{"id":397,"date":"2022-12-17T11:37:28","date_gmt":"2022-12-17T11:37:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/?p=397"},"modified":"2023-08-01T17:58:09","modified_gmt":"2023-08-01T17:58:09","slug":"girls-on-tiptoes-and-in-tutus-a-womans-ballerina-childhood-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/2022\/12\/17\/girls-on-tiptoes-and-in-tutus-a-womans-ballerina-childhood-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Girls on tiptoes and in Tutus: A woman\u2019s ballerina childhood dream"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By: Ebtedy Admin | 17 December 2022<\/p>\n

In the villa turned to children\u2019s and ladies\u2019 recreation club sits British-Lebanese Sophia Miran. \u201cI have butterflies in my toes,\u201d she says, and evidently, tears in her eyes. Today is a big day for Miran as for the first time in her\u00a0Fig Club<\/a>, and in Kurdistan, the Royal Academy of Dance in the UK reviewed the performance of a group of students in Erbil. In fact, this is the first location in Iraq to be recognised by the Royal Academy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe young children are amazing. I can\u2019t believe how well done the syllabus is being taught to them by our teachers!\u201d says Miran, the founder of the Fig Club.<\/p>\n

The Fig Club<\/a>, once known as the \u2018Big Purple House\u2019, is registered with the Royal Academy of Dance in the UK, allowing the Erbil-based holistic performing arts and dance center to have ballet teachers trained by the royal academy and up-to-date syllabus and children\u2019s examinations.<\/p>\n

Why is this an event worthy of butterflies and tears? Not only is the Royal Academy the most prominent ballet institute in the world, but this milestone puts the Kurdistan Region among the many other places in the world that are recognised by the London-based academy. Miran affirms that the process of having an accredited royal academy of dance syllabus in the Kurdistan region was not welcome at first by the Royal Academy, considering the context and the \u201cunknown territory.\u201d<\/p>\n

To a nation famous for the Kurdish\u00a0halparke<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and upbeat music, ballet is a new culture to the Region and has become a popular one, arguably among the elite of society.<\/p>\n

The story of the Fig Club is one that reflects a woman\u2019s determination, resilience, and passion. I knew of the Fig Club more than seven years ago when I first visited \u2018The Big Purple House.\u2019 At the time, it was Miran herself, who with her grace, calmness and soft presence, guided us through Mountain pose, bridge pose, downward-facing dog, and warrior II; candles lit in what was a ballet studio by day and a sanctuary of calmness in the evening for ladies after sunset. Eyes closed, instrumental yoga music with steady beat patterns and lots of breathing in and out. It was the calmest room in Erbil on any weeknight.<\/p>\n

A group of 12 of us were standing on our purple yoga mats. Each with her own matching purple block, strap and blanket \u2013 saved for warmth before \u201cNamaste.\u201d<\/p>\n

Married to a man of Kurdish origin and mother of three, Miran was part of the Royal Academy in the UK, doing ballet until the age of 16. Moving to Erbil in 2013, she laughs: \u201cmarriage pulled me in here.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Erbil, she began teaching ballet for children and yoga for adults in a hotel before founding her Fig Club, after realising there was a gap in the market for after-school children\u2019s activities.<\/p>\n

Through her initiative, Miran educated society about extra-curricula activities for young girls and women at a time and context when there were rarely any in the market. \u201cI painted it [the center] purple and called it the Fig Club.\u201d When asked why Fig, she replies: \u201cIt\u2019s a healthy fruit, a national fruit, and my husband came up with the name. It was attractive for kids.\u201d She laughs, adding, \u201cthe colour purple is always fun!\u201d<\/p>\n

As the Fig Club grew, Miran hired a Russian expert who took ballet in the Fig Club to \u201ca whole different standard.\u201d\u00a0The Fig Club currently has American and Canadian teachers who continue to elevate the standards and performance of the students.<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0pages have pictures of little girls in leotards and pink tutus. For Miran, this was a childhood dream, but little did she know it will be cultivated within a Kurdish community in the Middle East. \u201cI always wanted a ballet school when I was young. I was theatrical, I said I will be a ballet teacher; I knew I would have my own ballet school one day,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n

