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A belly dancing instructor and performer for the past 18 years. She teaches private and group lessons in Fredericksburg and also dances at Marrakesh, a Moroccan restaurant in Washington.
EDUCATION: High school.
CAREER HISTORY: I started studying belly dance in 1985. Then after a short mentorship with my teacher Bedia (Sandy Koskoff), I began performing and teaching professionally in 1988.
HOW DID YOU END UP TEACHING BELLY DANCE? A couple of my friends asked me to show them how to do it. When my teacher heard about it, she offered to train me to teach. Shortly after that, I started teaching "for real" and I've been doing it ever since.
WHAT ASPECT OF YOUR BUSINESS IS CHANGING THE MOST? Before the Internet, people might have only seen a dancer at a restaurant or maybe knew someone who had taken a class somewhere. But the Internet has brought the world to our fingertips, and it's easy to get instructional DVDs and even costumes. So now more people are coming to class who've tried to learn at home with DVDs, and we usually have to clean up their basic technique or catch them up on cultural background--basically fill in the gaps rather than start from scratch. Also, belly dance movements are being sprinkled into other dance forms like contemporary, hip-hop and pop so I think people may be confused about what belly dance actually is.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT SITUATION FACED ON THE JOB? Sometimes I'm hired to entertain as a surprise for the guest of honor. Only once did I have someone who was such a bad sport that he made everyone at the party uncomfortable. I was never so glad to be done and out of there.
WHAT IS ONE THING YOU WOULD CHANGE ABOUT YOUR JOB? I wish audiences understood belly dance so they could enjoy it better. Most Americans still aren't sure what to make of it.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB NOW? Dealing with so many new people all the time has helped me become more outgoing, plus I'm fortunate in that I love my job.
WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT THE BUSINESS CLIMATE HERE? So far, there seems to be no shortage of ladies who want to learn belly dancing.
WHAT'S THE WORST? Unbridled growth around an outdated infrastructure. What about pedestrians and bicyclists?
FAVORITE VACATION SPOT: The seashore. My favorite vacation ever was a cruise.
FAVORITE BINGE FOOD: Sweets.
WHAT WAS YOUR MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT? I've had a couple of wardrobe malfunctions.
WHAT IS THE CLOSEST YOU'VE COME TO A BRUSH WITH A CELEBRITY? I've danced for a few Saudi princes and princesses, if that counts. Movie stars and politicians come to the Marrakesh sometimes, but they're kept away from the regular folks so I've never actually met any.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BUSINESS BOOK? WHY? I love "The Fifth Discipline" series because I love group work. Community organizing is a sideline of this business. We've developed a pretty lively belly dance community here since I moved here in 1998.
WHAT DO YOU DO IN YOUR SPARE TIME? Read, play piano or garden.
WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? Nothing in particular really, but I did daydream a lot about riding horses.
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP? Alexandria.
WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER YOUR GREATEST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT? Keeping my (restaurant) job for so long. I think I've got the record so far on longest-running featured dancer in the D.C. area--14 years and counting at Marrakesh. In this business, that's an achievement!
WHAT'S THE BEST CAREER ADVICE ANYONE HAS GIVEN YOU? Always be as professional as possible.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OTHERS TRYING TO ENTER THIS FIELD? Don't put the cart before the horse. Get a few years of real training before you put on a costume and call yourself a belly dancer. Having a mentor is even better.
--Kafia Hosh
