Dancer starts blog in hopes of inspiring happiness

Ziba Sidrys started dancing in middle school as soon as her mom let her. Since then, dance has been one of her passions.

“My mom danced and my sisters all danced,” Sidrys said. “Dancing is just kind of in our genes. My parents met dancing.”

Sidrys is an international business and communication major. She is also a member of the dance group Phases of Motion and has studied ballet for eight years. Though she hesitates to call herself a dancer, Sidrys likes dancing for fun and enjoys various types of dance, such as hip-hop, ballet and salsa.

“I think it’s one of the most beautiful forms of expression,” Sidrys said.

“It’s hard to find songs that really bring out myself when I’m dancing,” Sidrys said. “You can’t dance without music that moves you.” She said the comment she hears most often after a performance is that she looks like she truly loves what she’s doing.

And for that reason, Sidrys decided to try to share her passion with others, hoping to inspire them as others have done for her. More than that, she also hoped to help people that were struggling in life, which became deeply personal to her after the death of her sister, Saule. The family maintains concerns that Saule was suffering from depression near the time of her death.

“I made a promise to myself the night I heard the news [of her death] that I was going to figure out what happened to Saule, so I can help others.  It awakened something in me and made me wonder how this could happen to someone who was so lively and had such a wonderful life,”  Sidrys said, “I felt an urge to help my friends who might be hiding the same anxiety that she was.”

Sidrys started a blog called Sparkle of Faith to try to reach out to people through positivity and encouragement. She believes that providing a safe, open and inviting atmosphere and just having someone listen is essential.

“Sometimes just hearing, ‘I’ve been there’ is more effective than any anti-depressant,” Sidrys said. She admitted that she isn’t sure of the direction her blog will take.

“I don’t know where I’m going or what I’m doing,” Sidrys said. “It’s just doing.”

She wants to help people her own age become comfortable with themselves and find something to drive them.

Since starting her blog, Sidrys has received messages from people looking for someone to talk to. By speaking with them and encouraging them, Sidrys feels a profound sense of happiness.

“In those situations, I feel so humbled and honored that they opened up to me. By suggesting a good book or what steps to take, I can try to point them in the right direction, and that’s really encouraging no matter what happens with this blog, or what difficulties might be thrown at me,” Sidrys said.