We were lucky to catch up with Soraya Dabdoub recently and have shared our conversation below.
Soraya, appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?
People often don’t know what to do with me. I don’t fit neatly into any box.
I’m a Jamaican-born Palestinian/Colombian multi hyphenate creative. That mouthful is enough to click certain people’s brains off. There is a lot of history that courses through me and it can make people uncomfortable to face. I choose to embrace.
Probably the most frequent and lighthearted misunderstanding is when I hand my Jamaican ID to the bouncer and we start to debate it’s validity. Two kiss teeth and a “big up” resolves the confusion and my commitment to the dance truly saves my status.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
I’m an actress and creative producer. A term my friends rely on when explaining to conservative family members why I seem to float from project to project.
I primarily work on projects for video or live events- though I did produce an original play that closed in Manhattan, November of 2023. Freelance creative producing has led me to a myriad of music videos, photo shoots, short films and concerts between Jamaica and New York.
I’m interested in storytelling, and the different mediums by which we do so. A live event, especially concerts, tell the story of the artist or their relevant body of work to their audience. Thinking in detail of what each audience member is walking away with is an approach I carry to every project, and it’s rooted in my actor’s training.
What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?
To work “in translation”
Often, especially when you are not from a Western superpower, you work with this audience in mind. How will they receive you, if they do at all?
This isn’t an authentic place to begin. You cannot translate an unfinished piece, and as artists you double the work of discovery if you are also explaining.
The fear of being misunderstood/mischaracterized has often kept me from beginning at all. I had to learn that the explanation can only come after, the translation of my experiences can only happen once I’ve told my story.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
James Baldwin: The moral responsibility of the artist
Riding On De Riddym by Jean Binta Breeze
Contact Info:
- Website: thatsoraya.com
- Instagram: @sassysori
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soraya-dabdoub
Image Credits
Michael Gebhardt Asia Chung NextFrame Visuals