Authentic Artist

I watched her glide, tap and swing across the stage in a choreographed ensemble of bodies, jazz and movement. She was beautiful and when the audience stood to standing ovations, I glowed with pride. To have seen her journey from that little girl dancing in my living room to bowing in the bright lights of the stage was a sacred moment. I was so pleased I had been able to watch her evolution as an artist. This was only one of my adopted niece’s many spotlighted moments. She has performed for audiences worldwide, choreographed and instructed dancers, produced and written films and above all, connected cultures. Her creative innovations and list of accomplishments are extensive and she inspires many, including me. Sabrina Naz Comanescu is her name, but we know her as Sabbie.

Sabbie was dancing in her mother’s womb before she was born. The music was in her blood and in her genes from her Trinidadian-Tobagonian athletic mother and Romanian pianist/guitarist father. I met her parents when my husband was involved in the Caribbean community of Calgary, Alberta, Canada in the early 1990’s. As young parents, our children grew up in mixed cultures and they had to navigate the world of “not being entirely white; and yet not fully black” but music and dance were interwoven like fabrics in the tapestry of their lives. Throughout Sabbie’s life, she has been surrounded by creative people who connect her to her Caribbean, European, American. African and Canadian cultures through their influences in dance, food, photography, art and music. She has given much joy to many through her creativeness and cultural mix even at a young age.

As a little girl, Sab was part of a dancing group called the Caribees from Calgary, Alberta. The Trinidad and Tobago Association was just one group that was part of Carifest that was organized to celebrate Caribbean culture and dance every summer in YYC, Alberta. Costumes, steel drums and jump ups were part of the heritage taken from Caribana in places like New York and Toronto and Carnival on the island of T and T. Families would gather in the park to listen to various music artists and the parades were full of color, ingenious outfits and creativeness on the part of the bands. Sabbie was arrayed in a costume fitting for her title of “Caribbean Queen” on more than one occasion. I recall one time when her mother and I had ventured into an art exhibit and we quickly recognized the gorgeous creature captured on camera framed in living color on the wall in the gallery. A photographer had obviously seen the joy on the face of the young dancer and snapped the shot to show that moment of magic. Over the years, some of the parades have been televised as viewers are memorized by the dancing montage of color on the streets. If you’ve ever seen the elaborate costumes from the King and Queen Carnival in Port of Spain, Trinidad or Carnival from Brazil then you will understand the painstaking hours of work that go into creating these outfits. Sabbie has flown down to her mother’s birthplace and participated in Caribana and days of dancing, Soca and steel drums at Carnival in Trinidad and Tobago, jumping up into the wee hours of the morning, playing mas, on more than one occasion. Some of the various celebrations of her island heritage gave her inspiration for some of her projects.

All through school into university, Sabrina was involved in the arts, dance and movement. She shared her mother’s love of teaching and she worked long hours to ensure that the participants of the Diversity Performing Arts Club were showcased all the way from Edmonton’s Cariwest out to Vancouver’s Caribbean Days Festival in Canada. I knew from watching her at a young age, that she was gifted as an artist and encourager. On one such road trip, there had been an accident on the highway and the line of cars snaked down the highway with no end in sight for those waiting to get moving again. Sabbie took the opportunity to have all the dancers leave their vehicles, line up along the road and get ready for rehearsal. The music blared from the car stereo, the dancers moved to the beat and everyone on that road, able to watch, was entertained while waiting. Sabbie always loved an audience and her leadership was evident on that trip and many more to come.

Sabrina’s skills enabled her to take over her mother’s role of The Diversity Performing Arts Club of Calgary that “celebrates cultural diversity while promoting inclusion and respect for all youth.” She continues the legacy her mother began. She even had the dancers participating on-line during the pandemic by setting up a teaching “dance studio” in her basement and sending encouragement and love to her group via Zoom. She has taught Hop-hop, Jazz, Afro-Cuban, West African, Ballet, Tap, Zumba and Soca classes to a wide audience both in person and online. She has inspired dancers young and old from all parts of the world. Her enthusiasm is infectious! An American visitor to our home one summer sweated out her dance workout at Decidedly Dance studios one evening to take one of Sabbie’s classes and swore she had lost five pounds from movement and laugher.

Sabbie’s infectious personality is evident when you meet her and she brings an energy to any place she is. For her high school graduation, we took her with us on a summer venture we had set up in Todos Santos, Baja California Sur, Mexico with The Palapa Society. We had a team of volunteers ranging from musicians and artists to helpers and of course, our dancer, Sabbie. Her job was to organize, choreograph and instruct the members of the dance ensemble. The majority of children spoke only Spanish and Sabbie’s mastery of the language was very minimal; however, her love of dance overrode the language barrier and the students loved working with her. The week’s rehearsals culminated in a choreographed presentation to proud parents and friends in the community, a testimony to her talent.

