Over the past few years, and more recently due to the juggernaut that is Slumdog Millionaire, there has been an explosion of South Asian American artists and collectives devoted to incorporating South Asian culture into the broader arts scene. Musicians such as Karsh Kale and Janaka Selekta, who merge electronic and traditional sounds, have started making more regular visits to the District. Local dance companies like the Dakshina/Daniel Phoenix Singh Dance Company, Dhoonya Dance, and a host of others have each put their own twist on attempting to cast traditional South Asian forms into a modern light. more ›

'Tis the season for South Asian dance, apparently. After last week's well-attended Fall Festival of Indian Arts, folks who wish to continue their fix may catch Bollyb!end, the first ever full-length dance production from the Dhoonya Dance Performance Company, taking place this Saturday at the Atlas Performing Arts Center (they will also be performing on Friday along with DJ Rekha at the Black Cat's Bhangraween party). more ›

Bhangra, an infectious folk music and dance style from the Punjab region of India and Pakistan, has slowly crept into the mainstream club scene. The driving force behind this increase in popularity are the South Asian DJs of Great Britain and North America, who took this traditional form and infused it with the programmed sounds of hip-hop, dancehall, and techno. One of the most well-known names in this movement is DJ Rekha (pictured), a New York-based artist who is bringing her international grooves to the Black Cat on Saturday. more ›

Usually, a reviewer is the guy or gal with the steno pad, furiously taking notes as enthusiastic throngs are actually enjoying the show and living in the moment. We studiously jot down the set list, observe the crowd, judge the music of the band, all while trying to be a fly on the wall. I walked into the M.I.A. show at the 9:30 Club last night without any intention of writing this review, so... more ›

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Romance & Cigarettes John Turturro's third film as a director is the sort that seems tailor made to become a cult classic. Not nearly polished or glamorous enough to be the sort of Broadway to big screen musical hit that Chicago or Hairspray was, it was too oddball to fit into the heads of most... more ›

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... more ›

One could say sitarist/composer Anoushka Shankar has music flowing through her veins. Daughter of Ravi Shankar, the most celebrated indian musician in the world, she grew up immersed in the ancient traditions of indian classical music. With her 2005 release, Rise, the 26-year old musician, who will be performing with her father at the Kennedy Center this fall, began a quest to merge her musical heritage with more contemporary sounds and influences. Thus, it comes... more ›

“If I do my job as an actor, you won't notice that I'm South Asian or that I'm a woman, or even that I'm playing one of the most controversial political figures of all time. I'm portraying a person at a crossroads struggling with a difficult decision.” So says Zehra Fazal (pictured right) of her striking portrayal of Adolf Hitler in her self-produced, one-woman adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s play, My Friend Hitler, currently running at... more ›

Broad Gauge Entertainment is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to "fostering diverse perspectives in the arts." In today's local arts community, it stands as one of the few modes of artistic expression for South Asian voices. Outside of its traditional art forms, the desi community has been largely unrecognized, or perhaps even absent, from the D.C. art scene. Broad Gauge and other groups such as Subcontinental Drift might indicate a sea change of sorts. more ›

Academy 2007, at Conner Contemporary Art, is the gallery's seventh invitational survey designed to give wider exposure to recent graduates of the area's university level fine art programs. Jamie Smith, a product of formal art academia herself, curated the show along with Karyn Miller and chose the pieces after attending area BFA/MFA exhibitions between January and June. The show is designed not only as a platform for talented artists, but also as a profile of area art programs with pieces reflecting the personality and culture of their respective institutions. The result is an exhibition of 32 pieces, by 15 up-and-coming artists, in varied media ranging from painting, video, sculpture, and photography. As one might expect, the majority of the artists come from formal art programs rather than local universities. Of the 15 artists, seven come from the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) and three come from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. more ›

With all the great Ethiopian and soul food restaurants arrayed along U Street, it can be easy to overlook The Islander, whose kitchen has been preparing the Trinidadian take on Carribean food for 30 years. Characterized by slow-cooked stews, curried goat and oxtail, all of which can be bundled within a blanket of roti, Carribean cuisine is a colonial fusion of African and South Asian cuisines. more ›

Sure, you can grind, you can salsa, and maybe even do a little ballroom dancing, but how are you at caopeira? What about bhangra? Can you tell the swing dancers from the hand dancers? more ›

Catherine Andrews contributed to these picks FRIDAY: >> It's your duty as a local music loving citizen: you must make it out to the Black Cat tonight to catch the line up of Washington Social Club (read our interview here), Monopoli, and Cartel. Their live shows range from frenetic to slowburning to melodious, and they're all a treat. DCist will be there with stacks of t-shirts to sell and info about the site. 9:30,... more ›

So what does an embassy of a country that just dissolved its government look like? Well, as you can see at left, the Royal Nepalese Embassy, on Leroy Place in Kalorama, is pretty quiet. We aren't sure what happens to diplomatic staff abroad when one's country undergoes a radical shift. But the embassy did issue a press release detailing a translation of the king's proclamation. (Look under Announcements, you can't link directly to the press release.) more ›