Suhaila Salimpour Method

[BellydancerofWillendorf]

So, the teacher in my area that I am currently studying with uses the Suhaila Method in her classes. While there are many aspects of this method that I love, it has made me super paranoid about every move that I do. (It also doesn't help that I am an overweight gal and my endurance and flexibility, while getting better everyday, still is not the best and this method can be extremely frustrating; Yes I understand that you need endurance and flexibility with any style/teacher, Suhaila just seems to be about 50 times more difficult for me)

My question is this, I have a workshop that I am we'll say 'training' for this upcoming October with some of my absolute favorite dancers- Aziza, Bahari, Michelle Joyce, Ruby (to name a few)- should I concentrate on those DVD's or should I really work on the Suhaila Method since it will obviously make me a stronger dancer. It seems to me that these are almost 2 different types of belly dance, when I do work with the DVD's I am focusing on different muscles than I would to do the same movement Suhaila Style (example- shimmy from the upper quads driven by the knees vs using the glutes). It is very frustrating to work on technique with my DVD's and then have to basically unlearn that when I go to class- I love the instructor and I don't mind the style, but this dance dichotomy is driving me nuts. I'm not going to stop taking classes but how the heck do I work around the dual dance style thing? Any advice would be much appreciated -Thanks!

 

[Yame]

It sounds to me like you aren't passionate about the Suhaila stuff. Are there no other instructors in your area?

 

[BellydancerofWillendorf]

There are other classes, but none of them are overly convenient to get to- she is the closest and I really do like her as an instructor.

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

So, the teacher in my area that I am currently studying with uses the Suhaila Method in her classes.

Well hey there neighbor!! I'm in St. Louis every 6 weeks or so

While there are many aspects of this method that I love,

Stop right there.

I've been in Suhaila's program since 2005. I'm not actively in it anymore, but Lois and I have been in the same workshops and working on the same material for that time, and she's hosted Suhaila several times in St. Louis. Anyway...

Suhaila's method is ONE of many. Let me repeat:

Suhaila's method is just ONE of many techniques and approaches.

Although it may seem to be an either/or situation (and I know I certainly felt that Suhaila herself was really advocating ONLY studying with her) it is NOT an either/or situation. You can certainly focus on what you like about her method and focus on other methods and styles as well. Please do not forget this fact. I did, and it really caused me a lot of grief over time.

There is a LOT -- a LOT -- about her method that I do love and I'm grateful for the skills I now have, because of that training. (Her training on finger cymbals is practically unbeatable!) But there is also a lot I had to throw out, and a lot I had to retrain myself to undo, based on my chosen dance style.

Yes I understand that you need endurance and flexibility with any style/teacher, Suhaila just seems to be about 50 times more difficult for me)

I won't deny that the Suhaila training can be very good for you, and I lost a certain amount of weight by seriously training for the Level 2 workshop, but I honestly think most dancer's time could be better spent on training in DANCE and learning about the music rather than doing 100 squats. Also, at my age, her "warmup" is dangerous, and when I stopped doing it (and substituted my own) I stopped having the knee problems I'd had for years. Just sayin...

My question is this, I have a workshop that I am we'll say 'training' for this upcoming October with some of my absolute favorite dancers- Aziza, Bahari, Michelle Joyce, Ruby (to name a few)-

Is it CAMPARET!!?? I'm so jealous!! I'll be too pregnant to go this year, but I went last year with Ranya Renee and it was amazing. You're going to love it. Look for Azraa when you go -- she's ScarletDancer here, from Eastern Kentucky.

should I concentrate on those DVD's

Yes. I will go ahead and tell you right now that this particular crowd is NOT overly big fans of Suhaila training. Neither the guests nor the campers. Focus on what you will be learning at camp, from those instructors, and write down any questions you have on the instructor's dvds, so you can get all those answered live. Michelle uses a modified "kind" of Suhaila method for accents and some isolations, but Aziza's technique is much different. Bahaia's is different style, but I don't know about Ruby.

or should I really work on the Suhaila Method since it will obviously make me a stronger dancer.

