Biography
Born in Madras and raised in Paris, Shantala Shivalingappa grew up in a world steeped in dance and music, initiated from childhood by her mother, the dancer Savitry Nair.
Deeply moved and inspired by the purity and grace of Master Vempati Chinna Satyam’s style, Shantala dedicated herself to Kuchipudi and received rigorous and intense training from her master.
She performs as a soloist, accompanied by her Indian musicians, in numerous theaters and festivals (including: Théâtre de la Ville-Paris, Sadler’s Wells–London, Mercat de les Flors-Barcelona, Jacob’s Pillow Festival-USA, New York City Center, Herbst Theatre-San Francisco) with an ardent desire to bring Kuchipudi to the West and to share her passion with the widest possible audience.
In India and Europe alike, audiences recognize her as a great dancer, with her exceptional technical skill blending with remarkable grace and sensitivity.
Since the age of 13, she has also had the rare privilege of working with the greats: Maurice Béjart (“1789…et nous”), Peter Brook (for whom she first played Miranda in “The Tempest,” then Ophelia in “The Tragedy of Hamlet”), Bartabas (“Chimère”), Pina Bausch (“O Dido,” “Néfès,” “Sacre du Printemps,” “Bamboo Blues”), and Ushio Amagatsu, who created a solo for her: “Ibuki.”
These encounters have made her artistic and human journey an exceptional path.
Today, Shantala divides her time between creating new Kuchipudi choreographies, building a new repertoire marked by her personal touch, and touring her shows. Passionate about human encounters and the artistic growth they spark, Shantala also immerses herself in collaborative projects with various artists, exploring dance, music, and theater.
Recent projects include “Play” (2010), a duo with dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui; “Nineteen Mantras” (2012), a modern opera inspired by Hindu myths, directed by Giorgio Barberio Corsetti and choreographed by Shantala, performed by students of the La Scala Academy in Milan; and “Peer Gynt” (2012), directed by Irina Brook for the Salzburg Festival, where Shantala performed as a dancer-singer-actress.
In 2013, Shantala won the prestigious Bessie Award in New York for “Outstanding Performance” in “Shiva Ganga.”
In 2014, she performed in “AM I,” a piece by “Shaun Parker and Company” at the Sydney Opera House, alongside 13 Australian dancers and musicians. She also created “Blooming” at the Vail International Dance Festival, a short duo with Charles ‘Lil Buck’ Riley, a virtuoso dancer and expert in ‘jookin,’ a dance style developed in the streets of Memphis, Tennessee.
In 2014 and 2015, she worked on two projects in Barcelona: “Impro-Sharana,” a concert-dance with her long-time collaborator, Catalan singer Ferran Savall, and four musicians; and “We Women” with Sol Pico, Julie Dossavi, and Minako Seki.
2017 saw the birth of two new projects: “Bach,” a collaboration with cellist Sonia Wieder-Atherton and director Stéphane Ricordel, and a solo project directed by Aurélien Bory.
www.shantalashivalingappa.com