Interview with Margo

April 8, 2010 03:26 PM

Name: Margo

What is your role within the Sahara Dance community? Company Member, Raquettes ShimmyPop & Raquettes Tahia

Childhood ambition: The longest-standing ambition was to grow up to be a teacher. I had a couple of blackboards, lots of chalk, pointers, workbooks - you name it. I vividly remember lining up all my stuffed animals as students, in addition to my obliging family of course. While ambitions have come and gone, I still LOVE education - everything about it. I love being a student (of dance, of academics, of life’s lessons) and constantly learning. I also love mentoring colleagues and friends when I can. And I hope to apply what I learn at work and school to further education about sustainability, about how we can learn from nature.

First job: Like most young women, babysitting. Then a camp counselor. Then a bank teller. And then the list just gets stranger!

What’s playing on your iPod or CD player? This second - Melanie Fiona. But I love letting my iPod shuffle the songs - it’s a little moment of excitement, mystery and joy with each new song. Luckily, there’s plenty of belly dance music, so I get to shimmy (either in my head or in real life) often. When I am not sure what to listen to, I usually default to perhaps my favorite artist, Alicia Keys, who exemplifies sincerity and passion for life. I’m going to see her at the end of March!

Indulgence: Can we edit this to “indulgenceS”? Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE me some chocolate. I eat a LOT of chocolate. I really love chocolate covered strawberries, so that’s what made up my wedding “cake.” Beyond chocolate, reading for pleasure has always been a hobby, but now it’s an indulgence since I also have reading for grad school. Would it be cliched to say that dancing is my indulgence? Because I also LOVE to dance - both at Sahara or out with friends or just around the house. I can dance for hours on end (with a couple of drinks as support) if the right music is playing. Last but not least, my favorite indulgence is travel. I caught the bug many many years ago.

What’s your favorite belly dance moment or experience? This is a tough one. I love all the moments - the classes, the performances, the make up and costumes, the friendships that are formed based on a shared passion…and I LOVE watching others perform. But I guess a small moment that meant a lot to me was getting the weighted hip drop. I just kept at it day after day and it came and it was awesome! That was a while ago, but every time I encounter a new move or choreography that I find challenging, I just remember that it will come. My body was made for this, right?!?! The weighted hip drop is now one of my most favorite moves.

Current inspirations: Experimenting…with new teachers, new music, new props. There is never a dull moment with everything that Sahara has to offer.

What is your dance background? My dance background is somewhat limited, but yet deeply ingrained. I did all the requisite dance classes as a kid - tap, modern, jazz, etc. I wasn’t really that good to be honest - or at least I didn’t really enjoy it all that much. So, I was just one of those people who LOVED to go out dancing. And I loved hip-hop, so I did take some hip-hop classes and had one performance. But ALWAYS, I knew there was something more that my body wanted to do…
How did you get interested in belly dance? …I truly believe that belly dancing is in my blood. My mom was born in Turkey, and so the music and the moves rest inside me and always have. I knew it subconsciously, but I didn’t know much about belly dancing until about 7 years ago. I started to explore, took a class (not a very good one) and kept seeking teachers that I might like in New Orleans and then Taiwan (there are some serious belly dancers there!). But let me tell you that the last place I expected to find belly dance Eureka was in Washington, D.C. Sahara has blown me away with the authenticity, sense of community, level of teachers and student dancers, the whole thing. And I figured out that this was my dance, my art. I think everyone knows how the story goes from there…

Finally, what do you love most about Sahara Dance (other than Hip Talk, of course!)? I love the authenticity and variety of paths available for growing into this dance. I love the women, LOVE the women - every color, size, shape, age, profession, motivation. The community that forms is so unique. Sahara is a great reason to stay in D.C. longer than anticipated…

Permalink →