When Afro-Fit queen Gbemi Giwa – also known as Dubai Fit Foodie – partnered up with DCA girl Ewa Golan for a 30-day dance-fit challenge during Ramadan, women all over the UAE were able to get a taste of a fitness treat that was infused with a strong body positive message.
From Latin to African, the all-female classes offer myriad dance styles to keep things fresh and allow girls to experiment with different types of movements.
The Afro-Fit classes are led by Gbemi, whereas Ewa’s classes are themed after a mainstream pop artist such as Beyonce or Britney Spears, where she teaches the choreography to one of their songs.
Gbemi’s powerful, infectious energy and Ewa’s subtle sensual grace adds a nice contrast to the hour-long class, which focuses on mastering techniques and nailing the choreography that gets you burning calories and eliminates the drudgery associated with a regular exercise routine.
“Afro-Fit, as the name suggests, is a fitness routine inspired by African dance and is an extreme form of cardio. It involves high-energy movements that focus on lean muscle development, flexibility and coordination,” Gbemi explained.
“My classes are very special because it’s a space I have created to just leave everything at the door and move without judgment. The whole point of Afro-Fit is to get comfortable with your body and just get it to move. It engages all your muscles, so you leave class feeling sore but completely recharged and renewed,” she further added.
While Gbemi is all about free movement, Ewa’s classes are all about getting in touch with your feminine side and swaying to the beats of songs that gives you the extra boost of confidence.
“My classes are super fun and a safe space where you can be yourself and explore your body through movements. It’s all about feeling good and free by literally shaking off all the stress. I out a lot of thought in selecting the songs and I make sure that the songs carry an empowering message for the girls. I really believe that the songs we listen to have an impact on how we think and therefore, I want my classes to help make the women feel beautiful and inspired in class.”
The Ramadan dance fit challenge was supposed to be a one-off event, but after the response it garnered and its massive popularity, the dancing divas decided to extend their partnership and create more monthly dance-fitness programs.
“I found Gbemi through Instagram, I saw one of her dancing videos and instantly I knew I wanted to partner up with her. We met and instantly clicked, and did our 30-day dance-fit challenge, which was a major hit amongst women and from there on, we decided to launch monthly dance programmes,” said Ewa.
“We want to build a community of women through dancing, and help women lead a healthier life by helping them reach their fitness goals and provide an outlet for them to dance and relieve stress,” Ewa added.
The main ethos behind Ewa and Gbemi’s dance-fit programmes is to accept our bodies for what they are and aim to be healthy by dancing,
While fitness and health may often be used as a ploy to glorify and glamourise a certain body type, Gbemi and Ewa’s class comes as a breath of fresh air which encourages women to not just be more accepting of other body types, but first and foremost appreciate their own as well.
Gbemi and Ewa manage a thriving Facebook community that you can request to join by following this link here, or you can email Ewa on [email protected] to sign up for future programs.
To stay up to date with all of Ewa and Gbemi’s latest activities, you can follow them on @GbemiGiwa and @Ewadcagirl.
