What is Zumba?
Apparently almost 1 million Americans have taken Zumba classes.
Zumba (pronounced zoom-buh) was invented by dancer and choreographer Alberto ("Beto") Perez in Colombia during the 1990s and is a style of intense dance-aerobics workout set to pulsating Latin music.
Now taught in gyms and studios, Zumba has attracted millions of enthusiasts worldwide and continues to grow in popularity.
So what are people saying about Zumba addicts?
"It's a party," Doug Jones, 35-year-old driver from Dayton, Ohio said in trying to describe Zumba (pronounced ZOOM-buh), which is Colombian slang for "fast." "It emulates being in a nightclub without the drinking, the smoking, the bad pickup lines." (via the Associated Press)
To be honest just visiting the Zumba site had me grooving in my office chair.
The 60-minute program incorporates footwork and body movements from flamenco, salsa and other dances. Participants pump their legs, windmill their arms, gyrate their hips, clap their hands, dip, slide and spin -- all to a frenzied beat that leaves them with flushed cheeks and dripping in sweat.
Anything that gets you up and moving is a good thing. And from the looks of it, Zumba is a non-stop, fast-paced fitness adventure!
Becoming a Zumba instructor comes in various forms: basics classes, advanced classes, Zumba for muscle toning, "Aqua Zumba" for the pool, and "Zumbatonic," which is specifically for kids ages 4 to 12.
It may be intimating to get into a room with complete strangers and shake your groove thing, but Zumba still attracts people from all walks of life.
You can just get out there and move and be silly and not have to worry about it," said Rick Carpenter, 50, a television repairman from Brookville, who took up Zumba with his wife after seeing a poster for it. "It's a good stress reliever. You can be having the worst day ... and after you've done an hour of Zumba you just feel great.
Wow! I guess millions of people can't be wrong. Has anyone taken a Zumba class? Looks like a lot of fun!
Image credit: divavillage
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141 Comments
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Created / Updated: November 29, 2011
Oh my... I LOVE ZUMBA. I absolutely love the Advanced DVD from the newer edition of the set. I'll never get bored of it. I can't express how much fun I have whenever I do that DVD. I like the music in there too. It's a great workout if you love dancing. I also like that they don't teach you a choreographed routine... you just follow along to the movements.
I don't really do any of the other DVDs in the set. I also bought the older version of the set, and I don't like that one too much. Anyway, my love of Zumba Advanced recently inspired me to take salsa classes. It's my new passion in life!
Reply" I also like that they don't teach you a choreographed routine... you just follow along to the movements. "
Sounds like World Fusion Dance.We learn a vocabulary of moves then improvise together, responding to the music and each other. It makes for very dynamic dance. More here www.pedralta.com
ReplyThis is so commercial!!! These rythms have been there forever!! I wish I was the one who comercializated this in the USA.
ReplyThis is like Batuka - currently taking off in Spain and heading towards the UK. Check out the website http://www.batuka.com, it is fantastic. It combines latin, african and brazilian dancing but is taught aerobics style.
If you are thinking of trying zumba then I would recommend it as it sounds similar to my experience with batuka. Get grooving!
I love Extrapounds.com
ReplyI love batuka! its much better than zumba lol Do you know anything about it coming to the uk?
ReplyI've never taken it, but my husband and I are taking salsa classes. They're a little less fast-paced (at least for beginners) but still a ton of fun!
ReplyZumba sounds like lots of fun. I do Latin dancing and I love it. Vicki where do you buy the DVDs? I'd love to get one and give it a go.
ReplyI have no interest in this kind of thing. Most of the enjoyment I get from exercise comes from the progression, being able to measure my performance and break new records.
ReplyI was wondering by chance if you live in California, your responses sound very much like the son our our friend Bubba (RR)? Any chance?
ReplySometimes, though, it's nice to let go and just use your body for something other than competition. Dancing is like sex that way!
I haven't tried this, but I have tried NIA dance and it rocked.
ReplyAs a cardio hater, I have to admit I take classes like that once in a while, but I get bored too quickly to do anything that requires you to learn complicated moves. I use enough of my memory at work. I just got myself a big dog to see if dog walking cardio will get me out of the treadmill.
ReplyWell, I just went to the website and think it is awesome. I am a personal trainer but I want to be an Zumba instructor.
ReplyI just started Zumba 2 nights ago and I signed up for unlimited monthly visits! Tonight will be my third night and I absolutely love it!!! This not work it is so much fun I need to lose about 45lbs and I know I can keep doing this plus it makes you feel energized and sexy!!
ReplyI go to Zumba twice a week. I want to go every day!! Can't seem to find any other classes that work around my schedule. My classes are an hour each. Can I expect to see results??
ReplyZumba rocks! The Zumba classes at our fitness center are packed... men and women, young and "not so young"! To Ryan- measure performance? I'm currently wearing a pedometer for Walk With Spirit. A one hour Zumba class clocks in over 6000 steps! Far and above a typical step aerobics class! And Jan- complicated moves? Zumba is about energy and fun, not perfecting moves. Just groove; the roof is on FIRE!
ReplyBridget, I have 2 left feet. Anything a 5-year-old can do with ease is complicated for me, hahaha.
ReplyJan, I think I have 3 left feet, LOL. I was very hesitant about going to the zumba class for the first time. I am not coordinated at al!!! But several of my friends are doing it and love it,so decided to give it a try. I found it to be very fun and a great workout even though I occassionally stopped and shook my head and laughed at myself thinking about how silly I must look. Honestly no one cares...no one is paying attention to how you look while learning the steps/moves. My 10 yr old daughter did have this OMG I cant believe my mom is dancing look on her face..but other than that I LOVED it and cant wait to go back tonight.
ReplyI have been teaching Zumba for 3 years and it's changed my life! I lost 25 pounds in 2005 and have kept it off. A live class is the best thing, but the videos are great too. Go to www.zumba.com and find an instructor near you! Anyone can do it.
ReplyI am scheduled for a Zumba cert at the end of June. I'm a step/cardio instructor and a former college athlete, how hard is to go from group fitness/cardio to something so dance based. Any insight would be helpful!
ReplyZumba is the best fun I've had in an aerobics class. I'm an instructor and dancer in the UK and have just become one of the first very few qualified Zumba instructors in the UK. Definately check out a class. They are choreographed - as in they follow a verse chorus pattern but the steps don't change immediately like in a normal dance aerobic class so you have a chance to actually get into the grove and burn loads of calories rather than trying to play catch-up all the time with the instructor!! It's a blast and if you ever get a chance to be at a workshop or class with Beto (the creator of Zumba) you'll be on a high for days!!
Replywhere do you teach Zumba classes in the uk
ReplyI heard about Zumba one week, and got certified to be an instructor a week later! I was amazed at variety of people there to become certified! ANYBODY can do this! It is the MOST fun of any type of workout I have ever done, and I am a personal trainer and an athlete by trade. The best part, is that you can adjust the workout to your own level so easily. Honestly, it will be HUGE in another year or two, and I am so glad to be in the forefront to help bring it there!
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