Are you a South Asian, South Asian American dancer/ performer based in Philadelphia or the greater Philadelphia area?  We are looking to spotlight new, bold voices that can play with the dance forms of India (classical, Bollywood, contemporary, folk) to create a dance piece 10-12 min in length, solo, duet, or ensemble work. 

Courtyard Dancers will spotlight 2-3 solo or group artists at the Biennial Facing East festival in Philadelphia (November 14,15 2025). 

We welcome individuals across a wide range of artistic disciplines! Past cohorts have included vocalists, instrumental musicians, dancers, and visual artists.

The theme should draw on Bhakti and/ or Sufi songs/poetry to foster an inter-faith and pluralistic dialogue against the rising tide of religious fundamentalism in India and the global Indian diaspora. If your proposed performance is selected you will be given the opportunity to perform at the Biennial FACING EAST festival in Philadelphia, curated by Courtyard Dancers on November 14, and 15, 2025.  Courtyard Dancers will produce your piece with full technical, lights, sound support, professional photography and videography.

Voices of Bhakti and Sufi asks the applicant to create an original performance (dance/ dance-theatre) inspired by South Asian poets who promoted radical humanism through songs and poetry such as Kabir, Janabai, Lalon Fakir, Mirabai, Raidas, Soyarabai, Amir Khusrau, Bulleh-Shah, Mirza Ghalib, Baba Farid (this is not an exhaustive list, you can choose your inspiration). Many of these poems call for social and spiritual reform, breaking down caste, and religious/communal barriers to promote human equality.

1.     Dancer/ Performer/s names and contact information. 
2.     Brief description of your proposed piece specifically addressing how it relates to the theme. No more than 1 paragraph. 
3. Link of short video clip of you/ your group dancing in the style/ form you intend to present on stage. Video length should be 30 seconds to 2 minutes maximum length. 
4. If selected as part of the final cohort, you are required to submit a video of final choreography before the Facing East festival. 
5. Number of people dancing/ performing. 

Send applications by email to [email protected]

Deadline for submissions is Friday, August 24th 2025, 11:59PM EST. 

See example video: Pallabi Chakravorty and Courtyard Dancers Art and Change Grant, Leeway Foundation.

A sample repertory of poems is available at the digital archive Voices of Bhakti

We are looking to put together an interfaith cohort of two- three South Asian American artists (ages 18+), based in or around the greater Philadelphia, PA region.

We welcome individuals across a wide range of artistic disciplines! Past cohorts have included vocalists, instrumental musicians, dancers, and visual artists.

This project is open to individuals who trace their heritage to South Asia and/or the global South Asian diaspora (i.e. the Caribbean, east Africa, Malaysia, etc.), as well as people who are mixed-race, transracial adoptees, and third culture individuals

Selected artists will be required to have the ability to come to Philadelphia to prepare for this production with Courtyard dancers. We are open to any artists in the broader region who can arrange their own transport and stay throughout the period of collaboration. We have a limited budget and cannot offer any monetary compensation or travel funds to the dancer/performer.

Courtyard Dancers will provide the participating performer/s with a time slot on professional stage at the FACING EAST Festival in Philadelphia. Therefore, the dancer/ performer will have access to a professional venue, audience, production team for tech (lights, sound), professional photographer, and videographer.  Courtyard Dancers is not able to provide monetary honoraria to the participating dancer/ performer.

If you are accepted into this cohort, you will be expected to:

• Create an original performance (example: dance/ dance-theatre) inspired by South Asian poets such as Kabir, Janabai, Lalon Fakir, Mirabai, Raidas, Soyarabai, Amir Khusrau, Bulleh-Shah, Mirza Ghalib, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Baba Farid (this is not an exhaustive list, you can choose your inspiration).
• Submit a video of the final choreography three- four weeks before the Facing East festival. 
• Create and perform a dance piece 10-12 minutes in length (solo, duet, or ensemble work) at the Biennial Facing East festival in Philadelphia in front of a live audience. 
• Permit for your performance to be photographed and video recorded for the Courtyard Dancers’ archives. 
• Permit to share these materials through social media. Your social media handle will be tagged as a collaborator.

Voices of Bhakti and Sufi is sponsored by Courtyard Dancers, Hindus for Human Rights, Saaz Inc.

Courtyard Dancers is a non-profit community centered arts organization with branches in Philadelphia, and Kolkata, India. We are interested in developing the art of Kathak Dance as cultural literacy and empowerment. Courtyard Dancers has curated FACING EAST FESTIVAL since 2015 in Philadelphia. 2025 marks 25 years for Courtyard Dancers performing and teaching Kathak in Philadelphia.

Hindus For Human Rights is a faith based advocacy group focused on pluralism, civil and human rights in South Asia and North America, rooted in the values of our faith: shanti (peace), nyaya (justice) and satya (truth). We provide a progressive Hindu voice of resistance to caste, racism, bigotry, and oppression. 

Saaz Inc is a non-profit organization based out of Philadelphia. Our goal is to promote South Asian music and performing arts by organizing vocal and instrumental concerts, dance performances, poetry and book readings and in the process to introduce our youth and non- natives to the pleasures of South Asian art and literature.

• The concept of “Voices of Bhakti and Sufi” has been inspired by the “Performing Voices of Bhakti” artist fellowship, led by Nikhil Mandalaparthy and Dr. Preethi Ramaprasad and launched in 2022. This fellowship supports South Asian artists to create original works based on poetry featured on Voices of Bhakti (@voicesofbhakti on Instagram), a digital archive curated by Nikhil that showcases translations of South Asian poetry on religion, caste, and gender — with an emphasis on poetry that challenges religious nationalism, hate, and exclusion.

• Performing Ecstasy: The Poetics and Politics of Religion in India, Pallabi Chakravorty, Scott Alan Kugle, ISBN 9788173048142, 2009

• Poetics and Politics of Sufism and Bhakti in South Asia: Love, Loss and Liberation, Kavita Panjabi, ISBN-13: 978-8125042976, 2011

Please reach out to the Courtyard Dancers at [email protected] (Pallabi Chakravorty, Mahasweta Dutt).