Astad Deboo’s name is synonymous with Contemporary Indian Dance, a style that he pioneered at a time when innovations in Indian dance were not welcomed. Deboo’s work in the 1970s and 1980s was not accepted by Indians, who critiqued it as “too Western.” Ironically, many Westerners judged it as “not Indian enough.” By the 1990s, audiences in India and beyond grew receptive to new Indian dance idioms partly influenced by globalization, the internet, and increased transnational travel. Deboo has received two prestigious awards from the government of India: in 1995, the Creative Dance Award from the government’s major Arts organization, Sangeet Natak Akamedi; and, in 2007, the Padma Shri recognizing him as a pioneer in Contemporary Indian Dance.