''Sujata and Asoka'' were a pair of

dancer Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoi ...

s specialising in performing Indian,

Tibetan Tibetan may mean: * of, from, or related to Tibet * Tibetan people, an ethnic group * Tibetan language: ** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard ** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...

and various

Oriental The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the ...

dances to Western audiences. They were Sujata, (3 February 1918 in Bombay, British Raj – 2 January 1993 in Coconino County, Arizona) and Asoka Rubener (26 October 1910 in

German Empire The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...

– 7 June 1997 in Yavapai County, Arizona).

Background

Asoka studied dance in Europe under

Harald Kreutzberg Harald Kreutzberg (December 11, 1902 – April 25, 1968) was a German dancer and choreographer associated with the Ausdruckstanz movement, a form in which the individual, artistic expression of feelings or emotions is essential. Though largely fo ...

and later in Asia, eventually becoming a Buddhist. In 1939 whilst in India, in the Himalayas he was interned as an enemy alien by the British authorities from 1939 to 1944. Sujata, a Christian, was born in Bombay and as a child moved with her family to the south of India. She began studying dance at the age of 10, eventually becoming a solo dancer. Sujata met her husband when they were both dancing in

Mussoori Mussoorie is a hill station and a municipal board, near Dehradun city in the Dehradun district of the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is about from the state capital of Dehradun and north of the national capital of New Delhi. The hill st ...

, Dehradun district, in 1946; the two were married in 1947. They made their first performance in the West in Paris, then made appearances in New York City and Montreal."Indian Dancers, Sujata and Asoka Regarded as Authentic in India"; ''The Montreal Gazette'' - Oct. 8, 1949 In addition to their dancing performances, the two appeared in several Hollywood films and acted as

technical adviser In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart Nipo T. Stronghear ...

s. Their final film appearance was together in '' Juliet of the Spirits'' (1965). They became American citizens in 1955. Following their retirement, they taught dance in

Sedona, Arizona Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2010 census, its population was 10,031. It is within the Coconino National Fo ...

Filmography

Sujata roles

*'' Aladdin and His Lamp'' (1952) - Dancing Slave *'' The Merry Widow'' (1952) - Gypsy Girl *'' Caribbean Gold'' (1952) - Dancer in duet #1 *'' Fair Wind to Java'' (1953) - Dancer *'' Desert Legion'' (1953) - Dancer #1 *''

Salome Salome (; he, שְלוֹמִית, Shlomit, related to , "peace"; el, Σαλώμη), also known as Salome III, was a Jewish princess, the daughter of Herod II, son of Herod the Great, and princess Herodias, granddaughter of Herod the Great, an ...

'' (1953) - Oriental Dancer *'' Flame of Calcutta'' (1953) - Exotic Dancer #1 *'' The Diamond Queen'' (1953) - Oriental Dancer #1 *''

King of the Khyber Rifles ''King of the Khyber Rifles'' is a novel by British writer Talbot Mundy. Captain Athelstan King is a secret agent for the British Raj at the beginning of the First World War. Heavily influenced both by Mundy's own unsuccessful career in India ...

'' (1953) - Native Dancer *'' Bengal Brigade'' (1954) - Indian Dancer #1 *'' I pirati della Malesia'' (1964) - Dancer #1 *'' Juliet of the Spirits'' (1965) - Bhisma's helper #2 *''Tum Haseen Main Jawan'' (1970) *''Sharmeelee'' (1971) *''Do Yaar'' (1972) *'' Phir Kab Milogi (1974)'' *'' Maya Miriga'' (1984) - Tutu's Wife (final film role)

Asoka roles

*'' Caribbean Gold'' (1952) - Dancer in duet #2 *'' Desert Legion'' (1953) - Dancer #2 *'' Flame of Calcutta'' (1953) - Exotic Dancer #2 *''

'' (1953) - Oriental Dancer *'' The Diamond Queen'' (1953) - Oriental Dancer #2 *'' Bengal Brigade'' (1954) - Indian Dancer #2 *'' I pirati della Malesia'' (1964) - Dancer #2 *'' Juliet of the Spirits'' (1965) - Bhisma's helper #1

Notes

External links

* *{{IMDb name, 0039595, Asoka Rubener American dance groups Indian expatriates in the United States Indian emigrants to the United States American artists of Indian descent