Ivan is a BollyX class participant in New York City! See what he has to say about Body Empowerment and how BollyX has helped him unleash his inner #BollyXBoss!

Dancing has never been my strong suit; so accordingly, I was terrified going into my first BollyX class. I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to do the dance moves, that I wouldn’t be able to keep up, and that everyone else in the class would be watching me make a fool of myself. And while it may have taken me a few classes to figure out what was even going on, but there’s never been a class where I haven’t had a great time. Everyone is there to dance, get a workout in, and have a great time. The atmosphere was very welcoming, the instructor’s enthusiasm was infectious, and it was impossible not to get swept up in the excitement.

Despite playing sports from a very young age and always engaging in physical activities, I was fortunate enough to avoid major injuries for quite a while. And then I broke my arm in November of last year. It was my first time breaking anything, and it would require surgery. The recovery required a layoff from exercising and made me pretty restless and wanting to return to being active. BollyX class was one of the first activities that I could resume doing, and because of that, I was able to let loose in class so much more than before. It helped me rebuild my confidence and get back to an active lifestyle.

BollyX class may not have turned me into an incredible dancer, but it has helped me gain confidence in myself and embrace who I am. It feels great to be able to set my worries aside while being surrounded by a group of like-minded people all doing the same. And that’s a positive attitude that I can translate to all aspects of my life; it is not limited just BollyX.