Meet Jehan Izhar

 

We were lucky to catch up with Jehan Izhar recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jehan, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

There is power in being different. It means you have everyone’s attention. Use it wisely.
Too many people shrink from this power instead of owning it. If you have everyone’s attention and you DONT direct it, it’s like dead energy in the air; people don’t know how to react to you and things can go anywhere from awkward to feeling ignored or being bullied. I walk into a room knowing that I stand out and knowing that means I have a captive audience. As a professional performer, I relish this. I feel powerful being the only one in the room who looks like me. It means everyone is looking at me and you better believe I’m going to give them something exciting to look at!

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I started doing martial arts when I was 3 years old. My father came to the U.S. from Pakistan and he wanted his daughters to grow up strong. As a child, Tae Kwon Do was all I knew. When I reflect back on it, I think I was too young to understand and appreciate what I was doing. I burned out quick. As a teenager, I was already ready to move on. I was happy to say that I would never step into the ring again. But when you are born a fighter, you are always a fighter. I’ve never truly gotten away from it. I studied kinesiology in college and I continued to teach kickboxing and self-defense classes no matter what creative path I was on in life. I dedicated my career to the study of human movement and my love for performance, which eventually led me into the circus. I am the proud owner of The Stage Global, a circus arts training center in Pomona, California where I offer classes and performance opportunities for beginner to professional level students. For a decade I put my all my energy and passion into curating entertainment, and writing and producing original circus theater shows.

Then, in January 2024 everything shifted and my old martial arts life came back to the forefront. First, I heard that one of my martial arts hero’s- Nagham Abu Samra, a 24 year old karate champion who started the first women’s karate school in Gaza, and was set to represent Palestine in the 2024 Olympics – died after being injured in an air strike in Gaza and was unable to receive the medical care she needed in time to save her life. The tragedy of her death wrecked me. I was devastated that her dream to inspire young girls around the world to take up sports would end with her and worried that her legacy would be forgotten.
But two days later, my best friend Jenae Noonan called me and asked if I would return to martial arts to join her & Team USA to compete in the world Pankration championships in Romania in October. I was nervous to revive my old martial arts career, but I want Nagham’s dream to live on and I want people to remember her name. So I am fighting for her, on the all women’s Polydamas team alongside my sister and another close friend. We are here to represent for those who have pioneered women in sports, and to continue their legacy for future generations.

We are currently training for our weapons demo routine and promoting for the team with self-defense workshops and live shows that blend circus and martial arts – because we are both athletes AND entertainers! We are committed to bringing home the gold this October – for Nagham, and for us all.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Whenever people come to me with a new goal in life and ask for my advice, I always ask the same question: what are you willing to sacrifice for that goal? And what are you NOT willing to sacrifice? I believe it is incredibly important to be clear on this when starting a new path. It helps to guide your decisions and keeps you from losing yourself in the process of life transitions. For me, I know what my ethics are and they are at the very top of my list of things that I will not sacrifice, not matter how hard things get.

The Tae Kwon Do principles of integrity, courtesy, perseverance, self-control, and indomitable spirit have been a part of my every day life and have driven my decisions as a business owner, circus performer, and in my personal relationships as well. As an adult, I’ve been told I carry a presence – and I have my martial arts background to thank for much of my ethics and discipline in life.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Collaboration is key in the world of performing arts and athletics. Team USA is currently seeking partnerships with individuals and companies who want to work with our athletes in bringing martial arts into the future of athletics.

The USAFPA serves as the governing
body in the United States for the
Pankration/ amateur MMA.
It is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit
organization funded wholly by
fundraising efforts from individuals,
community, and corporate donations.

As athletes we are ultimately
responsible for covering our own
training and competition cost. The
team works together to achieve
our funding goals, but the majority of
the funding will come from donations.

Get in touch with us if you want to support our journey to Romania; our women’s team is also available for self defense workshops and circus/stunt shows! You can also come visit us at The Stage Global in Pomona where we train and teach circus arts and pole dancing classes. We would love to connect with people who want to support a new and inclusive world of athletics.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Peonica Fernando
Compassionate Action
Sara Sanchez
Fredrick Vang

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