{"id":8100,"date":"2015-07-08T11:28:55","date_gmt":"2015-07-08T11:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dancemogul.com\/news\/?p=8100"},"modified":"2015-07-08T14:21:02","modified_gmt":"2015-07-08T14:21:02","slug":"dance-mogul-magazine-exclusive-interview-sakina-ibrahim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/dance-mogul-magazine-exclusive-interview-sakina-ibrahim\/","title":{"rendered":"Dance Mogul Magazine Exclusive Interview | Sakina Ibrahim"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Sakina<\/a><\/p>\n

DMM<\/strong>: What<\/span> was<\/span> the<\/span> inspiration behind<\/span> your<\/span> book?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakina Ibrahim:<\/strong> I<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> teaching<\/span> dance<\/span> for<\/span> about<\/span> 10<\/span> years,<\/span> while<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> doing<\/span> research<\/span> on<\/span> black<\/span> youth<\/span> and<\/span> dance empowerment<\/span> in<\/span> Graduate<\/span> School,<\/span> I<\/span> found<\/span> my<\/span> students<\/span> confronting<\/span> some<\/span> really<\/span> challenging<\/span> life<\/span> obstacles.<\/span> I was<\/span> giving<\/span> them<\/span> advice<\/span> and<\/span> kept<\/span> saying<\/span> \u201cI<\/span> wish<\/span> someone<\/span> would<\/span> have<\/span> told<\/span> me<\/span> this\u201d,<\/span> then<\/span> it<\/span> finally<\/span> hit<\/span> me<\/span> to write<\/span> this<\/span> book.<\/span> I<\/span> realized<\/span> that<\/span> there<\/span> were<\/span> so<\/span> many<\/span> images<\/span> and<\/span> messages<\/span> to<\/span> young<\/span> girls<\/span> of<\/span> color<\/span> that<\/span> are<\/span> not uplifting<\/span> and<\/span> positive<\/span> message<\/span> of<\/span> love,<\/span> encouragement<\/span> and<\/span> power.<\/span> I<\/span> became<\/span> dedicated<\/span> to<\/span> putting<\/span> the<\/span> work<\/span> I do<\/span> through<\/span> dance<\/span> education<\/span> and<\/span> my<\/span> personal<\/span> path<\/span> of<\/span> self\u00ad-development<\/span> into<\/span> words.<\/span> I<\/span> had<\/span> the<\/span> heart<\/span> to<\/span> really serve<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> positive<\/span> way<\/span> and<\/span> help<\/span> build<\/span> a<\/span> dialogue<\/span> between<\/span> girls<\/span> and<\/span> women<\/span> so<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> can<\/span> heal<\/span> and<\/span> learn<\/span> to love<\/span> ourselves,<\/span> and<\/span> accomplish<\/span> our<\/span> life<\/span> goals.<\/span><\/p>\n

