Meet the New Kabul Dance Studio Team!

Introducing the Kabul Dance Studio Leaders!

Elaha, Director's Assistant

Elaha has a way of knowing how to combine the beauty of art with the  beauty of Afghan culture. She works to over see all that is happening at KDS while helping maintain the appropriateness of a dance studio in Afghanistan. She is working to grow and expand our program to others in the country.   

Laila, Writer and Sponsorship Coordinator     

Laila always had a private relationship with Dance until she began attending classes at the Kabul Dance Studio four years ago. Since then, her quiet shell began to crack. Now, instead of only doing the Afghan national dance called the Atan as she is used to, she has become brave enough to perform on a stage while donning a pink tutu. This year, Laila has been given the joyful task of morphing together her love of writing and her love of dance.

Eli, Photography and Web Designer

Eli is the artist in her family. Dance, music, and art have come together to create this talented young woman. The hardships she felt during her first transitional year in Afghanistan were diluted by attending a classes at the Kabul Dance Studio. She has been recruited by the Kabul Dance Studio for her skills in photography. Through her photos, Eli hopes to capture a testamony to the beauty and importance of Dance and present it to the world. 

Solmaz, Choreographer and Instructor 

Solmaz has recently discovered Dance, and it has become her strongest passion - trumping even design and nail polish! She was introduced to the Kabul Dance Studio by her friends in 2010. Since then, her technique has improved to the point where she is now learning to teach Dance to others. Her goal this year, is for Dance to spread and grow among young women in Afghanistan. 

FEATURED DANCER

Spoogmai, KDS Featured Dancer

Children teach us to dream.

Yes, we, too, are able to dream. However, we dream in confinement. We have created a mental box with the label, "Dream Here." This box gets smaller each year. Suddenly, we're not as healthy as we used to be. We realize we may not be as smart as we thought we were. And year after year, it becomes more dangerous to dream big and risk everything.

But children teach us to dream. And one such child is Spoogmai.

Spoogmai (spooj-my) is the baby of her family at the age of six. She shares her life with six brothers and four sisters. Her father cannot find work in Afghanistan therefore her mother provides what little income they do have.  Quite contrary to what most people would think about a little girl growing up in Afghanistan, Spoogmai comes from a loving family that supports her interest in dance and her dreams for the future.

For Spoogmai, dance class is where she learns something that sets her apart from the rest of her family, where she finds new friends, and where her shyness sleeps for a while. She smiles when asked what her favorite Dance memory is. Her voice changes from a small whisper to a louder recount of a dance recital where she was engulfed by a yellow dress. "I was nervous," she confessed, leaning in closer. "Next time, I won't be nervous."

So what is so special about this little girl and her big brown eyes that occasionally flit away shyly? I'll tell you what inspires me to dream with her. It is her goal for the future that sets her apart from other little girls. Spoogmai wants to become a dentist. The implication this dreams holds is profound. Children, like Spoogmai, are now being taught that seeking a life other than what was given by birth and tradition is plausible. This generation is dreaming of things that were not deemed possible a few years ago in Afghanistan. Spoogmai’s generation is changing.

Spoogmai’s generation gives Afghanistan hope.

Written by Laila, KDS Team Member