TEAONA: RHODE ISLAND HULA, TAHITIAN, AND BELLY DANCE
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Welcome! This is a space where I will share information and anecdotes about dance, music, and culture once per week. The main topics include Polynesian dance, belly dance, and sometimes other styles like Bollywood or kathak. Most posts are relevant to any of the above styles of dance and beyond, and some posts will be specific to one style. Some posts will be purely based on my experience as a dancer and business owner, while others will be generalized and well-researched. I hope you find something useful from each post. Please ask questions or join in the discussion if so inclined. If you would like to be notified when a new post is up, sign up for my email list here. Enjoy!

MY START AS A BUSINESS OWNER

8/31/2022

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Teoana Performing Arts LLC was founded by me in May of 2021. It has been a little over a year, and this summer (2022) was my first real dive into working for myself. I had quite the busy luau season, which makes the months of hard work and learning how to run a business from-scratch all worth it.

Why Did I Start My Business?
In short, I started Teaona Performing Arts because I missed dancing. I have been dancing for 17 years now. I started taking my first hula and first raqs sharqi (belly dance) class as a teen in 2005, and I was hooked from the first day. Just a couple of years later, I started learning Tahitian dance and a little bit of Indian dance as well (Bollywood). I have moved several times since then, and wherever I went, I was able to find dance communities in which I would find many people with similar interests. I found Kathak (a classical form of Indian dance), which was so amazing to learn. I even was able to join dance troupes, which showed me what it’s like to work as a professional dancer. I loved it!
It wasn’t until I moved to Rhode Island that I found myself feeling more lonely in that regard. It is a small state, and there isn’t an abundance of interest in cultural dance. There is a bit of interest, and I have met a few belly dancers, but it hasn’t been the same as Texas or Florida (granted, I did move here during a pandemic). There weren’t really many offerings as far as trying to join a troupe. I decided, therefore, to try to get back to dancing as a soloist. I want to make sure, most importantly, that I honor the cultures whose dances I am presenting. If I am in charge of what I do, it is a lot easier to do that. With that thought in mind, I got to work!

Why Focus on Polynesian Dance?
At first, I thought my main focus would be raqs sharqi. However, I suppose the universe had different plans. It was a lot more difficult than I anticipated to be hired as a belly dancer. I did get hired a few times, but not nearly as much as my peers. I like to think it’s not because I’m a terrible dancer, but it did take a toll on my confidence and even my love for the dance for a while. However, that’s a story for another time.

I didn’t have the same problem when it came to Polynesian dance. In fact, I never have. As of now, about 80% of gigs for which I’ve been hired have been hula shows. I took that as a sign of what should be my focus as I continue to grow my business. I am loving the decision! I am very passionate about Polynesian dance, and I believe my audiences and my students can see that. Ever since shifting my focus, I have been so much happier.

What’s Next?
Now that I have really been put to the test with such a busy season, I plan to stay the course! I am actively practicing and still taking workshops from very knowledgeable teachers straight from Tahiti. Learning from teachers from the source is so important, especially for a teacher who originates so far from that source. I plan to continue learning as much as I can, teaching my students as correctly as I can, and providing entertainment that is as authentic and true to the culture as I can make it. I will still practice raqs sharqi as well, and I will be glad to perform or teach it again, but my focus will remain on Polynesian dance.

For more information, please see the brief interview I did with GoSolo Magazine, here: https://gosolo.subkit.com/teaona-performing-arts/


Have you had a desire to start a business? What is holding you back? If you already have one, what urged you to get started? I would love to hear from you!
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    Author

    Jessica Teaona (A.K.A. Teaona) is a professional entertainer specializing in Polynesian and Middle Eastern/North African dance. While being a small business owner is a big part of her life, outside of dance, Jessica’s professional background is in environmental science. In fact, she has a PhD in the subject and is very passionate about nature and the environment. Language, the arts, and culture have also been passions of hers since childhood. She hopes to fuel such interests in the readers of her blog.

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