DMM:<\/strong>\u00a0The<\/span> words<\/span> art,<\/span> education<\/span> and<\/span> empowerment<\/span> are<\/span> very<\/span> big<\/span> now,<\/span> especially<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> black community.<\/span> How<\/span> important<\/span> is<\/span> it<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> embrace<\/span> each<\/span> for<\/span> our<\/span> progression<\/span> and<\/span> survival?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakina Ibrahim:\u00a0<\/strong>Art,<\/span> Education,<\/span> and<\/span> Empowerment<\/span> are<\/span> vital<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> black<\/span> community,<\/span> every<\/span> single<\/span> person<\/span> has<\/span> a<\/span> cultural obligation<\/span> to<\/span> contribute<\/span> in<\/span> their<\/span> own<\/span> way,<\/span> especially<\/span> to<\/span> the<\/span> children<\/span> who<\/span> are<\/span> brought<\/span> up<\/span> in<\/span> a<\/span> society<\/span> where<\/span> the media<\/span> celebrates<\/span> black<\/span> violence,<\/span> degradation<\/span> or<\/span> complete<\/span> exclusion<\/span> of<\/span> their<\/span> experiences.<\/span> Some<\/span> of<\/span> us<\/span> live<\/span> a harsh<\/span> reality<\/span> with<\/span> no<\/span> real<\/span> explanation<\/span> or<\/span> platform<\/span> to<\/span> work<\/span> through<\/span> it.<\/span> At<\/span> least<\/span> that<\/span> is<\/span> how<\/span> I<\/span> left<\/span> growing<\/span> up. Some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> life<\/span> conditions<\/span> the<\/span> youth<\/span> are<\/span> dealing<\/span> with<\/span> are<\/span> unbelievable<\/span> circumstances,<\/span> anyone<\/span> who<\/span> works<\/span> in public<\/span> education<\/span> knows<\/span> what<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> up<\/span> against.<\/span> We<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> know<\/span> the<\/span> truth<\/span> about<\/span> the<\/span> power<\/span> that<\/span> is<\/span> within us.<\/span> We<\/span> can<\/span> discover<\/span> this<\/span> truth<\/span> through<\/span> the<\/span> Arts<\/span> which<\/span> speaks<\/span> and<\/span> moves<\/span> the<\/span> spirit,<\/span> through<\/span> Education\u00a0<\/span>which<\/span> molds<\/span> and<\/span> influences<\/span> the<\/span> mind,<\/span> and<\/span> Empowerment<\/span>,<\/span> which<\/span> is<\/span> recognizing<\/span> that<\/span> the<\/span> power<\/span> is<\/span> \u201cINSIDE\u201d\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span> you,<\/span> then<\/span> showing<\/span> it<\/span> through<\/span> individual<\/span> and<\/span> collective<\/span> action.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span> think<\/span> these<\/span> words<\/span> Art,<\/span> Education,<\/span> and<\/span> Empowerment<\/span> make<\/span> who<\/span> we<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> African<\/span> Diaspora<\/span> are<\/span> inherently are…what<\/span> is<\/span> big<\/span> right<\/span> now<\/span> is<\/span> that<\/span> people<\/span> are<\/span> finally<\/span> interested<\/span> in<\/span> re-\u00addiscovering<\/span> it.<\/span> This<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> means<\/span> to claiming<\/span> life<\/span> and<\/span> reclaiming<\/span> ourselves,<\/span> but<\/span> we<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> have<\/span> action,<\/span> words<\/span> that<\/span> are<\/span> cute<\/span> and<\/span> acceptable<\/span> for grants,<\/span> social<\/span> media<\/span> and<\/span> conversation,<\/span> but<\/span> it<\/span> is<\/span> really<\/span> about<\/span> what<\/span> we<\/span> do<\/span> and<\/span> how<\/span> we<\/span> live<\/span> our<\/span> lives<\/span> at<\/span> the<\/span> core. That<\/span> shifts<\/span> the<\/span> perspective<\/span> of<\/span> our<\/span> conversations<\/span> about<\/span> progression<\/span> and<\/span> survival.<\/span> We<\/span> are<\/span> beginning<\/span> to<\/span> create our<\/span> own<\/span> platforms<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> message<\/span> that<\/span> we<\/span> send<\/span> is<\/span> what<\/span> will<\/span> shape<\/span> the<\/span> culture<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> world.<\/span> Almost<\/span> every country<\/span> is<\/span> imitating<\/span> Black<\/span> Culture,<\/span> that<\/span> should<\/span> be<\/span> saying<\/span> something<\/span> powerful<\/span> to<\/span> us.<\/span> I<\/span> could<\/span> go<\/span> on<\/span> but<\/span> I\u2019ll<\/span> stop there<\/span> and<\/span> not<\/span> get<\/span> too<\/span> political.<\/span><\/p>\n

