Today's Woman in the Arts is Master Dancer,
Saqra of Kent, Washington.
Voted "Best Kept Secret of 2005" and "Instructor
of the Year 2008" by
Zaghareet
Magazine, Saqra has over thirty years of experience as a teacher, choreographer, and festival producer. The depth and breadth of her knowledge on Middle Easter dance history and folklore is unmatched.
1. What is the name of your business and what do you tell other
people you do? (such as author, teacher, designer)
Saqra -- Bellydance Performer & Instructor
2. When did you know it was time to stop treating your art as a
hobby and start it as a career?
I treated it like a career from the beginning, but I found it necessary
to run two full-time businesses at the same time to be able to afford to
do it.
3. What are some of the aspects of your job that people don’t see? For
example, most people don’t understand how much marketing is done by
the authors themselves instead of a publisher, and most audience
members don’t see how costumes and props are designed/chosen.
The constant networking, glad handing, playing nice, and doing your best
to be friendly to absolutely everyone no matter your mood or beliefs ...
people definitely don't see that. They can guess at the practice...
creating performances from costuming to execution... junk like
accounting, but they never realize how important it is to network.
A decent dancer with a great network will stomp the heck out of a
magnificent dancer without one, career-wise.
4. Who inspired/inspires you on those inevitable rough days?
Jim Beam. Totally KIDDING!
I really just dig deep.... I know I made this bed so I better get my
butt out of it and do something. I CHOSE this. But my family was in
business and I've been around small businesses all my life. You can
waste a little bit of time whining, but then you have to go do something
about what you are complaining about.
It would be nice to have someone to look up to and be inspired, but most
of the people I know have eventually given up. My stubbornness makes me
get up and look at what other are doing and try and out-think them.
This question is a chance to meander or talk in
greater depth if you’d like. Here you can talk about what hobbies you
pursue, how you refresh your well of ideas, what you would recommend
to other women interested in a career in the arts, or just anything
you'd like other people to know.
If you want a career in the arts you better be ready to not be
constantly praised, appreciated, considered the best, or wealthy. You
better be ready to be criticized because the value of the arts are
subjective. And around the corner is someone with a chip on their
shoulder and the belief that only their way is the right one.
A career in the arts is not a place for sissies... or for people who are
just feeling compelled to express themselves. A career is a BUSINESS.