It can make you stronger, yes, because you're basically doing a gym workout.

But make you a stronger dancer? ....

That much is HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY debated in the belly dance world.

Let's just put it this way -- for some people it really really works. For others, it doesn't. A lot of that depends upon the style of dance you ultimately want to do. I got a lot out of it, but some of what I love is more "conceptual" than physical, if that makes any sense.

It seems to me that these are almost 2 different types of belly dance,

Suhaila's technique bears absolutely no resemblance to any Egyptian technique I have learned from any of the native Egyptians or the Egyptian-style instructors in the US. I had been really trying to get the Suhaila training to "match" what I was learning from Egyptians, but it just didn't quite work. (I tried really hard, believe me, and argued with Shira about it the whole way! LOL)

However, her training is the entire BASIS for Tribal Fusion and the pop/lock school of fusion.

I felt the same way -- there were two different dances I was learning, rather than 2 sides of the same dance. When I finally put aside trying to make her method fit with my Egyptian training, and accepted Suhaila dance as just another KIND of dancing (like tap or jazz or Irish) it was a lot easier to "cross-train" and to work on Egyptian dance on Monday, and Suhaila dance on Tuesday, ya know?

when I do work with the DVD's I am focusing on different muscles than I would to do the same movement Suhaila Style (example- shimmy from the upper quads driven by the knees vs using the glutes).

Right. Think of Suhaila dance class as like "Belly-Jazz" class, and Bahaia dance class as "Egyptian dance class." If you don't try to mix them, it works. But when you try to mix them, you sound like you're in the situation A LOT of her distance ed students are in -- trying to fit square pegs into round holes. THAT is a journey you ultimately have to make on your own -- figuring out what you can actually use from her method, and what doesn't work for you. It's different for everybody.

It is very frustrating to work on technique with my DVD's and then have to basically unlearn that when I go to class- I love the instructor and I don't mind the style, but this dance dichotomy is driving me nuts. I'm not going to stop taking classes but how the heck do I work around the dual dance style thing? Any advice would be much appreciated -Thanks!

I love Awalim a lot (that's where I assume you are) but there are other options in St. Louis. Nissa teaches Egyptian style, Lauren in Belleville teaches Egyptian and Turkish-Rom (I think) and AmCab. Diana teaches Nourhan Sharif style Egyptian -- they're all super great teachers and hold frequent workshops in the greater St Lou metro area. Let me know if you want emails or websites

My main advice is to STOP thinking of Suhaila's method as one more style of bellydance -- ESPECIALLY if your focus is Egyptian dance. Because to be totally frank, the way Suhaila will encourage you to interpret the music is NOTHING like way my Egyptian instructors taught me to interpret the music in Egyptian style. Suhaila will give you strong and sharp isolations, and studying her method will allow you more freedom with movements (Doing them on the weighted vrs unweighted leg, traveling with them, etc.) and that's great -- and it's like how cross-training in ballet will give you better arm carriage and upper body placement. But ballet is NOT bellydance, and I don't see Suhaila's method being close to Egyptian dance at all. Your mileage may vary though, especially if you're more into old-style AmCab or Tribal Fusion.

I have to tell you I STRUGGLED with this (literally struggled, physically and emotionally -- crying after workshops and private lessons and feeling like I was just "stupid" because I couldn't make it work) for a couple of years before I finally realized that I just had to basically "cherry pick" what I wanted from Suhaila's method. Her Level 3 and 4 students were VERY helpful, actually, and seemed to understand my frustration. Angie, Erika, Dilek, Sabriye -- they all gave me lots of good advice, and that helped me ultimately be very okay with leaving the certification program and just training her method on my own. Other former students who had similar problems integrating styles gave me the advice to view it as 2 different dances rather than 2 different styles. AND to be okay with only using certain things or certain concepts.

