-Ashmeeta ‘Sasha’ Rawof

BEING, as people would say, “big-boned” or “plus size” can sometimes subject you to bullying, body shaming and a number of criticisms but it’s up to you to love the skin you are in and appreciate yourself.

“Being a plus size individual, persons tend to look down on you. Not because someone has size means they can’t be physically active, so I decided to make a difference by dancing,” said 23-year-old Ashmeeta Rawof, who has made dancing her life and has given plus-size girls the confidence to do what they love.

She first recognised her love for dancing at the age of five when she performed a popular Bollywood song at her nursery school graduation.
Although at that time she was uncertain about how the crowd would respond, little Ashmeeta went on stage and danced like no one was watching and, to her surprise, the audience was cheering and even dancing along with her.
After that day, her dancing skills were packed away for a while until she got older and discovered social media.

“I started making little videos of me dancing and I posted it on Facebook…gradually the views grew to thousands and persons even started enquiring when the next video will be posted,” she said.
It was not long after gaining popularity on social media that she got an opportunity to perform on a stage again.

She was invited to perform at shows at the National Cultural Centre and Theatre Guild.
Little did she know that those shows would make dancing her passion.

“It’s just that- a passion. Everyone is different with different passions. However, the underlining theme is that your passion allows you to let go of the world for a time,” she said. “You get to immerse yourself in what you are doing and everything else falls away, stress, problems and responsibilities… this won’t be true for everyone who dances but I believe it’s true for everyone who has a passion,” she said.
Another reason why she’s passionate about the art is that it gives her freedom and enlightens her mind.

Ashmeeta said she could not imagine a life without dancing because it releases stress and makes her happy.

For persons who might want to dance or do anything that makes them happy, she encouraged them not to let persons put them down but instead lift their head and do what they want to do.

“Roll those curves, show them off, don’t be ashamed to dance,” the 23-year-old urged.
Apart from dancing, Ashmeeta works for PKF Barcellos Narine and Company and is also engaged in charitable work as a director of the Young Pioneers and the tour manager of POTS Guyana.

She has become a role model for plus-size girls and evidence of that is seen in her email and social media pages which are filled with stories of how she helped persons to get over their fears and feel good about themselves.