Shantala puts contemporary spin on Kuchipudi

BY A STAFF WRITER

CHICAGO, IL — The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago offers Chicago audiences a chance to see a contemporary spin on the classical South Indian dance form Kuchipudi when Shantala Shivalingappa makes her Chicago debut with her work Akasha during March 5–7 at The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

The Dance Center’s presentation is in association with Eye On India.

Akasha is danced solo by Shantala with four accompanying musicians from India: a vocalist, flutist and two percussionists. “It is said that that Akasha originates in sound, which is a vibration, or said another way, a form of energy and movement,” Shantala writes.

Shantala Shivalingappa, born in Madras, India, was raised in Paris. She grew up in a world filled with dance and music, initiated at a young age by her mother, acclaimed dancer Savitry Nair.

Lauded by artists and connoisseurs around the world, Shantala 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. She proceeded to work with prestigious artists such as Maurice Bejart, Peter Brook, Bartabas, Ushio Amagatsu (Sankai Juku), and Pina Bausch.

Savitry Nair joins the company for The Dance Center residency. Deeply trained in classical Indian dance like her daughter, Savitry teaches, responds to and reflects upon Shantala’s work.

A post-performance conversation with Shantala takes place on March 5, and a pre-performance talk with Savitry Nair takes place on March 6, both free to ticket holders.

The Dance Center’s presentation of Shantala Shivalingappa is funded, in part, by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago is the city’s leading presenter of contemporary dance, showcasing artists of regional, national and international significance.

Programs of The Dance Center are supported, in part, by Alphawood Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, National Performance Network (NPN) Performance Residency Program and the Arts Midwest Touring Fund.

Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council Agency. Special thanks to Friends of The Dance Center.

The Dance Center’s 2014–15 season concludes with Urban Bush Women (March 19–21).