I thought I was living the dancer’s dream… or so I thought.
After what felt like the 1000th rejection, I just went to my room, closed the door, and sat there. I needed to think. I’d been in NYC for years, hustling hard, waiting for my “big break” with a dance company or a show. But after auditioning again and again, all I got was “no.”
The worst part? They said I didn’t “fit the part.” I was either too short, too fat, too brown, or my hair was too big. My dance skills? Apparently, not good enough.
I remember asking myself, “What now? Am I supposed to just keep waiting?”
Waiting wasn’t an option. I was already so done with being patient. Sitting around hoping for something to magically happen felt unbearable.
As I paced around my tiny NYC apartment, questioning everything, I asked, “Why am I even doing this? Why do I love dancing so much if no one will give me a shot?”
I wanted to dance to inspire people. To move people. But did any of that matter if I couldn’t even get my foot in the door?
Then one day, at an employee meeting at Gold’s Gym where I taught fitness classes, everything shifted.
The director was going on about how class attendance was low and how we needed to come up with fresh ideas to get more people in the door. Without thinking, I shot my hand up and blurted, “I can teach bellydance fitness!” And honestly? I didn’t even like bellydance! It was part of my culture, sure, but it never resonated with me. Maybe it was desperation that made me say it—after all, at least with bellydance, I “looked the part,” right?
To my surprise, the director said, “Great! You start next week!”
And in that moment, I thought, “Oh crap… what did I just do?” But honestly? That impulsive decision changed everything for me.
That choice to raise my hand? It flipped my whole career around. I found the body-positive, stress-free environment I had been searching for all along. And you know what? I didn’t need to wait for someone to say “yes” to me—I could give myself the green light.
So I crammed in as many bellydance classes as I could and started thinking, “How can I blend my love of dance with fitness?” And after some trial and error, I figured it out.
Before long, word spread. Within a year, I was teaching SharQui classes full-time, helping hundreds of students embrace bellydance, fitness, and—most importantly—self-love. I created a community that wasn’t just about dancing, but about feeling good in your body and embracing who you are.
Those dance auditions? A thing of the past. Instead, I built something far more fulfilling—a career and a movement that I created on my terms.
There are so many moments in life where we find ourselves waiting.
Waiting for a callback. Waiting for an opportunity. Waiting to see if all the hard work will finally pay off.
Or maybe you’re waiting for the “right” time to start taking that class you’ve been thinking about. Waiting to feel better in your body before you step through the door. Or maybe you’re an instructor who’s been waiting for the perfect moment to get coaching, expand your skills, or try something new.
Here’s the thing: Don’t wait. You don’t have to sit back, fold your arms, and hope things will just happen.
You can start now. Create while you wait. Take that class, get the coaching, and stop holding yourself back.
I chose to create while I waited—and it led to something better than I ever imagined.
So, what are you waiting for?
What will you do while you wait?