Location: London, United Kingdom
Originally from: Diego Martin, Trinidad
Contact: zaraababartels.hi5.com, zaraaba@yahoo.com

More from Zara...
i started dancing at the age of 3, because i wanted to be like my sister and never stopped even though i wanted to at one stage because i couldn't stand one of my teachers at Caribbean School of Dancing. my mother and ms. Roe, then prinicpal of caribbean school didnt allow it, so i jus kept on trucking.

i did all my RAD (royal academy of dance) exams from pre-primary to advanced, generally with nothing lower than a highly commended. and apparently i did my advanced exam at an unusually young age of 14, got a
commended in that. and in between all the going to school and dancing, i spent about 3 summers as a scholarship student at Ballet Hispanico of New York, and also spent a semester on scholarship at Ecole Classique in sydney australia. Metamorphosis was formed, the dance company of caribbean school of dancing, which i was a founding member of, along with you ms. nikks!!! and that acutally was the force that brought my sister and i to talk and now we are thicker than thieves.

after leaving Bishops Anstey High School in 97, i went to NYC, danced at Ballet hispanico, then started my BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree in dance at the Fordham University/Ailey program, in the inaugural class. i graduated with honors in my BFA and along the way picked up a second major, History, which i received a BA honors. i graduated in 2002 and that was when i decided
to stop dancing. all that hard work for 4 years and i went to manage a bar instead.

then the Lion King audition came around in trinidad and my mom suggested i come do it, so did denise jefferson, director of the ailey school, and ana-marie forstythe, director fo the BFA program and chair for the horton dept for ailey. these 3 women were never happy that i stopped dancing, and so they made their feelings clear. so i went to the audition and didnt really make an effort, it was just nice to dance with all the girls i used to dance with in Metamorphosis. then the production manager for london called me and asked if i wanted to go to germany or england and be in the show and what i would like to do, swing or ensemble. i chose swing and, the rest is history, 4 years later i'm in
the show, as swing and dance capt.

the advice... boy i think i am the last person to give advice but i guess what i would say is....

you have to have a thick skin, even though you may not get the job you want today the one for you will be there tomorrow, and it will come when you are prepared for it. but you have to keep working hard and know that perfection is not attainable but the true pride in your work is the blood sweat and tears that you put into it and no one can take that from you.

the arts made me grow so well, along with my parents and famiily that i can do anything after it, and it fulfills your life so much that sometimes i may feel like i don't need others, but those others are your greatest fans and keep me grounded and sane. and pray. it worked for me so hopefully these thoughts will give some insight for your journey in this wonderful world.

even though there were times that i danced because my loved ones wanted me to and it made them smile. one thing i realised is that i would not be who i am without my dancing, and i have no regrets keeping up with my dancing because my mother, or dance teachers wanted me to. i have come across some people who are very dear to me in my dancing life. as hard as it is to admit, they were right, and i have a blessing that i should use for as long as i can, to bring sweetness to the world. every night that i leave work and see
the massive joy emanating from an audience of 2100, always makes the long days, the soreness, the bleeding feet, the injuries, the tiredness, the anti-social
working hours, all worth it. it is life experiences that i always remember most fondly that are associated with my dancing, in one way or another, so therefore for me i'm doing what i'm supposed and i am happy
about it.
_________________________________________________________________ Interview with Zara




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Zara in motion
Photos from Dance Spirit magazine, September 2002 Issue





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