Today we’d like to introduce you to Yara Sultan.
Hi Yara, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
My story in Raqs Sharqi (Arabic translation – Eastern Dance, known in English as “Belly dance”) officially started at age 15. My mother had signed me and my sister up for a summer session. By the first class, I knew this was something special for me and would be part of my life for a long while. How far – I did not know, but for some reason then, it resonated with me.
It was a combination of the music, the dance, and how I felt during and after class – something felt at home and right to me.
After that session was over, I was not able to attend lessons again until I was in college, but I never stopped thinking about dance, culture, the women in the class and the music. There was something unique about the dance and the music that deeply moved me. The music is very powerful and manipulative, in a very beautiful and brilliant way. Once I started again I could not stop.
I was also following my teacher’s at their local restaurant performances. It were these experiences where I started to have the feeling that “I am going to dance up there on day.” The dance became clear to me that there was much more to the education than just dancing, there is a whole world culture of people, nuances and context that has to be recognized. It isn’t just throw on a costume and go dance. I started to further my studies beyond my dance school, state, and even country to learn from more dance teachers, I have traveled in many states in the US to study and extended as far over to Turkiye, Egypt, & Morocco.
It took me maybe 2-3 years until I felt educated and trained enough to start accepting professionally paid gigs, beyond a student setting. I was lucky enough to have teachers mentor me thoroughly and well to not only dance, but to start, maintain, and prepare myself for dancing on my own. The business does become a you vs the world, and you have to be strong – and I am glad my teachers prepared me for the next steps.
I wanted to lead my work in dance with holding deep respect for not only myself, but also the culture that the dances come from. I wanted representation to be as best as I could I invested in proper education, costuming, musical knowledge, website, photography, as much as I could do to build credibility and trust amongst the community. I introduced myself to other dancers – I filled in and “subbed” where I was needed and started to build my own networks. I kept pushing and pushing, I didn’t wait for people to find me, I was approaching venues, teaching classes, having presentations at universities. In this business you have to knock on doors, find a crack and push it open.
When I moved to North Carolina, I had to start over and rebuild. I followed the same ethics and rules. I have worked very hard here and feel very proud to be where I am and to say I work a livable wage. I have worked continous weekends in restaurants, Shisha lounges, weddings, engagement parties, henna parties, baby showers and of course birthdays. From Triangle, Triad, to Charlotte and Eastern NC. I am very honored really when people hire me to celebrate their special occasions, and when venues trust me to entertain their guests.
At this point of my dance career I am making less public performances and focusing more on more special events. My body has worked very hard, and to be entertaining excessively takes a huge toll physically. I realized I want to preserve my health. I am still performing, absolutely. I am just more selective on the work I accept. Now that adjusted my schedule, I have more time to share the dance in a teacher setting. I obtained my CPT and Elastica certifications to further understand body Anatomy and functionality and health. I now am able host Ladies Class Workshops, and also have Private Lessons that I have been very happy with. Every woman has a different goal , whether it is to perform – health, hobby, or to feel connected to themself. Its very rewarding to share everything I have learned and beautiful to see students grow into their best selves.
In addition to my performances, and teaching schedule, I think it is always important to remain a student and humble. I still attend classes myself online, in other states, and still travel overseas when I can.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Absolutely not. There is a hard reality of being a woman in the workforce – there is unfortunately still alot of living and working in a “man’s world.” Now imagine trying to work as professional dancer. First, in America, the term “Belly Dance” has a stereotype, and people will judge and look at you different when they actually are totally misled by this stereo type. As a dancer, people assume you do this for attention or exposure, for clicks, or self validation. With that they expect you will accept as little or no payment and take advantage of your art. I never did this, I knew my what my time and investment was worth and what I had to offer. As I continued to get my professional rate and have more events and exposure, the more people started to become convinced of my work. I have had managers literally tell me, after they refused to hire me, that I proved them wrong. ]
It is very hard starting out. And I think the pressure women and dancers are put under allow them to to easily shrink in this business, but you have to think big, be bigger, and firm. By doing that I have experienced that when you hold yourself to a standard, the people who hire you have and treat you with alot of respect from start to finish.
Another struggle is what happens behind the scenes. As a dancer, your job is to entertain, perform, bring joy to people, and represent yourself, the dance, and the culture professionally. But dancers are human too. We experience extremely difficult moments in our personal lives—chaos, health problems, family struggles, sick pets, relationship problems, physical illness, and exhaustion. And yet, when it is time to perform, we still have to show up. There have been moments when I was crying behind the stage, and five minutes later I stepped out, performed, smiled, and created joy for a room full of people who had no idea what I was going through. That ability to put your personal struggles aside for a moment and still give something beautiful to others is one of the hardest, but also most powerful, parts of being a professional performer. And oddly enough, those performances where I struggled personally the most – I received the most beautiful feedback. I think because we take all that emotional energy and put it in the performance to bring joy – and people feel it,
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am a professional Raqs Sharqi “Belly Dance” Artist. I produce high end performances, educational classes, workshops and Private Lessons.
I am also Certified Personal Trainer, Elastica Coach, and certified through Girls Gone Strong in Womens Health which I utilize together in my dance training and separately.
So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
For me, real compassion and humanity.
I feel its very important we dont lose our abilities to be kind, empathetic, and connected to one another. We are all going through things and trying to get by, Whether I am performing, teaching, working, or in everyday life, I want people (and nature, I am a big nature girl) to feel respected, seen, and valued.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://yarasultan.com
- Instagram: @yarasultandance
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yarasultandance
