-musician Ananda Shankar.
| Full name | Amala Shankar |
|---|---|
| Born | 1919 |
| Died | 2020 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Profession | Dancer, dance teacher |
| Spouse | Uday Shankar |
| Children | Ananda Shankar, Mamata Shankar |
Amala Shankar's introduction to the world of dance came through her association with Uday Shankar, whom she met as a young girl when her family travelled to Europe. She joined Uday Shankar's troupe and trained under him, eventually becoming one of his principal dance partners on stage.
She was closely associated with the Uday Shankar India Culture Centre at Almora, established in 1939, which became an influential institution for the training of dancers and the development of a modern Indian dance idiom. The centre drew together teachers of Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Manipuri and Hindustani music, and Amala Shankar was among its prominent students and performers.
She performed extensively with Uday Shankar's troupe in India and abroad. She also appeared in the feature film Kalpana (1948), directed by Uday Shankar, in which she played the female lead opposite him. The film, shot at Gemini Studios in Madras, is regarded as a landmark in the cinematic representation of Indian dance and was later restored and screened internationally.
After Uday Shankar's death in 1977, Amala Shankar continued to teach and run dance institutions in Kolkata, training generations of students in the Uday Shankar style of creative dance.
Amala Shankar lived in Kolkata in her later years and remained a respected figure in Indian cultural life. She passed away in 2020 at the age of 101.
Amala Shankar is remembered both as a performer in her own right and as a custodian of the Uday Shankar tradition of Indian creative dance, which sought to combine classical Indian movement vocabularies with theatrical staging and ensemble choreography. Through her teaching and through her family's continued involvement in dance and music, she contributed to the transmission of this style to later generations.