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Saturday, June 18, 2005

Innovator steps up
Hiba Shublak, honored by O.C. Department of
Education for her work using dance to improve
students' fitness, adapts hip-hop style.

By BRIAN MARTINEZ
The Orange County Register

Hiba Shublak never found the courage to try out for
cheerleading or dance when she was in high school.
She felt insecure about her abilities, and she was
afraid people would laugh at her.

Now, at 30, Shublak uses hip-hop dance to get even
shy and nonathletic students motivated to exercise.

As a nutrition and fitness consultant for 11 Orange
County public school districts, Shublak is on the ground
floor in the fight to keep youth fit. As part of her
business, Active Learning, she trains teachers to
incorporate physical activities into their academic
lessons and teach nutrition with tools such as giant
walk-in food pyramids.

The effectiveness of her approaches recently earned
Shublak the first "Innovator of the Year" award from the
Orange County Department of Education and the local
chapter of the California Association for Health,
Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

Hip-hop dance is Shublak's approach to getting
students moving and excited about exercise because
they really like it.

"It makes you feel energetic, and it's cool," said Jordan
Thueson, 9, of Centralia Elementary in Anaheim. "I
have a lot fun, and I don't care what people think."

Helping students to loosen up and not care what other
people say when they start dancing is usually Shublak's
first challenge. But students really don't have much to
worry about, she explained.

"I teach dance so that anyone can do it," Shublak said.
"If they can't get a certain step, I change it. My mission
is to help them find success because it gives them
confidence."

Rachel St. Marseille of Pacifica High appreciates that.

"I'm not the best dancer, but I definitely put my whole
heart into every move," she said. "Hiba teaches the
moves basic enough so you can put your own
personality into it."

Marseille is in one of Pacifica's dance classes, which
counts for PE credit. The teacher of the class, Fairlene
Reid, usually focuses on such styles as tap, jazz and
ballet. She met Shublak while exercising at the gym
and asked her to guest-teach.

"She's young and fresh and she has all the new - and
appropriate - hip-hop moves," Reid said.

Unlike in most hip-hop music videos and concerts,
there are no sexual overtones to Hiba's moves.

Shublak uses hip-hop because of the music's
popularity.

"I like the freestyle, free-spirited feeling," said Loreani
Guadalupe, 15, of Pacifica High. "You can really get
into it."

Students often get to choose their own songs from
selections that Shublak judges "appropriate," meaning radio versions of which parents would approve.

Choices include Missy Elliot's "Lose Control" and Ciara's "1, 2 Step," and Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors."

Using hip-hop helps Shublak connect with students.

"They can come out with horrible attitudes," she said. "But as soon as they hear the music, they totally get into it."

Register intern My-Thuan Tran contributed to this story.
CONTACT US: (714) 445-6689 or bmartinez@ocregister.com

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