Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandra Gaytan.
Sandra, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Before I became a dancer, I was a musician for various bands growing up. I grew up in a family of musicians and singers, so naturally, I began playing music at a young age. Arabic percussion got my attention in my early 20’s and (surprisingly) I went to a dance class, not a drum class. Well, it instantly became my obsession, and through the next years, this obsession became my full-time job and life.
I have dedicated the past ten years of my life to Oriental dance and Middle Eastern folklore. I love what I do so much! I perform several times a week in Houston and surrounding areas at restaurants, bars/clubs, and private events. I have been lucky enough to travel and dance and have performed all over Texas, Kansas City, Miami and have even traveled to Guatemala, Turkey, Mexico, and Egypt to perform!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
There have been many struggles for me along the way. There are many styles of belly dance and as such, there are many performance styles as a working dancer. So at first, I struggled with finding my own personal style in Bellydance; I didn’t want to execute dance movements but rather create and combine them with an element of my own. I eventually found my style as time passed and I matured, and I will always be working on perfecting it.
The biggest challenge I’ve had is understanding my purpose in dance; I needed to discover why I was dancing and what message I wanted to send to the world. I think I’ve FINALLY found my purpose, but we’re always growing and evolving, so that may also change in the next few years. 🙂
Please tell us about your work.
I am a professional dancer, instructor, and choreographer. I think I am most known for my dancing; I don’t like dancing with numerous props but prefer to dance! I like creating a show that is rich with various music and stylistic changes. Come out and see for yourself! 🙂
I also teach belly dance and dabka (a folk line dance) classes. I am also a choreographer and absolutely enjoy creating stage pieces. I have my very own dance troupe, The Wardettes, which is a project that enables me to create and produce my artistic vision of oriental dance and folklore to the stage.
I am most proud of working hard to bring in an authentic performance to the scene. I think Oriental Dance (belly dance) can be misrepresented, fantasized, and fused with other dance styles and props to keep an American audience entertained. But in doing so, the performance loses the richness and the soul of Middle Eastern music and dance. I think it’s harder to capture that element, which is what I pride myself the most in. I guess this is what also sets me apart from others.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
All of my teachers have supported me immensely. I am grateful for all my teachers, teammates and family who pushed me to keep growing and developing my craft.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.sandrabellydance.com
- Phone: 512-553-9512
- Email: sandrabellydancehouston@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/sandra_nani_dance
- Facebook: facebook.com/sandrananidance
- Other: www.pinterest.com/sandrananidance/
Image Credit:
Rodolph Farah Cinematography
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