Today we’d like to introduce you to Sasha Singh.
Sasha, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Age 4-12 – I started performing from the young age of 4 years old. I loved Bollywood dancing like my mom and started off doing local performances and dance classes. I slowly started diving into dance more and more as the years went by which led me to learn Jazz, Modern, Basic Ballet, Garba, Bhangra, basic ballroom, and more. A lot of it was self-taught, while some of it was learned from attending different dance academies around Dallas.
At age 13, I decided I wanted to try my first pageant. I was a finalist of Miss Asian American Miss and won the best talent. That same year, I also made it as a finalist in National American Miss.
Age 13-16 – My Mom who was my number one supporter and inspiration from the start, wanted to open up a Bollywood dance academy. We made it our joint mission to become small business owners and run a successful dance academy. Masti Dance Academy became our pride and joy and we worked toward training children and adults of all ages in Bollywood dance. We take them to perform around various cultural events around the community.
As years went by, I continued performing dance (Primarily Bollywood) at as many events around Dallas as I could. I also started doing Theatre both musical and nonmusical in school and absolutely fell head over heels for stage acting. This prompted me to try doing community theatre, and this is when I played my favorite role, thus far. I was Lacy Fairclough in Theatre Britains “Alberts Anthology” This Sassy, confident, character was what caused my love for acting to grow into more than just a hobby. I truly thought I could do this for the rest of my life. After this, I continued to grow my skills by taking classes in school and doing small acting work here and there.
Simultaneously, I tried the same pageant I did a few years back, and this time was much more successful. I won’t best dance/choreography as well as the 1st place title of Miss Teen Asian American Texas 2013-2015. This really expanded my horizon into doing volunteer emcee, and modeling work. I tried my best to attend as many charity events as I could. I would try to spread cultural awareness by representing Indian culture as the reigning queen. My favorite part of this was whenever I got to work with children.
Age 16-present – Our Dance Academy that I am now part owner of, is still running smoothly and we are slowly expanding and growing to different areas like Frisco and Irving along with our regular classes in Pano.
I wanted to try acting and I had grown up watching and admiring Bollywood films. So that being my ultimate goal, I wanted to take what I had learned from my years of pageantry, dance training, and theatre performances, and explore something totally new. I lived in Mumbai for a year, while continuing my education online with UT online high school. I did a few advertisements and youtube videos while I was in India. I finally signed my first film “Appatlo Okadundevadu” which was a huge success. I completed my second, and am currently working on my 3rd and 4th film. I am so excited to travel to my hometown Dallas, and India where most of my shooting happens. I hope to spread awareness to young girls everywhere that with hardworking, support of family, and good timing, you can achieve anything you want. I would like to continue acting, dancing, and modeling in both the states, as well as in India and explore new genres of work. I can’t wait to see where my passions take me next.
Has it been a smooth road?
It has been very tough. Balancing traveling so much between Dallas and India is really difficult in so many ways. I just remind myself to push through and think of the bigger picture. Societal pressures are also always present no matter what field a young woman goes into. My advice would be to surround yourself with people who support and encourage you. Find ways to lift yourself up so you can enjoy every moment of doing what you do best.
We’d love to hear more about Sasha Singh- Masti Dance Academy.
I think I answered most of this when I told my story. But, here are a few links to some small work I have done in case you wanted a better idea of what exactly I do.
Youtube link dance covers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP19bTgFKvQ – Gaali Vaaluga #tributetoPSPK
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUhVjJ-BKak – Swag Se Swagat dace cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlnG0cBaBnU – All girls dance cover Khwab Dekhe one more time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82q6iulYxKc – Chalo Drunk and Drive dance cover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=efNlbldRUiQ – Appatlo First part
Which women have inspired you in your life?
My family is my inspiration.
My mom is the one who encouraged me to pursue this and her love of dance became my love of performing.
My sister inspired me to always work hard. She has been independent since she was 15 years old and graduated from college 3 years early. She’s now working hard as an IT specialist and never falls short of perfect. I strive to be as driven and committed as her.
My Grandma (Nani) took care of a family of 3 kids since from day one. She was married off at 16 and despite unfortunate finial circumstances, she took care of her kids and worked long days and nights in a society where most women were not even allowed to work in. She is my pillar and always reminds me to keep my chin up. She gives me hope that things can and always will get better.
Contact Info:
- Website: Mastidanceacademy.org
- Email: mastidance2011@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sashasinghofficial/
Image Credit:
Arthi Prabs photography, Nat Chittamai Photography
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
