How Oreet Turned Belly Dance into a Scalable Fitness Certification

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 409. Today I'm sitting down with Ori, the founder of the Sharky Method, where she'll discuss how she turned her art and craft of belly dancing and turned it into a scalable fitness certification. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner and and this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance in movement, package and position their products and services and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

What's up coach? Thank you so much for tuning in to the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson. If this is the first time you're hanging out with me today, welcome. I'm super pumped that you're here. I've got a very special guest. This is one of my accelerator clients. I wanted to bring to you a a series showing you the back end of what it actually looks like to come into the accelerator container, why people sign up, where some of their constraints are and problems that they've been experiencing, how we've been able to take their expertise and turn their science skills into profitable, sustainable and consistent businesses. Especially for people who have been hustling and working hard with really great work ethic for the last, you know, three to six months. So I'm really excited to bring to you one of my long term clients, Ori. Not only is she an incredible human, she hardworking, she has a unique method in how she has created the Sharky method and turned the craft and beauty of belly dancing into a fitness focused experience that really puts the fun back into fitness for people of all skill level, whether they feel like they have two left feet to being, you know, top pro or ex pro dancers and really taking that that skill, putting it into the classroom not only to fill out their classes with people who know that they want to get fit, know that they want to stay active, but she's also created a certification to help dance enthusiasts or fitness professionals take their craft and turn their something that they love into a business without always having to constantly hustle, get the next gig and maybe potentially either have have a side hustle while they're auditioning or then you know, turn their retirement from dancing into or, or their enjoyment of dancing into an actual business that helps generate revenue. So without further ado, let me introduce you to what's up, Ori, welcome to the show today. How are you?

I'm doing well. Thank you so much for having me.

I am super excited to get into our conversation today. So let's go ahead and start with. Can you tell us a little bit about who you are, what you do, and how you got started?

Gotcha. My name is Orit, and I'm the founder of Sharkey the Belly Dance Workout. And why I got started was because I found that there was a missing piece in the dance fitness industry, especially when it came to belly dance. And around 1998, when Latin aerobics became a big craze, and this is before Zumba, I noticed that a lot of gyms were hiring ballroom Latin dancers. And this is in New York City, might be different in other cities. And I noticed that these teachers were not fitness certified, so they didn't teach in that outline that fitness enthusiasts were used to. Right. And I saw people just leaving the studio, and. And then I thought, well, why not belly dance and fitness and me being have a fitness background, knowing how to outline a class, making fitness enthusiasts happy, talking their talk. Right. And that's what I did. And. And it became a big hit since 1998.

Okay, that's amazing. So what brought you into the belly dance world? Like, can you. And. And what. And how did you come together with the idea of let's put this. This skill into fitness?

Of course. So I got into belly dance one, because it's part of my culture. I am Israeli, I'm Middle Eastern, and yeah, I grew up with it. And the way belly dance was taught was we call this follow the bouncing button. It's really just follow the leader. No real explanation, no curriculum, nothing. Yeah. And as a result, I got curved because I learned from the women in my family, and I had a rotator cuff injury. Nobody taught me to always have your hand slightly forward of the shoulder and not too far back. And so I noticed this also in belly dance classes, traditional classes in New York City, they were teaching the same way. And I was like, being already in a professional dancer. I was a contemporary dancer in New York, and already being a professional fitness instructor, I was like, it doesn't have to be this way. Why can't people learn to dance in an effective and efficient way? It doesn't have to be all about following the leader. And so I gave belly dance a curriculum. And then on top of that, I gave people who wanted to learn how to belly dance an opportunity to sweat.

Okay, great. So what I have loved in our time together Is, is your unique approach and how you've been able to, to integrate this unique approach into the world of fitness. So can you share with us a little bit more behind the scenes about, you know, what traditional belly dance dancing looks like and can and how you actually created this process of your, you haven't said it yet, but the 32 count method, essentially, you know, can you share with us a little bit about how you got there and then what does it look like in an actual dance class?

Okay, so an actual dance class, or even belly dance class traditionally starts off with your technique. You've got 45 minutes of drills, learning the movements that you're going to finally put together in a 15 minute combo at the end of class. For fitness enthusiasts, this is boring and you're not going to get sweat. Yeah, not going to get a sweat. And how is it going to appeal to the masses? People want to get in and out. They don't want to learn technique, they don't want to be serious.

