Jacob's Pillow Dance

The Festival » Shantala Shivalingappa

Shantala Shivalingappa

July 7-July 11, 2010 • INDIA • U.S. PREMIERE • LIVE MUSIC

"If you must select a single performance to see at the festival this summer, make it Shantala Shivalingappa's evening-length Shiva Ganga... Shivalingappa, one of the preëminent interpreters of the Indian classical dance-drama kuchipudi, erases cultural boundaries with her lightness, wit, and musicality." - The New Yorker

Shantala Shivalingappa's extraordinary talent has been acclaimed by the likes of the legendary Pina Bausch and she has previously captivated Pillow audiences with the vibrant, precise storytelling embodied in her interpretation of the traditional Kuchipudi.Originating in southeastern India and recognized as one of the eight forms of classical Indian dance, Kuchipudi movements are quick andlight, with a keen sense of musicality. Shivalingappa, called the "child of the east and west" for her birth in India and upbringing in Paris, is accompanied by four master musicians, in the U.S. premiere of Shiva Ganga, a work that explores the balance between the Hindu gods Shiva, who creates and sustains the universe through dance, and Ganga, who embodies grace and elegance.

"Shantala's dance is like the dancing glow of a flame, which enlightens us." -VOGUE, Paris

"Mainly, though, this was a beautiful example of Kuchipudi's range of moods, now coolly compelling in its alternation of curving sculptural positions, now brightly engaging in its use of the eyes and gestures to the audience, now rapidly precise in its stamping and skipping clusters of footwork." - The New York Times

Wednesday, July 7 - Saturday, July 10, 8:15pm
Saturday, July 10 & Sunday, July 11, 2:15pm

$10 youth tickets, sponsored by ALEX®, available for Friday evening

Tickets on sale now. 
Click "Buy Tickets" to purchase online or call the Box Office at 413.243.0745, Mon-Sat 10am-6pm, Sun noon-5pm.