The center offers yoga, pilates, drama, hip-hop, martial arts and made available the first aerial yoga classes in Erbil. The center\u2019s activities first drew the attention of the expat community in the city and are now popular among members of the local community, too. Over the seven years, with Miran\u2019s dedication, efforts, and passion, the center evolved to today\u2019s affiliation to an internationally renowned examining board in ballet and gymnastics.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to take gymnastics in the Region to the next level,\u201d explains Miran, now also looking to internationally accredit the center\u2019s music classes such as piano and even incorporate acting classes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe also have a collective teenage class for editing, doing film, producing and directing. This age group needs something productive and enjoyable to do. The program is like a workshop, and they enjoy expressing creatively.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Fig Club also works with nurseries and schools to provide extra-curricula activities such as gymnastic and ballet classes after school, at the school, offering more convenience for parents.<\/p>\n

In Erbil, Miran is also known for her annual extravagant shows conducted in the city\u2019s biggest venues. Over the years, her Fig Club students have done the Frozen, Rapunzel, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Lion King and Peter Pan shows. The center\u2019s music, dance, ballet, and drama students all work together to put a show that is one of its kind in the Region. When watching the shows, a touch of London can be felt, the experience is like attending Theatreland in London\u2019s West End, as enjoyable, heart-warming and an extravagant experience for the audience considering the available resources. The\u00a0photos on the website<\/a>\u00a0reflect the professionalism and hard work dedicated to the shows.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, it was always me following my passion. I really wanted to push forward these activities in Erbil,\u201d explains Miran, highlighting that it is not all an enjoyable journey of pink tutus and applauses. \u201cISIS and COVID affected our work. I was lucky my husband could support me. It would have been very different running this business if I was the sole supporter.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, some success stories from the Fig Club spark Meran\u2019s motivation to grow further and give opportunities to children, mainly to discover talents. \u201cWe have had children who started in the Fig Club, and they have gone to great acting schools in the UAE and UK. We also have a dancer in hip-hop in New York who is doing amazing things. The Fig Club gives children and teenagers with passion and talent a jump start. \u201cThis proves to us that we have an impact, and it is this that pushes us to keep going,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

I close the interview with Miran with a tour of her new location in one of Erbil\u2019s higher-end Dream City suburbs, no longer in The Big Purple House; the Fig Club is in a new, large location. Despite the security challenges brought by ISIS previously, and more recently, the COVID-19 global pandemic, closing the doors would have been an easy decision for Miran. However, her inner passion, determination and belief in what she is doing have remained a key to keeping the doors of the Fig Club open. Miran\u2019s eyes speak of a wonder of plans and projects for this center to become the Region\u2019s (and Iraq\u2019s) top internationally recognised dance, music, and performing arts jumping stone for young talents. It remains Miran\u2019s sanctuary \u201cfor the arts, dance, and fitness in Erbil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the hustle and bustle of the center with all the activities and children, there is always a calming yoga class on purple mats after sunset; with candles, a comforting ambience, and a \u2018Namaste\u2019 before the center\u2019s door close for the day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By:<\/em>\u00a0Sazan M. Mandalawi<\/em><\/strong>, a facilitator, a\u00a0PhD candidate in the field of education,\u00a0and a\u00a0passionate blogger herself\u00a0focusing on culture and the creative scene in the Kurdistan Region of\u00a0Iraq.<\/em><\/p>\n

Copyright photos: Fig Club<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By: Ebtedy Admin | 17 December 2022 In the villa turned to children\u2019s and ladies\u2019 recreation club sits British-Lebanese Sophia..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":398,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[58,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-test","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=397"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/397\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/398"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.collectiveroutes.org\/ebtedy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}