Right.

They want to start from the get go, have fun and feel joy. So what I did was I incorporated the traditional fitness format and that is a 32 count. This comes back to all the way from Jack lalanne, Jane Fonda, and even before a woman, I forgot her name, who created the 32 count. But it is a 32 count where it's nonstop. You press play on your cassette player back then, and after one hour. Yeah, so continuous, nonstop. And it's all about cueing. How it is in traditional classes is you follow the song structure, there are separate songs, there's pauses in between each section. The heart rate goes down. Right. There's no non stop beat. You've got to, you're a slave to the music, kind of similar to what Zumba is now. And as a result, fitness enthusiasts, their attention is low because they can only handle two or three moves per section. Their heart rate goes down. And as a result, teachers don't learn the art of cueing, specifically verbal cueing. And so what I did is I gave this old standard curriculum that never went away. Right. And I put it to belly dance nonstop. Start dancing from the beginning. No technique in the beginning. You learn the technique within the dancing. So it's a hidden technique class from the start, but people don't know it. You just simply start dancing and doing your combos, but you drill when you're learning your combos.

Okay, great. I love that. So what are some of the cues that you're using in your practice to, you know, help improve technique that A lot of dance experts miss. Like, what are some of your favorite cues? Okay. Sorry.

Oh, no problem. Yeah, like the cue of knowing how to break down and build up. What happens with dance instructors when they are teaching. Follow me, and then you do. They start with the ultimate finished move. And then the student has to figure out, oh, wait, what are the steps to get there? Whereas here in Sharky class, we start with the feet, then we add speed, then we add elevation, then we add arms. Everything is a breakdown, and you build up. And each nuance, each built up is a level. Right. Do the ultimate finished product. They stay at the nuance that they want, and they're still dancing no matter what.

Does this happen or this build up happen from the moment you press start in class?

Yes.

Interesting. So does it require, like, for example, you know, when p. Does it require skill from the people that are in the class? Like, could someone who's never danced before come to class and be successful?

Yes. That is why I created it. It's for the person with two left feet. It's for the person who says, I can't dance or I can't belly dance or I can't do that. Oh, yes, you can. Because our motto is, if you can march in place, you can belly dance.

Interesting. I love that. So now the people that particularly take your class or fill your class, are they. Are they people who, you know, what would bring them to class?

A new person. What would bring them to glass? When they see how easy it is, especially when I post on social media little teasers. When they see people who look like them and when they see people who might be struggling but then getting it immediately. That also the fact that belly dance is about no judgments. Any body type can do it. And in fact, we applaud people who just don't have that. In fact, it looks better when someone has a little more something, whatever that something is.

Okay, so when I, you know, do people come, like, do they take class because they want it to be fun? Do they take class because they are, like, looking for a different way than, like, hit classes? Are they, like, tired of running on the treadmill? Like, let's say I was a gym and I wanted to bring this, the Sharky method, into my studio or into my facility? Would that work? Like, how do you envision the Sharky Method scaling to the masses?

Oh, absolutely. Yeah. When people come to my class, they're. They're tired of the burpees. Yeah, they're tired. Tired of. They just want something fun, something that feeds their soul. And something that makes one hour pass by so quickly.

And it does. Right? And then they stay. Your people when they take the class. They stay.

Absolutely. They do stay. And, you know, a lot of it is the teacher, because people do come.

Okay. I love it. So now, have you ever had teachers that, like, don't have a dance background, but they just want to do something different for, you know, cardio for their classes? Like, is this something that someone who's not a, like a dance background, could they pick this up?

Absolutely. I have a lot of instructors who come from the fitness background not having any lick of experience of belly dance, and they get it beautifully.

That's amazing. So, you know, I know that one of the things that you do is help certify people in your method so that they can start to, like, fill their classes. So I'm curious, or you. And you know, what are some of the messaging components that you help your instructors with to help them get their, their clients on board with the Sharky method? Okay, like, let's say I'm a fitness instructor. I'm just getting certified. How do I fill my class up?

You fill your class up. Instructors can fill their class up with an outline of teaching that students love. And this is what students love. They want to. We learn nonstop. They want it to be easy. They want it to sweat. They want to sweat and they want to learn some technique. And this is what Sharkey provides.

Oh, interesting. Okay, cool. And then do you have like, how do, how do teachers practice the skill?

