Meet Morgan Fay

We recently connected with Morgan Fay and have shared our conversation below.

Morgan, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

Dance, in particular, Raqs Sharqi and Fusion Bellydance, helped me develop my confidence and self-esteem when I was an unconfident teenager. I decided to attend a Bellydance class to try something that no one thought I would do, as a shy, introverted person. I quickly found myself surrounded by a group of independent, strong women, with a passion for art, culture, and music, who created a community and an example for me for who I wanted to become. Twenty years later, as a professional dance performer and musician, I realize that by following the example of my dance community, by dedicating myself to growth mindset learning and to always continuing my education, by purposefully going out and meeting new people and traveling to different places to study dance, by putting myself up on stage for years and years as a both a soloist and group performer, that I have built my confidence and self esteem one step at a time.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a Raqs Sharqi and Fusion Bellydance performer based in the Pacific Northwest in the United States, dancing regularly at restaurants, clubs, and parties. I am also a musician and dancer in the performance group, Baksana Ensemble. We perform at Renaissance Faires, corporate events, and parties playing live music and dance, and educating our audiences about Middle Eastern and North African rhythms and dance traditions through fun, storytelling plays. Baksana Ensemble will be playing music in the brand new, original musical Rella, a folk re-telling of a Cinderella Story, written by Baksana member Bevin Victoria and her co-creator Aaron Wheeler-Kay, which will be debuting in Portland, OR, November 23rd and 24th, 2024.

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

Three qualities or skills I believe were most impactful in my journey were:

1. Growth Mindset: the belief that a person’s abilities can improve through effort, learning, and persistence. Talent can be developed through work. This is the work of Carol Dweck, which I studied through the 8 Elements of Belly Dance program with my teacher Rachel Brice. This growth mindset attitude allows me to approach any new skill or habit I want to build with excitement and knowledge that I can accomplish what I set out to do.

2. Connection: When I first began dancing, my teacher taught me to introduce myself to other people at every dance event. She was an amazing example for me on how to begin a conversation with anyone, getting to know people, and build a community. I have used this skill so many times in my life and have truly built a wonderful community of friends and artists around me, just by going up and starting a conversation with someone, especially a dance class or workshop where we will have a common ground to chat about.

3. Creating Art: I firmly believe that dance keeps us young in mind, body, and spirit because dance allows us to make art and move our bodies. It is human nature to want to create and tell stories, both as individuals and in a group. Creating art alone makes us question and understand ourselves. Creating art with others builds communication skills, connection, and tell stories larger than ourselves.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My teachers have always been the most helpful in overcoming challenges, building and developing essential skills, qualities, and knowledge to be successful. My first teacher, Hallie Marie, taught me skills far beyond dance, from how to communicate with others, how to run a business, and so much more. She also encouraged all of her students to seek out as many teachers as we could. She said we could always learn lessons from other teachers, and I’ve will take that lesson with me for the rest of my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.morganfaybellydancer.com
• Instagram: @morganfaydances
• Facebook: @morganfaydances
• Youtube: Morgan Fay Belly Dance
• Other: @morganfaydances on TikTok
  baksanaensemble.com
  @baksanaensemble on TikTok, Instagram, & Facebook
  @rellathemusical on Facebook, Instagram, & TikTok

Image Credits

Jeanie Lewis Photography
Glission Imaging PDX
Phoebus-Foto