“My role as the Founder and Director of the academy is a hybrid between a CEO, artistic director, and a school principal.” A big believer in “do it with passion, or not at all”, meet today’s woman dreamer, Devika Dhawan, founder of DFD Academy. A business professional and a passionate dancer, Devika shares how she pursued her MBA and how she utilizes her business background and creativity to run her dream dance school, and empower the next generation of dancers to embrace their identities. Enjoy her story, and dance along with her vibrant dance video in the article!

1. Your parents immigrated from India and you were born and raised in Boston. What were some challenges you faced growing up in the States with your Indian versus American identity? 

Growing up as a first generation South Asian American, I often felt torn between the cultural norms of my family and assimilating to the environment in which I was brought up. Many of my friends and peers would attest to feeling the same, but the way we dealt with it was to just identify with one side. Training in traditional Indian Classical dance and being a huge 90’s Bollywood buff, I’m sure you can guess which side I leaned toward, but the label of being more Indian or more American was always a heavy stigma. Somehow as a kid it was difficult to see the beauty in both - until I went to college.

In college, I was introduced to fusion dance – a form that blends western and eastern dance styles. It gave me a huge appreciation for all sides of me and the cultures I truly am. I just wished that it was something that was introduced to me earlier in life. That’s why I started DFD Academy. It’s a way for me, and my colleagues, to bring what we’ve learned in our training in college to kids at an earlier age. Today, with our locations in Massachusetts and multiple classes running online, we’re proud to inspire our students to be not only aspiring artists but also well-grounded individuals who can “be fusion” in all aspects of life.

2, You've had a passion for dancing since you were little and also have your MBA in marketing.  Why and how did you decide to transition from marketing to starting a business out of your passion for dancing?

I’m a big believer in “do it with passion, or not at all.” As much as I loved working in marketing, I always felt that I could do more – both in marketing and in dance. Working in both separately as a 9 to 5 and a side hustle made me feel like I was not giving my all to either side. I was curious to see that if I focused solely on my business in dance and utilized my marketing skills for the same, what would come of it. Coming from a risk-averse South Asian background however, I was also weary of running a business in such a non-traditional industry. That’s actually why I decided to pursue my MBA. I felt that it gave me an outlet to assess how viable my ideas were while giving me the confidence to spearhead my own company. 

3. Your company DFD teaches kids from 7 to 18 and also adults.  Tell us about DFD, it's many different avenues and its mission as it relates to children.

At DFD, we teach our students to be confident in whatever they present. There are so many stigmas when it comes to dancing in different styles - i.e.: hip hop can be too risqué, or girls dancing to “item songs” is not appropriate, or women dancing to “aggressive” music is not ladylike etc. But we want our students to embrace all sides of their identity and empower them with movement that gives them a voice they didn’t know they had. That’s why we blend so many different styles together and have a particular focus on body language and expressions. Today, I’m proud to see our young students dance to culturally rich music with such maturity in their expressions. I’m proud to see the women in our adult classes dance uninhibitedly to powerful music. And I’m proud to see my staff members grow and thrive as teachers, leaders, and entrepreneurs. 

In addition to teaching classes, we spread this confidence through other avenues such as wedding choreography and event performances. I think giving a bride and groom who have never danced in their life the confidence to go up and express themselves through dance is incredibly transformative. Or inspiring others to get up and dance through our performances at weddings and events is so powerful. It’s our way of bringing even more people into our community and creating a lasting impact through our art. 

4. You have a number of staff members at DFD.  What is their role versus yours and how has Covid affected and changed your vision for DFD?

My role as the Founder and Director of the academy is a hybrid between a CEO, artistic director, and a school principal. I create the curriculum for our programs, the choreography and creative vision for performances, and lead the direction of the company alongside my Head of Operations, Pari Amin. Pari manages our internal operations and has been pivotal in transitioning our online and in-person classes during Covid. We were definitely concerned about how to proceed when Covid first hit, but online classes ended up being a blessing in disguise, because it allowed us to reach people that we couldn’t before – students out-of-state and adults.

At DFD, we have 5 Instructors who are the powerhouse behind student growth. My goal with DFD was always to bring a formalized approach to South Asian fusion dance training that's competitive to the standards of established western dance academies. For that, having good instructors is critical. They’re responsible for not only teaching choreography, but also ensuring every student is getting the most out of their dance education and opportunities to progress. My family also plays a big role at DFD. My mom, Kiran, helps in set design for our performances, and my brother, Devam, creates the audio and visual production, especially as it relates to our Travel Team (our nationally competitive dance team that competes at a collegiate level). 

5. What's in the future for DFD? What’s your next big dream?

A lot. From expanding our classes nationally to creating choreography for bigger and bigger events, the goal is to provide access to South Asian dance training to as many people as possible while keeping what we already have consistently at a high quality. That’s the challenge I guess – scalability. But with a driven team and the support of our community, I have no doubt we’ll be dancing all over the country and beyond.

Check out one of DFD’s Dances Here (and feel free to dance-along)!

Thank you Devika for sharing your story and exciting dance with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!

Bio: Devika is a dancer, choreographer, and entrepreneur born and raised in Boston. In 2013, she founded her dance school, DFD Academy, and ever since has made it her mission to train the next generation of Bollywood Fusion dancers and help students engage with and embrace their fusion identities within the Indo-American diaspora. Growing up embedded in her culture, she is someone who always believes it is more important to stand out than to fit in, and that’s exactly the kind of confidence she instills in her students. While her career was in corporate marketing, Devika eventually went into her business full-time, geared with an MBA and a background in various dance forms from Bharatnatyam to Hip Hop to Bollywood. By combining her business skills and her dance experience, she aims to increase access to, and appreciation for, dance training in South Asian fusion styles.