Personally, I don't do the glute shimmy/vibration thing. I only use the glutes (and adductors) to create sharper accents for my hip work, which I do from my abs/obliques. I don't do her drilling over those particular foot patterns, but I do drill over other traveling patterns that I actually use. I do all of her finger cymbal drills and exercises, and to some degree I do her style of layering -- but not much. However, her training has helped me understand how to layer any two or more movements, and all that stands in my way of ANY layering combo is just practice. That's a pretty empowering feeling

If you're experienced enough as a student to know what you like and what you want to ultimately look like and dance like, then FEEL FREE to cherry-pick from different methods and different dance forms -- bellydance or not. Just don't limit yourself to thinking any one method is better, or any one method is the "only way." If you can keep yourself from thinking that, and trying to fit too many square pegs into round holes, then you will benefit a lot from the kind of cross training you're doing.

Feel free to PM if you want to discuss it further, but I've already written a book here

 

[Yame]

There are other classes, but none of them are overly convenient to get to- she is the closest and I really do like her as an instructor.

Gotcha. Then perhaps you can work on Suhaila DVDs on some days to supplement your in-person training, and on DVDs from your favorite dancers on other days to grow towards the style you actually want to achieve.

If time is limited and you have to make a choice, though, or if you're really not enjoying the Suhaila stuff on your own, then do what you love to do but realize that progress in your primary class will be slow.

Personally, if I was in that situation (taking a class that not only is very different from the style I am passionate about, but actually counterproductive to it), I would drop the class and try to find a teacher that is more in line with what I want to achieve.

I know some really wonderful Suhaila trained dancers who I am sure are great instructors, but I personally would not feel my time would be well spent in their class because most of the benefits of Suhaila's method are not things I want to seek or just aren't priorities for me as a dancer.

I was going to point Aaziyade to this thread since I know she's had Suhaila training although her passion is Egyptian style and thus can give you a better perspective, but I see that she has already responded :dance:

 

[shiradotnet]

Suhaila's methodology is based on American jazz dance, not on belly dance. That's why you're seeing the dichotomy.

For example, Suhaila's method attaches huge importance to those glute squeezes, but the only time you ever see belly dancers from the Middle East using them is as an occasional accent to make a hip bump a more crisp. That crispness is used sparingly by dancers from the Middle East - just like you wouldn't want to put too much salt on your food, you don't want to overdo accents in your dancing. Otherwise, it looks like you're beating the music to death.

Also, Suhaila's method requires people to learn layering drills that are nothing like anything you'd see a dancer from the Middle East doing - for example, the drill in which you do a pas de bourree with spinal undulations and snake arms.

Your Suhaila-based teacher may conduct class in a way that you enjoy, but you'll need to ask yourself what do you really want to learn? Do you want to learn jazz dance with a bit of belly dance aesthetic added in (which is what Suhaila teaches), or do you want to learn actual belly dance?

 

[Amanda (was Aziyade)]

Shira, that's exactly what I was asking myself when I went to a Yousry Sharif workshop. I was like -- wth? What's with all this jazz stuff? Where is the dang bellydance? I know a lot of people like his style, but it was too over the top jazz-wise for me. Samara in New York has a similar style, with a lot of drama but less obvious western influence, so now I really prefer that look.

You'd think that a dude from Egypt would represent more of the aesthetic of ... well, Egyptian dance, but I suppose he just has a different artistic vision. I much preferred Mohammed el Hosseny and Tito. But I know there are some absolutely rabid Yousry fans out there, so let me head off the flames by saying I really enjoyed seeing some of his more creative interpretations of the music, and I got a lot of inspiration from him. It's just not a style I can see blending all that well with my personal chosen style.

 

[Zorba]

What Aziyade said.

I'm in a Suhaila format class myself - its one of 4 very different classes I'm in each week.

I have to get there early to stretch and warm up for the "warm up".

The class has helped me immensely - largely because of the strength training (which just KILLS me). But not only do I not want to me a Suhaila style dancer, it also is just not possible for me. I'm too old and not athletic enough. But I stick with the class because even *trying* helps me.

I like a softer style. It suits me, it suits my body, and it looks better on everyone (my opinion, of course).

One of my early instructors used to say "Abuse a male, and he'll keep coming back for more." - probably true, because I go to the Suahaila format class and get beat up every week - and keep coming back for more! :dance: :clap: :lol: