Today we’d like to introduce you to Soraya Doherty.
Soraya, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
As a child I was introduced to Middle Eastern music and her dance movements…my mother was born and raised in Lebanon and our home was filled with a cultural flair towards the beauty of her Lebanon. While it was not encouraged to be bilingual then as it is today, my mother made sure we (my siblings and father) embraced the culture to its core. That we did. While I danced freely in my home to Middle Eastern music, it wasn’t until college that I took my first Middle Eastern Dance Class (Also known as Belly Dance); I was amazed by how much technique was involved. I began to explore on my own each movement with perfection. I loved the body loving message consistent with the Mediterranean mindset, just as my mother had endearingly expressed to me; but this dance truly captured this message through beautiful movement.
Ever since I can remember, I have always been passionate about two things: fitness and performing. To feed my passions and to be true to myself, I studied the Theatre Arts (earning both and BA and an MA), and I pursued an acting career…however, I always kept up with the latest fitness trends. I also wear a teacher’s heart; I truly like to see others succeed and actually learn new information. I began to seek ways to feed both my passions and ways to share any expertise I had gained from my studies.
After graduate school I became a certified group fitness professional. My early classes were all dance fitness based workouts then I expanded to a variety of other formats. As I become more comfortable with belly dance, I began to teach classes at various fitness studios. I loved the positive responses I got from each student! I loved that I got to share a piece of my mother’s culture! I loved how it provided a fitness solution and at the same time was feeding their soul through joyful dance! This made me so happy…however, my teacher’s heart was plucked as I watched many students struggle with the movements. This was the beginnings of what I call “The RAQISA Method.” I realized some of my students just needed a visual aid to help them understand better. I printed onto butcher paper the beginnings of what is now my patented design. The visual aid was exactly what many of my students needed to take the technique to the next level! To help with their postural alignment and keep the movements precise, I added a balance plate to be placed on top of the head as the practiced tracing the movements with their hips. Eventually I expanded my fitness methods to include barre fitness, which was becoming the hottest trend – I quickly realized that when I merged the belly dance movements with traditional barre exercises, my students were learning the technique at a rapid pace, gaining flexibility in their otherwise tight hips, AND loving the dancer body results that are consistent with barre exercises.
After discussing my design concept with my family and how it is helpful, they helped me realize that I could have it printed onto a fitness mat so that it can serve as a teaching aid and a product to use for exercise! I had my teaching design prepared with beautiful details to look like a Middle Eastern rug and secured it with a patent. I added a beautiful balance plate with our logo, and I decided to include a 9″ ball for core exercises and an ankle resistant band because they are my favorite barre props which help secure our method and condition the muscles beautifully.
Dance and fitness professionals began to approach me with an interest in creating a certification. Our RAQISA Barre Method is currently the only accredited Barre for Belly Dance Method on the market. We are just building with five instructors and many more expressing great interest in training with us – so we are indeed growing at a fast pace.
In addition to training instructors, we offer Wellness Events where our products are presented as a part of the package. Our goal is to educate, elevate, and inspire participants to enjoy practicing the RAQISA METHOD daily with our products in the convenience of their own home! We are in the process of adding an original soundtrack of Middle Eastern songs and a “how to” series with exercises to offer continued support to keep fit.
The best part about my job is that I get to bring together a piece of my heart, my passions, and a method with a product I feel good about. I get to share with the world a dance which is being presented as I experienced it: with class, grace, and elegance. The world needs more body loving fitness solutions to encourage women to celebrate good health and their natural beauty and our brand is committed to being a part of this solution.
Great, 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?
The biggest obstacles I experienced were “self-doubt” and the many prototypes it took to finally have the product that represents my brand. Having studied theatre arts…and with limited business experience, I have had to quickly learn “as I go.” There have definitely been many lessons learned along the way and unexpected costs that made me feel defeated! Sometimes when I would want to give up, my children would share during our family time of prayer a very special heartfelt prayer for “Mommy’s RAQISA Company.” That would recharge me knowing they believed in me!
RAQISA® Health and Fitness – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
There are many Belly Dance for Fitness programs out there. There are many Barre Fitness programs. Ours is the only program that merges the two and provides a results based method to achieve a fit, flexible, dancer’s body. Our patented RAQISA Training mat helps set students up with success by introducing the essential seven fundamental belly dance movements; with practice and through our barre program, one can expand on these seven fundamental movements with variations and layering. Our accessories, including the balance plate will enhance posture and improve muscle stamina.
I am most proud of the reports/testimonials I receive from my students who share that our workout not only conditions the muscles, but is helping them increase hip range of motion. One student shared that many of our exercises are similar to what she did in her physical therapy…except that my workout is more fun! I like to think of The RAQISA method as “an ancient solution to our modern health problems.” Our daily work life requires we either sit or stand all day and our health is being compromised. We are simply sharing an ancient method and bringing it to the here and now so that everyone can be successful with the movements and enjoy the many incredible health benefits!
Finally, our program is different because we are truly offering a comprehensive method that is committed to the Mediterranean Lifestyle. We offer heart healthy Mediterranean inspired recipes in our blog as well as education during our wellness events to encourage healthy eating the Mediterranean way.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I have a product! Me! Someone who started with chicken scratch on butcher paper! It’s a beautiful product with accessories to support our method. We have more to do as we expand and grow…but for today, I can say that I have a product I am proud to share with the world and a method to solve a much a health and fitness problem!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.raqisa.com
- Email: theraqisamethod@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raqisabarre/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raqisabarre
- Twitter: RAQISA @raqisabarre
Image Credit:
Jim Abrams, Shooting Star Photography
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