Akaash Odedra has always commingled cultures, being a Leicester lad of South Asian descent trained in the ancient Indian court dances of kathak and bharata natyam. He has also always favored collaborations—most often with masters in his own and other traditions. When there’s been a chasm between them, English—talking—has bridged the gap. But Shenyuan Hu doesn’t know English, and Odedra can’t speak a word of Mandarin. Odedra first encountered the Chinese dancer-choreographer on the other side of the footlights, as a bedazzled audience member. “All the other dancers were exploding outwards,” Odedra remembers. ”He was like a super nova, whose explosion pulled us in.” When they rehearsed, the pair relied on body language—or “ESP!,” Odedra marvels. The result is Samsara, an evening-length essay in liberatory spiritual fusion. The duet is one performance in Lincoln Center’s stuffed multidisciplinary India Week, a timely alternative to the once reliably excellent Indian American Arts Council’s programming, now under the sway of a Hindu nationalist chairman. —Apollinaire Scherr