by Tiffany Bisconer

The first time I saw Suhaila dance I was amazed at how skillful her performance was.  I sat on the hill by myself at the Black Point Renaissance Pleasure Faire and watched her and her Dance Company perform.  Even with my unknowing eye, I could tell that the movements were different than anything I had ever seen before.  The dancers looked so controlled and sharp, and the movements were isolated and intricate that it caught my interest and the visual burned into my memory.  Before this, never in my life had I ever even thought about belly dancing, but this seemed different, challenging and something inside of me posed the question…wonder if I could do that?  I ran up to one of the dancers after the show and grabbed a flyer.  I carried that flyer with me for a year as I stumbled through my life couch hopping, migrating from apartment to apartment to living in my car, working the perpetual 90 hr work week and in the wee hours of the night painting, writing and playing music to stay sane…. just fighting to survive.  I wanted more out of my life and out of my self.  I was becoming more and more angry and being a punk in the filth city was starting to deteriorate my hope that has always been there as a light that to lead me forward in the rough times.  When I look back on this time in my life I’m still amazed that I am standing here today, properly groomed, with all my hair, and my biggest struggle is scheduling a healthy sleep regimen in between my artistic goals and my business responsibilities.  The best thing I ever did for my self was to follow a whim and take a belly dancing class. 

I guess I feel that if I can do it, anyone can do it!  I can safely say that I was probably the least likely candidate to be a representative for Suhaila’s Format.  Not only did I show up in my first class with no dance experience, I was also laden with metal clad punk rock boots, spiked jewelry, holes in my dance tights and no hair.   I was guarded, hard edged and everything on me told people to stay away.  To say the least I wasn’t the image of the feminine beauty that would likely be drawn to the sensual art of belly dance.  I definitely was a strange addition to the look and feel of the studio environment.   Though I didn’t know it then, even Suhaila thought that after my first class I wouldn’t come back.  But I did….practically everyday.  Her format made sense, I enjoyed the challenge, loved the music and the environment.  Though it seemed like a completely unlikely fit, Suhaila’s classes made me happy, in fact while I was in class I was happier than I was anywhere else.  I felt safe.  Completely awkward and unnatural physically, but deeply comforted and I felt safe to grow.  Because of my life experience I didn’t believe anyone had pure or honest intentions, I had walls around me, and honestly it took me almost 2 years to have a full conversation with Suhaila.  Knowing what I do now I thank her with all my heart for putting up with me!  I didn’t trust easily and I didn’t place my body or vulnerability in anyone’s hands easily. I was so use to being on my own, that at the beginning I didn’t know how to respond to Suhaila as my teacher.  I respected her from distance, would try hard in class, but I kept to myself.   I felt so vulnerable in class and for the first time I didn’t want to loose that feeling.  I felt that I was able to let down my guard, let the music enter me and attempt what I then felt were the virtually impossible feats Suhaila would try and make us do in class.  I was incredibly drawn to the music and the possibility of actually being able to one day see the music come through my body. From when I was young, all the way through my jaded punk rock lifestyle, music was a huge motivator and inspiration to me.  I picked up my first guitar when I was 11 to make music, and now with Suhaila’s Format I saw an opportunity to take my relationship with the music even deeper as she was teaching my body to become an instrument to express the music through. 

From the moment I planted myself by Suhaila’s side, I’ve seen her words matriculate into reality in many ways.  One of the most revolutionary concepts turned to a tangible reality has been her desire to raise the level of her dance form.  Through her revolutionary format and certification program she has done just that….already.  I never thought it would happen this soon, yet it feels like it has taken forever.  Her vast dream of raising the standard of this dance form has started to take shape.  It has been amazing to experience first hand how much can happen in less than a decade.  At the beginning stages of developing her Certification Program Suhaila would tell me that she doesn’t expect to see the effects of the base she was creating in her lifetime, but in this year of touring we’ve realized that her format, muscle use, body awareness and Certification Program have had a large effect on the women that were attending the workshops.  Although it has been a path that has traveled one city, state, community and ultimately woman at a time, the impact of her efforts has been increasingly clear.  Shocking, because truly it has happened quicker than she has ever imagined, but there are still great lengths to travel to see the placement of this work as a base that is taken for granted in the dance world as a whole.

The first time the realization that the level of technique and body awareness was taking hold into the belly dance community was at the beginning of this year at a Level I specific workshop in St. Louis.  During the warm up on the first day, we looked around the room and were taken by surprise because everyone in the room was capable of doing the gluteus squeezes.  The amazement came because usually the initial warm up of the workshops send participants into shock over the concept of the glutes and the rest of the day is spend partially stunned over this new development.  In this case everyone had already been exposed to the usage of the glutes for hip work within Suhaila’s Format.  Suhaila and I conglomerated in the corner of the dance studio astonished at the glutes that were bouncing in the room.  I turned and looked at Suhaila, her eyes filled with awe and the tears threatened to fall from the corners of her eyes.  She was touched and emotional because this was the first time she had been in a workshop where a large portion of the women had never been touched by her hands, yet they were affected by her work.  The women who had never taken a workshop from Suhaila before had prepared themselves with Suhaila’s Fitness Fusion DVDs before the workshop.  Now that the introduction to her technique is readily available on DVD the range of women who have access to the information is growing considerably.  Because Suhaila holds her work so close to her heart, the thought of women experiencing her format without her right by their side facilitating their growth was a sweet, but emotional surprise.  It was then that we both realized her format was spreading quicker than we ever imagined. 

