An Indian Artist Extends Her Reach

The poetically named Shantala Shivalingappa was born in India, but raised in Paris, where she trained in Kuchipudi, a South Indian classical dance style, with her mother, the well-known dancer and choreographer Savitry Nair. Ms. Shivalingappa, who will perform at Jacob’s Pillow this week, is generally acknowledged as one of the greatest current practitioners of Kuchipudi’s flowing lines, percussive footwork and dramatic narratives.

But she hasn’t had a conventional career. Her onstage magnetism, musicality and vividly expressive power have made her a more cross-disciplinary figure than most Indian dancers. She has worked with the theater director Peter Brook, with Pina Bausch, with the Butoh-influenced choreographer Ushio Amagatsu and with Bartabas, the French master of equestrian theater. At Jacob’s Pillow, she will perform a program of new Kuchipudi work, accompanied by four musicians â€" an intricate part of the rhythmic complexity that distinguishes her riveting dance. (8:15 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; 2.15 p.m. Saturday and July 7, Doris Duke Theater, Becket, Mass., 413-243-0745, jacobspillow.org; $22-38.)

A version of this article appeared in print on June 30, 2013, on page AR4 of the New York edition with the headline: An Indian Artist Extends Her Reach.