Well, in our academy, there's accountability, but they practice the skill just by doing it over and over again. A lot of it is rhythm. It's knowing when to cue. Right. We teach them how to cue on the five and on the seven on an eight count measure. And. And it's just like, it's, it's like sing songy, you know, it's knowing what words to put in that two count or four count phrase. And once you know, the words to, it just fits beautifully and it just becomes natural.

How do instructors pick their music?

We provide. Sharkey provides our own produced 32 count music, which is, which is Arabic music with world music overlaid on top. So it's got Arabic beats, club beats, and in inspired by other world rhythms.

Oh, that's cool. That's fun. That's so fun. So I love that. So now when you've been doing this for a while, when did Zumba come onto the scene? I know you had mentioned a couple of times and you know, out of curiosity, what would you say are the biggest differences between the two styles of dancing and, and can someone be excellent at both?

I think think they both complement each other, both formats. So the biggest difference is, is that Zumba is based on the song structure, right? So you've got the chorus, you've got, you know the melody and all that, but you are a slave to the song, right? So the chorus ends, you've got to go to the next move. Whereas with my format, it's a steady beat. You can stay on a certain move. If you find students are having difficulty, you don't have to quickly change to the chorus or to the next move. You stay on it till they get it and then once they're ready, then you go on to the next move. In Sharky, there's only one non stop track, whereas with Zumba you've got 8 to 10, even 15 different songs. With Sharky teachers need to only memorize one routine. With Zumba, teachers need to memorize 8, 10, 15 different routines or. Which can be pretty stressful. Yeah. Key. A newcomer can come in at any point of, let's say a six week series, right. And still be feel successful where Zumba, they start a six week series and then if the newcomer wants to come in at week five, they've missed it, they've missed the whole memorization part of it, right. And they're going to feel a little lost. Right. But what really I feel like how they complement each other is it's just that, you know, if you're a Sharkey instructor and know how to do Zumba, it's just another tool, a skill in your back pocket. Because let's say you have to teach something that's more traditional at some point. At least you know how to change and know how, how music shifts and how music is structured. At least you know how to, to change. Right on the fly if you need to.

Yeah, I love that. So now when, when you say there's only one routine, does that mean. Is this like Bikaram yoga where it's like literally one routine and then you do that for six weeks or do you ever change the routine?

Right? You can change your routine every day. I provide all the pre choreographed material for my, for my instructors. You could do it. The great thing about Sharky choreographies is that after each block there's always a lead like change. So you can take a six block of choreography, six block choreography and you can get so much mileage out of it. You can move things around, blocks around. You can take a Block from a different pre choreographed class. Put it in there. Because every time you do a new block, it changes feet and that's why it's interchangeable. So. So you can do what you want with it. Do it for six weeks. Change it every week. Change the song that, the. The soundtrack, whatever the playlist.

Yeah, I love that. How, how often do your studio clients come in?

Every. Every week also.

They like what, they do like one class a week or is it like three times a week? Like, do they come. Do you have any regulars that come every day?

Oh, of course. Absolutely. We have, in our virtual studio, we have over 60 classes a month. And yeah, I have people who come in every day. Absolutely. We offer traditional classes, workout classes, stretch classes, but everything that will enhance your belly dance. We've got strength classes as well.

Oh, so you use strength classes in addition to your. Into like programming in addition to your. Into belly dancing?

Absolutely. It's all about cross training. You can't just belly dance to and get your workout. You've got to do everything. And so what I do is I do strength classes that will enhance your belly dance and do traditional moves, fitness moves. I'll also do sharky workout with light handheld weights as well. We have a sharky strength certification that's coming up soon. Yeah, everything enhances the belly dance.

I mean, there is. This is unlike anything else out there. Like, this is new or this is. This is unique. This is. I know it doesn't feel new to you, but most people don't understand how powerful this process could be in their business to help their, you know, with client retention and then just really put sun back into fitness. I feel like we kind of swung this pendulum of like, it has to be all hardcore and you need to die. Orange theory, Barry Boom camp. Like, or it's not worth it. Right. And that's just like, just not true. There are people out in the world that want to stay consistent and have fun without, like, feeling like they're getting crushed.

I know. Who wants to do crunches for abdominal workout? Why not do beautiful, sensual undulations with your body to get an undap workout?

