Interview with a Close Friend

After countless hours and countless emails made, I realized nobody really wanted to spend the time to answer me :( Or maybe they're just too rich and famous to respond. I mean the buhl who I tried to interview only gets like 60 likes on his facebook videos (Not trying to throw shade though he is pretty cool). Other dude I tried to interview has like 200,000 subscribers on YouTube so he probably gets emails like these on the daily. Finally I came to the realization that if I wanted any sort of response, I would have to search local. And it really didn't long to find an expert. Her name is Iqra Siddiqui, a family friend who has some serious dancing skills. She's only 19, but works as the assistant teacher at a dance school in New Jersey called Mokshaa. While she primarily studies Indian dance, her knowledge and ability to dance many styles was really impressive.

She was the one to choreograph the whole dance that I would be participating in for a Pakistani-American convention.

Dancers from left to right: Ahmed Shamsi, Iqra Siddiqui (Leader), 

Slan, Palvashe Jamale, My Bro

When I began breakdancing, there really wasn't a strong inspiration pushing me to do it. I asked Iqra about her inspirations, and it was clear that she was raised in a community of skilled dancers.
She said, "My dad always knew had to dance and it inspired me to start learning. My friend, Paromeeta, runs a dance class over the weekends and she asked me to come to the class with her and watch it. The next thing I knew I started to co-teach with her." With all these inspirations, it's obvious how she became such an experienced dancer.

However, it wasn't the pressures of her parents or friends that made her want to pursue dancing. Dancing had something that really drew her in. I asked her what positive effects dancing had on her life, and she responded with, "Dancing is a way to relax after a long week of school, it puts my mind to ease." This statement as dancing being a major stress reliever has really related to my position as well. It is quite possibly the most rewarding feeling when a new move is learned or when there is improvement seen. While with breakdancing, injuries or sore muscles can really dampen the mood, when they are avoided, the experience is a thrill.

While I believe she is a truly experienced dancer, Iqra is still seeking for more and more improvement. She still faces through many obstacles and has future goals. Her main goal it to " officially teach dance to little kids on (her) own. As for right now, (her) friend helps (her) teach and train (her) into becoming an even more experienced dancer." 

This interview has really opened my eyes on why I even began starting this journey in the first place. I wanted to turn all the energy I had into something positive that I could pursue for many years, and breakdancing was this positive experience for me. In that way, both Iqra and I have found an activity to resolve our stresses in the world.