Surviving Suhaila Salimpour

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If you've ever heard about Suhaila Salimpour's workshops, you've heard they are brutal.  That you do low squats for what seems like forever, that you sweat more in a few hours than you usually do in months, that your glutes get the workout of a lifetime, that your body feels likes it's going to die.  And yeah, everything you've heard it true...

(myself and Suhaila)

Well, at 7 AM on a beautiful and gorgeous September 24th, I got in my car, stopped for cash (because ya know I gotta shop!), grabbed a coffee and headed on down to DancEnergy.  Didn't care I had a bit of a headache and fever - seeing not only so many of my belly dancing friends there, but so many from out of town was fabulous!!!

Let me say for the record, although the workshop was 2 days, I only registered for the "Drills That Kill" Saturday, as I had Little Fish class on Sunday (which turned out I didn't go to, I stayed home and slept all day Sunday as I was still ill).

I was looking forward to not only the workshop, but hearing her talk about her life and her family, and I wasn't disappointed.  It was BRUTAL hard and I was sweating so much I wasn't sure if it was my fever or what.  Seemed to make me feel better either way - although my glutes were screaming at me to go sit on a block of ice. But you know what?  In a packed room full of dancers who are sweating and dying just as much as you are - it's called "bonding"...the sisterhood of dance pain...you know.

It was a workshop I truly enjoyed - I LOVE working out so much I need to change shirts because it's just dripping wet.  I love pushing my body to the limit and being surprised by what it will do for me.  Not bad for a 41-year-old.

That night, as the Little Fish were dancing in the second half, we got to watch the first half of the show - and it was fantastic! There were troupes and dancers from out of town we have never seen and the energy was fabulous! 

Suhaila got me thinking a number of things. 

My students should really appreciate how easy I am on them! Also, I am very happy I drill so much in my classes.  I was taught to always keep learning, and always keep working on the basics - and that's what I teach MY girls.

It was brutal, it was hard, it was physically and mentally exhausting.  It was also SO worth it!

Shimmy on...
Melika

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