DMM<\/strong>:\u00a0What<\/span> have<\/span> been<\/span> some<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> most<\/span> memorable <\/span> moments <\/span> dance<\/span> has<\/span> brought<\/span> you?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakina Ibrahim:\u00a0<\/strong>Dance,<\/span> I<\/span> love<\/span> dance<\/span> so<\/span> much,<\/span> I<\/span> danced<\/span> because<\/span> it<\/span> allowed<\/span> me<\/span> to<\/span> express<\/span> myself,<\/span> when<\/span> I<\/span> didn\u2019t<\/span> have confidence<\/span> in<\/span> my<\/span> voice.<\/span> I<\/span> could<\/span> move,<\/span> without<\/span> being<\/span> told<\/span> to<\/span> shut<\/span> up.<\/span> I<\/span> remember<\/span> going<\/span> into<\/span> my<\/span> basement<\/span> as a<\/span> child<\/span> and<\/span> just<\/span> dancing<\/span> for<\/span> hours,<\/span> dance<\/span> is<\/span> where<\/span> I<\/span> felt<\/span> safe.<\/span> Also<\/span> getting<\/span> into<\/span> college<\/span> for<\/span> dance<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> big memorable<\/span> moment,<\/span> I\u2019m<\/span> a<\/span> first<\/span> generation<\/span> graduate<\/span> so<\/span> the<\/span> fact<\/span> I<\/span> could<\/span> dance<\/span> and<\/span> get<\/span> a<\/span> degree<\/span> meant everything<\/span> to<\/span> me!<\/span> One<\/span> story<\/span> that<\/span> reminds<\/span> me<\/span> of<\/span> how<\/span> magical<\/span> the<\/span> journey<\/span> of<\/span> dance<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> in<\/span> my<\/span> life<\/span> was auditioning<\/span> for<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Burrell<\/span> during<\/span> my<\/span> undergrad<\/span> at<\/span> University<\/span> of<\/span> the<\/span> Arts.<\/span> Everyone<\/span> wanted<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> in<\/span> this\u00a0<\/span>superstars<\/span> new<\/span> choreography<\/span> and<\/span> I<\/span> was<\/span> cast.Then<\/span> 5<\/span> years<\/span> later,<\/span> after<\/span> no<\/span> contact<\/span> I<\/span> end<\/span> up<\/span> Assisting<\/span> him<\/span> and building<\/span> his<\/span> youth<\/span> program<\/span> Breaking<\/span> Barriers.<\/span> Oh,<\/span> dancing<\/span> with<\/span> Rennie<\/span> Harris<\/span> Puremovement<\/span> was<\/span> a<\/span> big<\/span> deal for<\/span> me<\/span> too,<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> my<\/span> first<\/span> gig<\/span> out<\/span> of<\/span> college<\/span> and<\/span> my<\/span> first<\/span> time<\/span> being<\/span> handed<\/span> a<\/span> video<\/span> tape<\/span> and<\/span> told<\/span> \u201clearn<\/span> it<\/span> for the<\/span> show<\/span> in<\/span> two\u00ad weeks.<\/span> I<\/span> worked<\/span> really<\/span> hard<\/span> and<\/span> had<\/span> to<\/span> prove<\/span> to<\/span> myself<\/span> that<\/span> I<\/span> had<\/span> the<\/span> chops<\/span> to<\/span> dance<\/span> with these<\/span> AMAZING<\/span> Philly<\/span> Hip\u00adhop<\/span> heads.<\/span> House<\/span> dance<\/span> forced<\/span> me<\/span> to<\/span> feel,<\/span> to<\/span> loose<\/span> that<\/span> Graham<\/span> Technique\u00a0<\/span>training<\/span> and<\/span> feel<\/span> the<\/span> music<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> sensations<\/span> in<\/span> my<\/span> body.<\/span> My<\/span> absolute<\/span> favorite<\/span> memory<\/span> is<\/span> traveling<\/span> to<\/span> Africa and<\/span> dancing<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> village<\/span> in<\/span> Ghana,<\/span> it<\/span> affirmed<\/span> so<\/span> much<\/span> of<\/span> my<\/span> identity<\/span> and<\/span> that<\/span> dance<\/span> is<\/span> culture.<\/span> Through those<\/span> drums,<\/span> the<\/span> rolling<\/span> of<\/span> my<\/span> spine,<\/span> the<\/span> shaking<\/span> of<\/span> my<\/span> behind,<\/span> the<\/span> throwing<\/span> of<\/span> my<\/span> arms<\/span> and<\/span> legs,<\/span> it<\/span> was<\/span> like walking<\/span> in<\/span> the<\/span> footprints<\/span> of<\/span> Pearl<\/span> Primus<\/span> and <\/span> Katherine<\/span> Dunham.<\/span> I<\/span> realized<\/span> we<\/span> all<\/span> belong<\/span> to<\/span> Africa<\/span> there<\/span> was such<\/span> much<\/span> value<\/span> of<\/span> life<\/span> there.<\/span> Dance<\/span> allowing<\/span> me<\/span> to<\/span> travel<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> common<\/span> language<\/span> is<\/span> the<\/span> most<\/span> powerful thing<\/span> I<\/span> have<\/span> experienced.<\/span><\/p>\n

