Astad Deboo has been described as a pioneer of modern dance in India besides undergoing extensive training in the Kathak and the Kathakali styles.

In 1991 and 1994 the Khajuraho dance festival broke the tradition of only Classical dance forms by inviting Astad Deboo to perform at the festival.

For the last years Astad has been working with deaf performers in India, USA and Hong Kong. In January 2005, he along with a troupe of 8 young women with hearing impairment, from the Clarke School for the Deaf, Chennai, performed at the 20th Annual Deaf Olympics, at Melbourne, Australia. In 2004 he choreographed in a Hindi film, by painter M.F. Hussain, Meenaxi: A Tale of Three Cities. In 2009, Astad choreographed a sequence for Mani Ratnam’s Ravanna with Aishwarya Rai, Abhishek Bachaan and South India’s well known actor- Vikram. In the same year he performed in his production, 'Breaking Boundaries' with six street children from Salaam Baalak Trust, an NGO, who had been trained with his troupe for six months.

In 2004, Astad was commissioned by Lingalayam Dance Company to create a dance/drama creation of The Tempest based on the Shakespearian drama.

Astad Deboo and his choreography has been seen and acclaimed in 65 countries.

Astad is a recipient of the Padma Shri in 2007 and the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1996 in recognition for his contribution in the field of Dance.