Interview with Sarah B

June 12, 2009 10:54 AM

Name: Sarah B

What is your role within the Sahara Dance community? Student, Dancer, Member of Raqs Caravan Folklore, Studio Assistant

Childhood ambition: To be honest my very first childhood ambition was to be a Navy Fighter Pilot. More specifically a Blue Angle. So I guess I always wanted to be a performer of some kind :). But after going to a pilot training camp in Texas I concluded the military and pressure chambers were not my thing. So I then decided that I should become an actress, and an environmental advocate. All still seem to involve me in the spotlight for some reason or another. So I guess I have always been comfortable with being on stage, it sort of feels like home to me.

First job: Cinnabon at 16… I loved Cinnabon cinnamon rolls and I was so excited to work there! And it did take me longer than the average Joe to get sick of them. I still find myself lusting after them from time to time. I have found that the best solution is to just purchase the cinnamon they use and make other less bad for you baked goods with it. Cinnabon uses other ingredients besides cinnamon that you don’t want in your body…. Trust me…

What’s playing on your iPod or CD player? Well, I was just gifted my first iPod this year. I am not very good at using it, and I keep killing those little ear buds, because they are inevitably dragging on the ground as I walk around town. But it’s a pink Nano with a quote from Rumi on the back. “We rarely hear the inner song but we’re all dancing to it.” So hopefully as I get better at using my iPod, I will start dancing to my own inner song.

Currently on my favorites play list, are Lenka, Emilie Simon, Niyaz, Beats Antique, Venus Hum, Frou Frou and Delirium.

Indulgence: My indulgences are primarily coffee, skipping morning runs, sleeping in on a work day, watermelon margaritas, and chocolate pudding. Oh and Rowdy the Dog.

What’s your favorite belly dance moment or experience? My favorite belly dance experience has been learning a new form of artistic expression alongside my best friend Veronica.

Current inspirations: Currently I am most inspired by the band Niyaz and their lead Singer Azam Ali. They are a very innovative group that incorporates traditional Middle Eastern folk music and Sufi mysticism and blends it with trance electronica. But perhaps my favorite song is “The Shadow of Life” were Azam does not actually sing lyrics, but she sings nonsense words using her voice more as a instrumental element to the song, a very translatable concept to the instrumental quality of belly dance.

Also, my dog Rowdy. He runs and plays with so much joy that I would like to be able to emulate in my dance. He is also very cute and makes me very happy.

What is your dance background? I, like most girls, danced as a kid, but I only danced for about 7 years. I, of course, started by taking ballet. I even begun studying and even completed a few levels of certification in Cecchetti. But like fighter pilot school, it became clear that ballet and point shoes were not my thing. So I tried jazz and that was ok but my first dance love was tap and then modern. When I got to high school, I focused on drama club and the high school theatre productions. After my break from dance during high school, I started to casually flirt with dance again between studying and partying in college. I took a few modern classes here and there to complement my BFA in acting, but I really wasn’t very serious about it. It wasn’t till I graduated college that I started taking belly dance with Rachel Kay Brookmire that dance became the central focus of my creative outlet. Now I have been studying with Rachel, Chiaki, Ami, Colleen, and primarily Elysa at Sahara dance for the past 3 ½ years and I am 100% addicted.

How did you get interested in belly dance? I had just graduated college and started my first real job in a real office. I started looking for a way to get some exercise, and was thinking of going back to taking modern or tap classes again when my mom made what she thought to be a joke: she was like, “Oh, Sarah, you should study belly dance!” And to her initial dismay, I took her seriously and with a quick call to my best friend Veronica, we contacted Rachel about the possibility of taking one of her classes! So, the rest is history … and my mom has now learned to love and respect belly dance as the beautiful art form it is.

Finally, what do you love most about Sahara Dance (other than Hip Talk, of course!)? There is so much to love about Sahara dance! But it’s mostly the warm accepting community. I am so grateful for having the chance to meet and dance with so many wonderful girls studying with Sahara dance. But I would say this community is so accepting because it is led by the brilliant, beautiful and accessible faculty. Even though I am always in awe of their beautiful dance ability, the faculty always tries their best to talk to us students as equals and that makes a great environment to grow and learn.

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