Yeah. So I'm also curious too. You. You had mentioned that you, you know, had to nurse a. And a rehab or a rotator cuff injury. So is this something that people can do, like, while they're, you know, working with their pt? Of course. And like, but, you know, what are some of the modifications and considerations you. You take into account when dealing with people who are injured?

Of course. So as I said before, There's a breakdown in buildup, so you stay at the buildup that works for you. Belly dance can be done flat footed. Doesn't have to be up on the toes. You can half time everything. And you don't have to do it fast, you could do it at a slower pace. You don't have to bend your knees low. If you want to get a little leg workout, you do you, that's the great thing.

And people can still get a great workout that way.

Absolutely, absolutely.

Now is this something that they, that they need to. You said virtual studio. So does that mean they can just work out from home?

Yes. And that, and they love that. They love the flexibility of that. We also do have replays as well.

Okay, amazing. So now instructors, when they're, do they need to come into the studio to get certified? What is the process of, of getting certified?

Right. So the process is they, once they find me on social media, there's a discovery call, we talk about, you know, their goals, see if Sharky will meet their goals. There's a little like execution session, if you will, like a little audition to see how they count and how they move to see if I feel like they, they would be a great part of the team. And then, then we go from there. So the academy is four months and it is all virtual. They don't need to be in the virtual studio in order to come into the academy, but once you are in the academy, you do get a membership to be in the virtual studio. So you do get the format and learn the format and get it under your belt.

Okay, that's amazing. Do you have in the academy, do you help people start to build their dance business so that they could create their, you know, create their own classes? Do you have support in that?

Absolutely, we do. So yeah, our academy is we, we, they learn the technique and we talk about business. It's pretty much business in a box for them. So once they get certified halfway through, then we start the business part of it.

That's so cool. And so do you have dancers that come in that could like, essentially, you know, if they wanted to transition their dance skills into a business, would this be a great fit for them as well?

Absolutely would be a great fit. Yep. We just start from ground zero. And you just, believe it or not, a lot of dancers are not that savvy when it comes to business. So this is really, really helpful.

Yeah. Do you, you know, so you, you'd mentioned that you were a professional dancer in the city. Are you still doing that?

No, not Anymore? No, I'm retired now, and now I choreographed choreographer.

Oh, fun. So you still get to do some of the stuff that you love. I mean, it's, it's. And you. You get to do.

And.

Right. So your instructors could do the same thing, whether they want to build full time or they can just have a side muscle.

Absolutely, absolutely. Yeah. And. And what's great about the Sharky format is those who are coming in with a dance background, you don't have to teach belly dance. It's just a style of teaching. They can implement these principles within their own genres of dance. Latin dance, African dance, Indian dance, whatever. It's just a style of teaching.

Yeah. So good. So, Arie, you've been in this industry for over 20 years. So, you know, with that said, what are some of the things that you do to stay. To stay energized, to. To stay fulfilled? How do you. How have you seen this? The. The process of the Sharky method evolve over time?

Yeah. So it's always staying relevant, checking out what. What's missing in the industry and listening to what people need. So. So I started off as just a workout, but then I noticed people needed to. To work virtually, so I created a studio. Then I noticed people needed to gain more strength, so I created added strength classes. I noticed that people couldn't afford the studio and they wanted more on demand and rent videos or buy videos. So then I created on demand platforms. So it's just pretty much staying on top of and listening to what people need and want.

Amazing. And then for your craft, like, what are some of the things that you do to continue to develop and hone your craft?

Oh, I'm always a student. I keep going to dance workshops. I go to teaching workshops. I listen to podcasts that are even out of my industry too, and that helps a lot.

Yeah, that's amazing. I think that's one of the things that I've always loved and respected about you in terms of how much you value and, And. And incorporate coaching into your business and into your life. It's one of those things that I always say that, you know, even coaches need coaching, and that is something that you have demonstrated, you know, over the years in our time together. So it's. It's powerful. And I think that that's also important for you, listening as a coach. Like, if you're not getting coached, it's time for you. That's how you grow, because you're either. You're us. How you get into momentum.

Yes, yes. And.

Yeah, I love that. Well, we'll talk about that, too. I'm also curious about your, you know, in terms of your certification. Does that qualify for, like, could someone use, like, get, like, CEUs, if they're in fitness, could they apply that into to their certification?

