Ep 150. Sabriye Tekbilek: Be The Type Of Artist You Want To Be

Sabriye Tekbilek grew up in an environment of Middle Eastern music and dance. She is the daughter of the renowned Turkish musician "Haci" Ahmet Tekbilek, and Lisa Djeylan, once an international bellydancer herself. While attending the University of California at Berkeley, Sabriye began taking classes with Suhaila Salimpour and quickly became a member of the Suhaila Dance Company and Bal Anat. It was while studying with both Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour that Sabriye was encouraged to begin teaching, awakening a passion for instruction. In 2005 Sabriye moved to the Middle East where she worked for seven years with Lebanese agent Toros Siranossian throughout the Gulf and North Africa. She also spent one year in Cairo working at the prestigious night club Haroun Al Rashid in the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel along side the legendary Dina.

In this episode you will learn about:

- Growing up in an artistic family 

- The meaning of the term ‘Arabesk music’ 

- Transitioning from a performance to a teaching career 

- The gap between the festival world and the belly dance scene in the Middle East 

- Adjusting to the lockdown

Show Notes to this episode:

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Podcast: www.ianadance.com/podcast