Presented in association with Chicago’s 2015 Eye on India Festival at The Dance Center
“Shivalingappa erases cultural boundaries with her lightness, wit, and musicality.” – The New Yorker
“divinely gifted…intoxicating” - The New York Times
“…Over the course of Akasha, we see Shivalingappa joyful, playful, sorrowful, amorous, proud, and fierce. We see her as the virtuoso who…in summoning up Shiva, becomes a celestial athlete.” -DANCEBEAT
Born in India and raised in Paris, Shantala is a child of the East and West. She grew up in a world filled with dance and music, initiated at a young age by her mother, acclaimed dancer Savitry Nair. Lauded as a rare dancer by artists and connoisseurs the world over, Shantala Shivalingappa brings a captivating contemporary sensibility to the 2,000-year-old traditional South Indian Kuchipudi dance form. Deeply moved and inspired by the grace and purity of Kuchipudi, she dedicated herself to intense and rigorous training from one of its greatest teachers, Vempati Chinna Satyam. Her ensuing associations with seminal choreographers and directors including Pina Bausch and Peter Brook fueled her rapid rise in the West and sparked a new global dance generation with her witty charm, marvelous musicality, and the vibrant storytelling embodied in her performances. An ensemble of four live musicians accompany Akasha.