both wanted to move away from the U.S. mainland, and were lucky enough that Nizar’s company gave them
that chance by transferring him to Paris.
“I absolutely love living in Paris,” she says. “Since I can’t be in Puerto Rico, I’d rather be here. The beauty of
the architecture, the deep-seated culture, the quality of the food, and the more humanitarian outlook on life, all
really speak to my soul.
“The dance community here is quite varied and active, and
I’ve enjoyed meeting and working with the dancers here very
much,” she says. “I’d say I travel for about 90 days out of the year.
Of course, it is more challenging to travel to the U.S. from Paris,
but it is way cheaper to travel all over Europe!”
When she isn’t working on her next choreography, or
dancing or traveling to dance, Mia says she has plenty of
hobbies to keep her busy.
“I love to read; it’s my one addiction,” she admits. “I am an
escapist, so I love fantasy, fiction and sci-fi, but also historical
fiction, because I really like history and culture. I also like
doing creative things with my hands, like bookbinding,
making soaps and scrubs, sewing things, building things
…. For my wedding centerpieces, I made a few Star Trek
PADDS, four dioramas — The Secret Garden, Dune, Hoth
and Dagobah — a Marauders’ Map, an Avengers’ Lamp, and
I forget what else.
16
The Belly Dance Chronicles
January 2020