DMM:<\/strong>\u00a0What<\/span> else<\/span> are<\/span> you<\/span> currently<\/span> working<\/span> on<\/span> so<\/span> you<\/span> finish <\/span> out<\/span> the<\/span> year<\/span> strong?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakina Ibrahim:\u00a0<\/strong>The<\/span> year<\/span> has<\/span> been<\/span> really<\/span> amazing,<\/span> I<\/span> am<\/span> working<\/span> on<\/span> Big<\/span> Words<\/span> To<\/span> Little<\/span> Me:<\/span> Truth,<\/span> Power<\/span> and<\/span> Play Workshop<\/span> Series,<\/span> the<\/span> first<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> held<\/span> in<\/span> my<\/span> hometown<\/span> Springfield,<\/span> MA<\/span> on<\/span> August<\/span> 15th<\/span> at<\/span> Shooting<\/span> Star Dance<\/span> Center.<\/span> I<\/span> plan<\/span> to<\/span> set<\/span> dates<\/span> for<\/span> Philadelphia,<\/span> New<\/span> York,<\/span> and<\/span> Los<\/span> Angeles<\/span> too.<\/span> I<\/span> will<\/span> be<\/span> attending<\/span> film festival<\/span> panel<\/span> discussions<\/span> for<\/span> my<\/span> film<\/span> premier<\/span> in<\/span> Cancer Pimp<\/span> directed<\/span> by<\/span> Elton<\/span> Loud,<\/span> choreographing<\/span> Shelly Garrett\u2019s<\/span> Beauty Shop<\/span> the<\/span> Play<\/span> in<\/span> Atlanta,<\/span> GA<\/span> and<\/span> working<\/span> with<\/span> a<\/span> TV<\/span> network<\/span> on<\/span> a<\/span> special<\/span> project,<\/span> that<\/span> is<\/span> all\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span> can<\/span> say<\/span> about<\/span> it<\/span> right<\/span> now.<\/span> I<\/span> am<\/span> also<\/span> hoping<\/span> to<\/span> get<\/span> some<\/span> calls<\/span> and<\/span> emails<\/span> for<\/span> master<\/span> classes,<\/span> and<\/span> gigs because<\/span> the<\/span> bills<\/span> have<\/span> to<\/span> be<\/span> paid.<\/span><\/p>\n

DMM:\u00a0<\/strong>Is<\/span> there<\/span> anyone<\/span> you<\/span> would<\/span> like<\/span> to<\/span> thank<\/span> for<\/span> helping <\/span> you<\/span> on<\/span> your<\/span> journey <\/span> thus<\/span> far?<\/span><\/p>\n

Sakina Ibrahim:\u00a0<\/strong>Of<\/span> course!!<\/span> Thank<\/span> you<\/span> to<\/span> my<\/span> family,<\/span> friends<\/span> and<\/span> my<\/span> partner,<\/span> they<\/span> are<\/span> a<\/span> driving<\/span> force<\/span> in<\/span> my<\/span> life.<\/span> Thank<\/span> you<\/span> to my<\/span> dance<\/span> mentors<\/span> and<\/span> friends,<\/span> Carol\u00adann<\/span> Boardway,<\/span> Sheron<\/span> Wray,<\/span> Tiffany<\/span> Willoughby<\/span> Herard,<\/span> Jennifer Fisher,<\/span> Anthony<\/span> Burrell,<\/span> Brenda<\/span> Dixon\u00ad<\/span> Gottschild,<\/span> Donald<\/span> Mckayle,<\/span> and<\/span> the<\/span> co\u00adwriter<\/span> for<\/span> Big<\/span> Words<\/span> to Little<\/span> Me <\/span>Jessie<\/span> Lee.<\/span> Thank<\/span> you<\/span> to<\/span> my<\/span> SGI<\/span> family<\/span> and<\/span> Mentor<\/span> Daisaku<\/span> Ikeda.<\/span> Shout<\/span> out<\/span> to<\/span> my<\/span> agency BLOC<\/span> NYC,<\/span> Susan<\/span> Batson<\/span> Acting<\/span> Studio,<\/span> and<\/span> a<\/span> special<\/span> Thank<\/span> you<\/span> to<\/span> all<\/span> my<\/span> students<\/span> and<\/span> to<\/span> every<\/span> woman doing<\/span> the<\/span> work<\/span> to<\/span> build<\/span> and<\/span> to<\/span> win, let\u2019s<\/span> forever<\/span> be<\/span> #danceinspired.<\/span><\/p>\n

Books<\/span> are<\/span> available<\/span> on<\/span> amazon.com<\/span> and<\/span> sakinadance.com<\/span><\/p>\n

Contact<\/span> information: Sakina<\/span> Ibrahim IG:Sackina322<\/span><\/p>\n

Twitter:Sackina<\/span><\/p>\n

facebook:<\/span> @bigwordstolittleme Email:<\/span> sakinanadiah@gmail.com<\/span> <\/a><\/span>Website:<\/span> sakinadance.com<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"image003\"<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DMM: What was the inspiration behind your book? Sakina Ibrahim: I have been teaching dance for about 10 years, while I was doing research on black youth and dance empowerment in Graduate School, I found my students confronting some really challenging life obstacles. I was giving them advice and kept saying \u201cI wish someone would…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,38,68,342,4],"tags":[],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-8100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ballet","category-contemporary","category-dance-industry","category-empowerment","category-exclusive-interviews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8100"},{"taxonomy":"thb-sponsors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dancemogul.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/thb-sponsors?post=8100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}