Meet Inès Ridane

Today we’d like to introduce you to Inès Ridane.

Hi Inès, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory. 
I always wanted to dance. But I was told that I had to study to succeed in life. I got scared and went to law school. I wasn’t happy, and after a few years, my mom told me to follow my gut, to do what I really wanna do for me and not for the people or the society. Since then, I fight for my dreams. It wasn’t and isn’t easy, and honestly, sometimes I have some doubts. But at the end of the day, I’m happy with my choice. Because today, I’m on the road to my dreams. And thanks to that, thanks to dance, and that choice, I can connect with people around the world. It helps me grow as a dancer and, most importantly, as a human being. 

During those years, I’ve develop my own identity and my unique style. Which is a mix of different styles, Dancehall, hip-hop, and my own culture from North Africa. Here, in Belgium, I’ve created a program, “Hips Don’t Lie.” I try to help people through dance and train them in my style. I wanna teach them that you can be and do anything you want in life. 

As a North African woman, I didn’t grow up with representation in the dance industry. So today, I wanna be an example for the women of this new generation; I wanna inspire them to go for it and to show them that it’s possible for us too. 

So yeah, haha that’s how I got here in my life! 

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not at all! I’m from a little country in Europe. We don’t have as much opportunities in the industry as other country. Even the training possibilities are small (in terms of classes, etc.) One of the challenge for me was money. Why? Because I wanted to be able to travel and train hard. So, I’ve always had a side job to have money to live and to train with the best. 

To be disciplined was also a challenge. You have to do the things even when you don’t feel like it. 

I didn’t choose the easy road, and I’ll always face challenge, but I think that it’s the same for everybody. 

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m proud of being different in my dance. I used to be ashamed of it. Now I understand that being different is a strength and not a weeckness. It helped me in my creation process as well. People around me call me Shakidane because I looove to move my hips and the bodycontrol. I’m known for my unique style. As I told you earlier, I mix different style. And today, I’m very proud of it because it defines me. 

What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
I’m humble, loyal, respectful, and resilient. But I think that one of the most important is my humanity. For me, it’s important to be kind and to think about others. You can be the best dancer in the world; if you’re not a good human being with values, your dance doesn’t matter. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inesridane/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtn5FZpuTgFVpBwFxcZsp_g

Image Credits
Alex Muhong
Samuel Nogues