Today we’d like to introduce you to Sofia Mahdavi.
Hi Sofia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
sofiamahdavi.com Oh gosh. I am an Iranian-Mexican artist and athlete born and raised in San Diego, California. I’ve always been extremely entrepreneurial and artistic. Since I could walk, the level of commitment was insane. I remember requesting a meeting with the principal in kindergarten to demand that my rendition of the book The Mitten be put on as a play that I, of course, would direct. The entire kindergarten class participated. I directed, rewrote the book into a script, assigned roles, made costumes. I made my first documentary in Iran when I was 14 years old and started my first nonprofit organization, Hello Self Project, at around 15 years old. I started in rhythmic gymnastics at about eight, which was considered very late. I was horribly inflexible and was burdened by the fact that I had moderate-severe scoliosis. I was considered trash, an embarrassment, and a waste of time, and I endured things no eight years old should have to experience. But I worked my ass off. What I didn’t learn from coaches who ignored me and sent me to a corner because I wasn’t worth training, I learned from watching how they would coach the other girls and work on my own. I faced years of physical limitation and injury, but continued in the sport until I was about 17, at which point I had surpassed everyone’s expectations, was homeschooled so I could train up to 9 hours a day, and was competing almost every weekend around the United States and internationally. This chapter of my life came to a close eventually, and I began training rhythmic gymnastics teams at Champion Rhythmics and around the world by 18 years old. This grit and rigor, and hunger for excellence set the stage for everything else to come.
As I was doing all of this, I struggled with anorexia and bulimia, which was heavily influenced by the negative mentality towards nutrition and weight in rhythmic gymnastics. I created the Hello Self Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness towards eating disorders by promoting body positivity and dismantling diet culture and fatphobia around this time. This included both an online community platform, so no one would ever have to feel alone the way that I did and a series of artistic projects ranging from films to art installations. I became very active with immigration issues as I have always been heavily influenced by my family’s involvement in social work. This fueled what myself and a group of other San Diegan artists would come to create: Dancers Without Borders. Through dance, film, and photography we worked both in San Diego and Tijuana to create artistic pieces that advocated for immigration rights and asylum. It was around this time, age 17 when I said goodbye to rhythmic and decided I wanted to suddenly pursue the arts. I auditioned and got into my top school NYU Tisch School of the Arts for acting and continued to pursue the start of my dance journey. I had very little experience. During this time, I trained with the Atlantic Acting School, the Experimental Theater Wing, and Stonestreet Studios and performed, danced, sang, and choreographed in multiple productions. I trained in dance around NYC and in West Hollywood over the summer. I interned at Eighty Eight Studios, driving a total of 6 hours to LA from SD and back every day and sometimes even sleeping in my car so I could train. During my time at Tisch, I co-founded MENA Artists Initiative with Karma Alami. It is a community platform dedicated to the representation, support, and collaboration of underrepresented groups of Middle Eastern and North African artists.
We facilitate a global network for artistic exchange between the United States and Middle Eastern and North African countries. Though spearheaded at Tisch School of the Arts, by not even one year in, I developed branches of the initiative at NYU Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates and at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon, while regularly collaborating with the professional industry in NYC. By creating networks between up-and-coming artists and those already making an impact, I hope to see greater MENA representation in the arts on a global scale. Myself, Karma, and Zina Louhaichy hosted a series of events with international guest artists and Broadway and Film/TV celebrities. I worked heavily in the film and dance industries in Dubai my senior year and was even a part of KC Hamada’s opening act for Kendrick Lamar’s F1 Concert in Abu Dhabi. I created one of many films in the UAE surrounding sentiments of the Iranian diaspora at the time of the Woman Life Freedom movement. I currently have three unreleased shorts, all experimental. Most of my cinematography relies on visual storytelling, movement, and elements of documentary. They are very poetic. I owe that to my Iranian side. My dad is from Iran and my mom is from Mexico. Most recently, I danced for Ashley Zara at Azadi Festival in Washington, DC. For the time being, I am performing around NYC, coaching rhythmic gymnastics, running Bella Body Technique (my stretch and strength training program), and teaching dance. I perform in the Club NYC Choreographer’s Showcase on August 3rd. I am scheduled to begin teaching at Gramercy Dance Studio next week and am waiting to be put on the schedule for Modega and Broadway Dance Center. I have also taught at studios like Brickhouse NYC. Meanwhile, I am also auditioning, looking for representation as a new Tisch Alumni, organizing next season’s lineup for MENA Artists Initiative, and searching for funding for my films.
I want to end by saying that my art is extremely personal as it could cost me my life if I were in Iran. Being an Iranian artist bears great responsibility and great privilege to pursue what you love without persecution. Art is an act of resistance and a celebration of life. I want to point attention toward the masses of Iranians risking their lives every day for a dance or even a hug in the street. These very basic things like freedom of expression, of speech, of dress, of affection, MUSIC, dancing, singing, riding a bike, and holding someone’s hand all have dire and even life-ending consequences. Don’t take them for granted. Every time I perform, I am fueled by the voices of my people so that very soon, they won’t be heard from so far away. They will be right on stage beside me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not in the least, but hey, I’m one of the most resilient people I know. Frida Kahlo says it best, “At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.” I’ve struggled through partial hospitalization for an eating disorder for months on end as a senior in high school and a history of inherited depression, anxiety, and OCD. When I feel, I feel huge. But that also means my highs are extremely high, and I’ve been through enough lows to know it’s only temporary. My life is so vivid and rich and full of passion. I wouldn’t have it any other way. It is just about learning how to navigate and regulate emotions and put the world into perspective.
Last year I underwent a very minor knee surgery to remove a cyst, and what was supposed to be a four weeks max recovery turned into four months before I could walk properly. I experienced horrific (unexplained…?) complications all while on my own in NYC. Today, I am fully active and training every day. I work relentlessly on my health and fitness to ensure I have the long-lasting and fruitful career I intend to.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
https://menaartistsinitiat.wixsite.com/mena-artists-initiat
This season’s highlights include our Guest Artists Series in both NYC and Abu Dhabi (ft. Dave Merheje, Soukaina El Hassani, Laith Nakli, Zizi Majid, Meklit Hadero…) our New Play Workshop with Zizi Majid in NYC, our Censoring Identity Multimedia Showcase in Abu Dhabi, and our panel discussion with the cast and creative team of the Vagrant Trilogy (Mona Mansour). We plan to produce an annual New Play Workshop Series beginning next Fall.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
You have to be relentless. Driven. Determined. It has to be about something greater than yourself.
More importantly. On the flip side…
I feel we are all in this rat race to the finish line. Everyone is so focused on making it to the end that they don’t care what methods they take to get there. Relationships become transactional, family distant, and community divided. The United States can learn a lot from the rest of the world when it comes to community, empathy, and values. I feel our priorities are all out of wack when we could be working together towards something as a collective. My family, my community, and the impact I leave on others truly means everything to me. I think of it like this. Who I am and what kind of impact I have on my community’s well-being will be what I reflect on in my final days, the lives that I touched, not the jobs that I booked. Society has seemed to have lost touch with this. People aren’t people anymore. They’re currency. And the US is a third-world country.
Pricing:
- $75/ hr private stretch/strength coaching in person
- $50/ hr private stretch/strength coaching over Zoom
Contact Info:
- Website: sofiamahdavi.com, helloselfproject.com, menaartistsinitiat.wixsite.com/mena-artists-initiat
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sofiabellaofficial/?hl=en
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sofia-mahdavi-4ba4a11b5/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2GLVRnIkeeA7FrtvYMAOg
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/menaartistsinitiative/?hl=en