Her love of teaching was evident to all of us and her passion for music and dance took her that fall to the University of Calgary where she enrolled in dance. I remember one winter evening driving into the city to support her University project. I was often awestruck at her talent and creativity even then. There were festivals, galas, concerts, parties, fundraisers, balls and entertainment events over those next few years. Her performance experiences are varied and extensive and her love of dance continued to grow. Her school visitations and summer workshops to teach Hip-Hop earned her the respect of many teachers and students alike. After high school, she was hired “to dance with an art collective that seamlessly combined dance, fashion and film in every one of their productions. In addition to being so honoured to perform and tour their shows, they also greatly inspired me to create multidisciplinary art on my own,” she shared on an interview with CBC radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/upclose/sabrina-naz-comanescu-1.4183287

Sabbie’s dream had always been more than just dance; it was about aspiring to be the best at what she did. Her trips to New York in the summers demonstrated her desire to learn more. She would stay with relatives and venture out each day to dance in various centres to improve her movements, expand her knowledge and make more connections in her world. Her Canadian trips and shows with DJD (Decidedly Jazz Dance) were highlights of her working life as she inspired and was inspired to work with others as well. She continued offering classes to her little group of young dancers from the Diversity club while she was on tour. Her rendition of “The Lion King” was flavored with island culture and she received accolades for all her hard work. Her kind soul was always about the students. After the final performance, each child was gifted with a trophy, scholarship or medal to signify their hard work and part in the productions. Her business sense enabled her to get donations for costumes, space to practice and rehearse, not to mention a venue for the final performance, tickets and advertising for the shows. Sabbie’s desire for owning her own studio someday continues to drive her. Recently, she has learned much from her commitment to The School of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks.

The DJD group is trained in a variety of arts including puppetry, tap and jazz. I recall one flyer Sabbie had given me with a photo of her on a trapeze, her curly black hair blowing back, swinging in the air. She told me she would tell me about that experience some time! Unfortunately, COVID-19 shut down any performances or rehearsals and I will wait in anticipation for the show to return. Her ability to work as a team with others is also a testimony to her easy-going nature and cooperative attitude and flexibility both mentally and physically!

Another memory is of Sabbie flying out to Vancouver for the weekend, just to teach classes and connect with friends. Over the years, she would travel to Europe with family and dance troupes. She would participate in youth incentives; magazine launches and fashion shows. I remember attending a Fashion show in southern Alberta that she was modelling in. Sabbie’s tall stature made her stand out from the other models and she exuded such a confidence even at a young age.

It wasn’t enough that she was touring, teaching full-time, dancing gigs in nightclubs and singing backup for TV guest celebrities, but she had always had a love of film. Her plethora of experiences, fueled her enthusiasm to educate and excite audiences in the arts hub and Caribbean communities in western Canada. She started making connections both professionally and personally. She has well over 5,000 followers just on her Instagram account @hernameisnaz, not to mention her audience on Facebook and YouTube . I daily watch her “stories” unfold on social media and smile when I realize she has just started tapping into her repertoire of creativity.

Sabbie recorded and created and utilized her i-phone by capturing images, movement and energy to start with, but her talents moved her into working with producers, choreographing and writing her own scripts. One of her films, BONUM, has been featured at CIFF and TIFF and she has provided direction with a number of other films both as director, dancer, choreographer. Her “Wild Constructs” collaboration with nature, dance and poetry promoted the Weaselhead Preservation Society. She has traveled across Canada, as well as internationally to showcase her talents. Just his month, she is featured in the film, “Uprooted” showcasing at the Toronto Black Film Festival. (2021). Sabbie has also established Casa De Naz, established in 2012, which is a combination of dance, fashion and film with a Caribbean flare. She is always moving and making things happen. Smiling her beautiful smile and encouraging young dancers and artists.

Recently, Sabbie started her own podcast and talk show called, Ready on Eight, which evolved from thinking creatively during the pandemic, when she had to redirect her energy from going to the dance studio and a need for connecting with others. She chose eight episodes, eight featured guests and edited, recorded and produced it all herself, with a little help from her younger brother. She is well spoken and when asked what some of her biggest inspirations, both personally and professionally were, she answered in one of her interviews:

I definitely look up to ladies like Oprah, Madonna, Francheska from the Friend Zone Podcast, Kaiti Dangerkat, Vicki Adams Co-Founder of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Kimberly Cooper Artistic Director of Decidedly Jazz Danceworks, Catherine Hayward, and obviously Beyonce; however, one of my biggest inspirations since DAY ONE is my mother because without her there wouldn't be a Sabrina”. https://www.ourparkonline.com/parkblog/2018/5/22/parkten-interview-sabrina-naz-comanescu

Sabbie is very dynamic and yet modest and quick to showcase or promote other individuals, organizations, causes and the dance company – Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. She continues to take the various disciplines of performance, art, fashion, and music and carry them into her projects. I love taking my family and friends to her shows. One particular evening, my grown son and I had attended the Juliet and Romeo production. The audience was directed to look beyond the stage, through the glass and out to the parking lot for the opening scene of the Montagues and the Capulets. My son was sitting at the back of the theatre and was unable to see clearly, but I could and was thrilled at the creativity being displayed.

Even though her dream is to one day own her own dance studio, her busy schedule, commitments and creativity keep her from standing in one place too long. She is dancing and filming in the empty streets of Calgary in the wee hours of the morning during the pandemic. I can’t wait to see what her next innovative, creative, inspiring project will be as she continues to imprint the arts into the lives of the viewer, the learners and the audiences. She inspires us in many different ways and we love her for it!