SULT.
The story in
accordance to Rebekah….
SULT has been a life time in the making for me.
After a decade of training, I was awarded a full scholarship at a prestigious Sydney classical academy, yet despite reaching all my ‘goals’, I had very low self-esteem and had isolated myself from my friends and family.
Completely focused on my career I had lost my sense of self and no longer found joy in my art.
Ballet was my whole identity, I had no idea who I was beyond the stage. I no longer had a voice in my life’s narrative, and in reaching an emotional rock bottom, I walked away from the prestigious school, and for a little while, from dance all together.
In these dark times I began to vision an alternative to my current misery. For me it was a paradise of music, community, rich fertile soil; a place of reconnection to land and self.
As it goes, life took many twists and turns, and ultimately is was the 2019 COVID lockdowns, when time somewhat stood still, that I was provided a unique space for profound transformation in my dance practice to take place. It was in these lockdowns that I redefined my connection to dance, seeing it as a pathway to healing both the collective consciousness and myself.
It is possible for all of us, to deepen our connection to self, and to our community through the modality of movement. From stretching to strip tease, there are stories to be told, narratives to be heard and sometimes powerfully rewritten. The body, and our consciousness are always communicating to us and through us, we must learn to listen and be open up to the transformation waiting to take place.
That said, classes at SULT do not take themselves too seriously. They are fun, light-hearted, and grounded. We invite you to get into your body and discover your strength, both physically and mentally. SULT is Gaelic for Joy and that is what it is all about. To cultivate Joy is to cultivate energy, I want my students to live a life full and abundant in energy. The kind of energy that makes on lookers smile, the ,kind of energy that draws you to live to your fullest.
With our team of qualified and passionate teachers, you will learn technique but always be left the space for individuality. You will build upon your kinaesthetic awareness, unearth your unique rhythm, build strength, flexibility, confidence and, perhaps above all a community.
SULT movement is all about discovering what bring you joy and trust the beauty of our own unique flair. All our stories continue to evolve, and we must have the ‘flexibility’ and trust to flow with our life’s current.
The story in
accordance to Franki….
I studied fine arts, sculpture, product design, and teaching, not to mention coffee and a slew of other interests... I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy learning. Parallel to this is the world of soccer (or football), to which I owe a great deal. I have represented my country and played with and against many great players.
Similar to Rebekah's story, I left soccer abruptly, prematurely, unceremoniously, and seemingly for good and after many years out of the game, I wanted to return to it. However, I was hit with injury after injury. I had seen many physiotherapists, osteopaths, and mostly they worked- short term. However, I wanted to take control of my body, and not fall prey to a recurring injury. I wanted to regain some of the fluidity, strength, and dynamism I took for granted in my earlier years. I was not going to let my Achilles heel be my Achilles heel, and more poignantly, my excuse.
Cue Rebekah. My love, my partner (in all senses of the word), and my muse. Even though we lived and worked together since we first met in 2012, the topic of regenerative exercise and body conditioning did not enter our conversation until the COVID era. My ankle was my weak spot and her strong point, so a natural explorative process began. Fast forward to 2024, my ankle does not click, swell, roll, nor strain. It is still not better than my right ankle, however, the transformation has been amazing. One of the key contributors to this was doing ballet, yes ballet! Rebekah taught me how to engage my arch, plant and engage my toes, lock my foot into certain positions and discovered a turnout in my knee that was contributing to the whole problem. Rebekah's understanding of the body is impressive; she would jokingly say that movement is her first language, and I believe it really is.
As we have done (as a duo) in so many of our ventures, we have dived head first into this project, trying to formulate what we see as the best remedy to our sedentary, modernist lives of increasing depressiveness. Movement was and still is the answer, but how to move? So many different types of movement, and the explorative self-regulative nature of movement paved a much wider path than we intended. We felt not only that we found an answer, but we have the tools to help others unlock their potential as well. Our goal thus became to facilitate the space for people to reconnect with themselves and rediscover or discover themselves, henceforth why we offer classes such as burlesque cabaret, flow movement, and the artist. These are not disparate classes, however parts to a whole. A mixed modality offering that offers you the opportunity to surprise yourself and be an active agent in the story of your life.
It is an intoxicating, invigorating step into the realm of self-actualisation.
I am Franko Franki, I am an Artist, Co-founder and teacher at SULT, with my partner in life Rebekah. I am thrilled to share corporeal stories and journey with everyone through to the next chapters of SULT.
