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.”