As a British born Muslim living in the North East of England, this exposed me to two definitive cultures. As far as I could remember, I had always wanted to be a professional Bollywood dancer. However, coming from a Pakistani culture, music and dance was a massive no-no. Yet, performing dance solos at family and friends’ weddings…well that was acceptable. I conformed to the social desi norm and eventually achieved my PhD (2011) that specialized in young people’s perceptions of school bullying and racism, which actually became my second love! However, the Bollywood dancing queen within me never dissipated.
I resisted the British sweet goodies and lost the weight needed to became physically fit while pursuing my PhD. This complete shift in lifestyle not only empowered my body, but also my mind. It assisted in helping me complete my PhD and also changed how I perceived myself. My journey with the dance fitness industry began in 2012 after becoming certified in Bokwa dance. I began teaching in various clubs and dance studios across northern New Jersey. However, I was still looking for a dance or fitness program that incorporated Bollywood music. I was referred to the BollyX program by a friend, and after attending the first class, BOOM! – I knew that this was the program for me.
In February 2015, I became a certified BollyX instructor. BollyX, a dance fitness program inspired by the Bollywood film industry was most ideal for me as there was no need to develop choreography and hunt for music. This allowed me to continue with my other work. Their motto, to “Unleash Your Inner Rockstar” truly hit home for me with each class I taught!
The BollyX team is incredibly supportive and active within the BX community, always providing opportunities for instructors to co-teach at various demonstrations and events. It allows instructors to feel like family and gain experience and exposure quickly. Through co-teaching with the adorable Ms. Lateefah Fleming in north NJ, my strength, stamina and skills improved swiftly due to her mentorship and feedback. It was a really rewarding experience for me.
It did not take long for me to create my presence within the dance fitness industry, thanks to BollyX. I grabbed every opportunity to teach, co-teach, sub and introduce BollyX in NJ. I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to co-teach at a few BollyX classes with the president and co-founder of BollyX, Minal Mehta, who makes teaching incredibly fun! Where 2015 was spent pushing and promoting BollyX, 2016 saw the start of its reward!
I currently teach BollyX every Sunday in Edison to a class of die-hard BollyX fans, have been invited to perform demo classes at festivals (Hub City Sounds – Indo-American Festival (Aug) and Raritan River Festival (Sep) and have been interviewed live on air about my diverse dance fitness career (www.WRSU.org – Dave Joshi). However, my most unique and exciting experience as it relates to BollyX is that as a university professor, I was approached by Dr. Amy Rady, Bokwa dance instructor and Director of the John Moore Athletics and Fitness Department at New Jersey City University, to write course proposals for a new Fitness and Exercise Science Major program she was developing at NJCU. Since my dance fitness knowledge, passion and background was strong, I jumped at this opportunity. Working closely with BollyX corporate on the course proposal, I was able to put together a highly effective academic course proposal about BollyX, as well as develop academic course proposals for both Bokwa Dance and Bokwa Punch and Strike. The core curriculum committee approved all three courses immediately. Teaching of both dance fitness classes began the fall of 2016 to full classes. Wherein for Bokwa dance, I am the first on the East coast to be teaching a curriculum; for BollyX, I am the first in the country.
The feeling of what has been accomplished has not fully resonated with me, but my journey with BollyX that has allowed me to turn my passion into my career and begin to live my dream has.
About the Author: Dr. Sairah Qureshi, President of Action Against Bullying, LLC, in partnership with Bullying Intervention Group (UK Not for profit organization) provides quality bullying prevention training in schools, the community and most recently, the workplace (Legal Shield). Author of first and second eds, ‘Bullying and Racist Bullying in Schools; What ARE We Missing?’ Professor of Dance Fitness Education FES, (New Jersey City University) and Sociology (Strayer University), dance fitness instructor (Bokwa® and BollyX®).