Ballou HS Rocks the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Photo of the Day: November 27, 2009
Morning Roundup: Black Friday Edition
Car Pushed Into Anacostia River By Train
The Saturday Morning Post
This Thursday marks the start of the Fall Festival of Indian Arts, a program that is now in its fourth installment. This year's festival is entitled Celebrating Freedom, in honor of the 60th anniversary of Indian and Pakistani independence. Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh & Co., a local dance company, is staging the event and its mission is to mirror the modern South Asian experience by presenting traditional Indian dance forms in tandem with modern stylings.
The driving force behind the festival is Daniel Phoenix Singh (pictured), a dancer and choreographer who not only trained in the classical Bharatanatyam style, but also received an MFA in choreography and performance from the University of Maryland. Singh's company is one of the few South Asian art collectives that has gained exposure beyond the South Asian community itself, even winning the Founders' Award for Innovation in Dance from Dance/MetroDC.
Explaining the company's broader exposure, Singh offered several ways in which South Asian artists can reach a wider audience. "South Asian artists need to create a dialogue with other artists in the area and support both non-South Asian and South Asian art."
Singh also believes that the South Asian community itself needs to do a better job of promoting its art. "When South Asian artists perform, they usually perform in a community setting like a high school auditorium or a temple," he explained. "South Asian artists need to push it past the community setting," argued Singh. "If you want a professional crowd you need more professional presenting and marketing in a way non-South Asians will understand."
The festival, whose performances will all take place at the revered Lincoln Theatre, mirrors Singh's philosophies of professionalism, diversity, and universality.
"You can come all three nights and not see the same thing," said Singh, who will premiere a piece at the festival. "There is traditional dance, modern dance and the fusion of the two, as well as local and international companies."
The festival begins on Thursday with a forum discussion and dance performances taking place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Each program will feature a performance by Dakshina followed by a featured artist. On Friday, the featured performer is Malavika Sarukkai, a recipient of the Padma Shri award, one of India's highest civilian honors. Saturday's featured performer is Anita Ratnam, whose company will perform a piece called About Her..., a look at the many faces of womanhood. The festival will conclude on Sunday afternoon with a performance by Hari Krishnan and his Toronto-based company, inDANCE, which will perform a mixed program of classical and contemporary works.
The programs offer more than just a celebration of Indian and Pakistani independence. The inclusion of social justice themes, Singh believes, will appeal to a wide range of audiences. "We start with issues of freedom and once [the audience] is hooked on that, we can move to issues more specific to immigrant communities."
Even beyond issues of freedom and artistic expression, Singh has broader goals in staging this festival. "Art serves so many different purposes in our lives, but people don’t seem to think about it," he said. "We want to see how people can reflect on how art affects their lives."
Photos courtesy of Daniel Phoenix Singh
The Fall Festival of Indian Arts, Celebrating Freedom, begins Thursday evening and runs through Sunday afternoon. A full schedule and program description is available here. Ticket and venue information are available here.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
Post a comment (Comment Policy)