Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s ‘Powwow Sweat’ exercise featured at event in Washington, D.C.

The Coeur d’Alene Tribe has invented an exercise dance called Powwow Sweat, and the tribe says it’s “sweeping the nation.”

At the very least, it attracted some celebrity participants in Washington, D.C., Tuesday.

Powwow Sweat is essentially a collection of traditional dances reimagined as gut-busting cardio routines. On Tuesday, a half-dozen Coeur d’Alene Tribe members demonstrated Powwow Sweat at the second annual White House Tribal Youth Gathering in Washington, D.C. Dancing alongside them were U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy.

Powwow Sweat is part of a federally funded initiative to promote diet and exercise on the Coeur d’Alene Reservation. Tribal leaders say it taps into Coeur d’Alene heritage in a way that Jane Fonda and Richard Simmons can’t.

Powwow Sweat is “pretty much exactly how you would dance at a powwow,” said Lovina Louie, who manages the tribe’s health and fitness programs.

Powwow Sweat videos are available online and on DVD. They’re led by Shedaezha Hodge and usually feature several other dancers. Lessons range from warmup calisthenics to rhythmic dance forms such as the grass dance, fancy dance and “crow hop.”

“A lot of people get intimidated to go to the gym,” Louie said, noting that Powwow Sweat can be done in a living room. “And for kids who want to learn how to dance, it’s a great tool.”

The tribe is working to reduce chronic diseases such as obesity with a $1.9 million grant from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to Powwow Sweat and other physical activities, tribal leaders are promoting a return to an indigenous diet of lean meats, berries and root vegetables.

“We’re trying to infuse eating healthy and exercising into our whole community,” Louie said.

Michelle Obama’s staff invited the Coeur d’Alene dancers to the White House. They performed Tuesday in full powwow regalia. Murthy, the surgeon general, stomped along in a double-breasted suit.

“He had some rhythm,” Louie said. “I was impressed.”