As seen in the St. Louis workshop, even just this little bit of basic preparation made the workshop move farther forward than it could’ve if no one in the room knew what to expect.  Which was exciting for us because it meant that the awareness of what Suhaila has to offer was beginning to be more widespread, both on a personal level since it means that dancers are beginning to have higher expectations of themselves within their growth and on a larger level in that the dance community as a whole is placing a foot on the path Suhaila has created of raising the bar.  More commonly now than over two decades ago when Suhaila began the integration of muscle awareness into her teaching, the application of technique, body awareness and preparatory strengthening exercises are an integral part of a dancers training.

When I began taking lessons with Suhaila I made sure to take from every belly dance teacher I could find, in order to make sure I found the place that fit my needs as a student the most.  This is also something that Suhaila still honestly encourages in her students today.  What I found in the experience of taking other classes, while still maintaining my weekly classes at Suhaila’s, is that I had taken a lot for granted since I started my journey into belly dance with her.  What I expected was that everyone broke down the movements the way she did, and what I found is that no one I personally took lessons from had the same articulate format or teaching philosophy.  Suhaila has been the only teacher that has been able to show me a life long path in this art form.   I felt that her legitimacy and integrity helped me to trust her as my mentor.  Her passion and constant energy put into her art form made me trust her with myself.  With the birth of her Certification Program almost a decade ago, I felt so proud to be at the first Certification Test she ever held.  She gave a speech before we began our test and cried through half of it because this moment meant so much to her.  We sat on the floor of the studio and as she passed us our written exams she kissed the corner of it, looked each of us in the eyes as she released the paper into our hands as if she was releasing her newborn child into our care.  The sentiment was so thick and her intention was so beautiful because this was the beginning of her passing the wand of her lifetime’s work to her students.  She was the creator of this revolution in dance and we, her students, were to be the ones to embody her format and create the change.  It was at this moment that I too began to feel my responsibility as a student and as a woman who signed up to be one piece in this huge picture of changing the face of belly dance.  It meant so much to me.

Being the first to develop a complete 5 Level Certification Program, Suhaila has been faced with both resistance and acceptance of a new way of looking at the future of the dance.  In her efforts to live out her vision of changing the expectations and opportunities of belly dance, her life’s passion, she has unfolded a platform for movement for the belly dancing community to follow.   When Suhaila just started touring with level specific workshops, up until last year, we weren’t able to advertise Level I specific workshops because very few dancers who have been belly dancing for 6 months or more considered themselves at a beginning level.   For years we would beg people to look at this format as if it was a different dance form so they would feel confidence in trying something new.  At first it was hard to convince dancers to walk in fresh, but as they allowed their minds and their bodies to absorb the format, they could really feel the difference in dancing from the inside out, instead of using visual cues to learn from.   They allowed their minds to lead their bodies.  After more and more dancers have taken workshops and classes in the Suhaila Salimpour Format they have been able to experience first hand the standard she is trying to create.  Due to the hard work and drive from those who have been inspired by her vision the level of the dance is raising right before our eyes.  A beautiful thing about that is once overcome with the inspiration of an artistic life path, women enjoy sharing their excitement.  So for every one woman who believes in Suhaila’s work there are more women who get to hear about it and integrate the inspiration into their practice.

Over time I’ve realized that Suhaila’s format can either devastate or inspire.  As I traveled through the levels and hit walls and plateaus I have felt both.  For me the inspiration has been the greater sentiment, but there have been many points of highly ungraceful frustration on the path to building my body as an instrument.  In all the good that it means and all the bad it can at times lead to, I am very hard on myself.  I have high expectations, which is also why I’ve survived.  In Suhaila’s Format what has kept me on track is knowing, because I’ve experienced it every step of the way, is if I practice something long enough it will happen.  With her format as stepping stones there will always be room to grow, discover and reinvent.  The possibilities artistically and technically will never cease.  You are never done growing.  If the thought of seeing a life path of constant growth is exciting to you, personal inspiration will never grow stagnant.  Each new ground and each level will lead you through challenges and accomplishments.  For me I’ve been studying with Suhaila for going on 8 years and everyday sheds a new beginning.  For me that is a driving force and inspiration.  The thought of discovering more in more in this well of artistry, technical ability and musical expression keeps me alive and moving forward with intention to create more through each passing year.  On the path in front of me I see only open sky, no ceiling to cap off my potential.  I feel that anyone who wants to start with level one has the opportunity to lead a life uncovering their artistic voice.