I absolutely love dance. I love learning it, practicing it, teaching it, watching it, and especially, performing it.
I’d been feeling frustrated lately by weaselly guys and ignorant people who misunderstood what it means to be a professional dancer.
At the height of my anger and disappointment, I complained to a dear friend about how I was overwhelmed and fed up by the number of people I’ve encountered in Istanbul lately who have treated me with disrespect as a result of my profession and my gender. My friend well-meaningfully suggested that I give up performing in Turkey, and instead teach dance and languages, or at an international school full time so I could “meet some more elite people” instead of these ignorant toerags who just don’t get me. While I did enjoy teaching young children for awhile, and I do find pleasure in teaching private Spanish and English lessons, and of course I adore teaching dance, these things alone do not fulfill me completely. And let’s be honest, I’ve met a lot more so-called elite people (singers, actors, business people) performing in hotels, lounges, and at celebrations than I ever met cooped up in a preschool with 4 year-olds and occasionally, their nannies.
On Sunday, I met a modern, free-thinking, delightful Turkish woman at my yoga studio. She suggested that the solution was not to quit performing, but to raise my prices.
That conversation, coupled with two exhilarating shows this weekend, have me feeling inspired all over again.