Absolutely. The Academy Sharky Instructor Academy is accredited by NASA, Alpha and Ace.

Okay, that's amazing. I love that. Love that. Okay, so I'd love for you, if you wouldn't mind, to share a little bit about, you know, where you were a. Before you joined Accelerator. Like, what were some of the problems and things that you were struggling with and what brought you to the program?

Yeah, well, first of all, I've been following you, Beverly, for, I think, about a year before I signed on. I love.

I loved.

I just needed to, like, you know, just make sure that, you know, we were. You were the right fit for me. And the fact that you're a New Yorker. Yeah, everybody's beveled. We can. And nobody. So where was I in my business? I had a funnel that wasn't working, and I just didn't know how to fix it. Yeah. And you really helped me with that. You really helped me with the verbiage. You really helped me with how many. Also you taught me that to repeat, repeat and repeat some more, only in a different way or even in the same way, and it's okay. And I was always scared about repeating, and I noticed, and that's why I signed on with you, because I was like, you know what? She's saying the same thing, but just in a slightly different way. Yeah. And that's cool. I should be doing that. Why am I overthinking? And always had you taught me how to purpose. I love the essence that I get from you is that content is important. Is the information clear and correct. It doesn't have to be so beautiful. And like, it's, you know, it's like, it's. It's perfect. Just come as you are. Doesn't have to be published. Not that you're so. I've.

No, I totally. I totally get what you mean. Right. And I just think that I, you know, I'll say for me when I get to get the pleasure of working with someone who is as hard working as you are and someone who, you know, especially if you're listening to this and you're even remotely considering a REIT certification, like, she cares about every single person who's in her. In her certification program as if it was her own business. And I think that that is, you know, it is such a Pleasure to get to work with someone who is that dedicated in their work ethic. Because for me, I can see the levers. Like, I just, in one conversation, can see the lovers of, like, pull this lever, Pull this lever. And then once you start looking at the data, then things start to fall into place. Like, your earn what you deserve. Master class, like, is just clicking. And it is so exciting to see that and then be able to be like, hey, you know, you built this thing, and now it's just the. It gets to be, you know, test, tweak, tweak, and then all of the hard lifting. Yeah, you've already done that, and now you're going to get to see the benefits of that. And that's so powerful. I love that.

Yes. Yes. And, yeah, the sales page advice given. Oh, my gosh, that was great. And it. And guys, it's so exciting. I know you're probably thinking of business, but it's. Be creative, too. It's. And look, when you. When. When Beverly says something, you do it. And then watch my V. And then you see it clicking, I'm like, oh, this is exciting. Or really want to see it grow.

Yes. Yeah. So good. You know, and then what I also love about YouTube, like, you know, sometimes it's easy when we're listening to things like we're listening to podcasts or we're going to classes, or we're getting sucked down that Instagram's, you know, you know, black hole, essentially. It can feel like, oh, my gosh, I'm doing all this work and my stuff's not working. And it can be easy to go, like, be in what I call, you know, that valley of despair. But the truth of the matter is that all of the work that you do, and I think that you are just a beautiful, like, just demonstration of this, is that the. The. It's a compounding effect of work. And once you can get through that, like, oh, I tested this and it didn't work. So let's test that. That. That's when people start to skyrocket. Skyrocket and look like they blew up overnight when the reality is that it was just action after action after action. And. And the compounding effect of guessing, testing, and assessing. And I think that you demonstrate that beautifully, and so do your instructors. It's a ref. They're reflected as well.

Yes. Yes. Thank you. Absolutely. Thank you.

Yeah, it's amazing. Okay, so with that said, for those of you who, like, want to go deeper with you, where are some of the best places that I can send. I know you have the earn what you deserve class so I will send that as well. And then. But where are some of the other places that we can send?

Of course we have a virtual studio if you just want to check it out. We got a $5 week. We have this new question where it's the first two months is half price as well. You can go to sharpie.coms h a r q u I.com online that is our virtual studio if you want to just come and work out with us. If you would like to learn more about our Academy, go to sharky.com teach I love that.

Okay. And we'll make sure that we link all of that up in the show notes.

Sure.

Ari, thank you so much for hanging out with me today. I love connecting with you and we'll talk soon.

Thank you. Beverly.

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To a wait list of clients ready for your services. Thank you so much for listening and we'll see you on the next episode.