What is ZUMBA?
“Zumba is a dance party where everyone is a SUPER STAR!
Zumba© was founded by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez during the 1990s. It is a cardiovascular dance workout that celebrates music and dances from around the world. Zumba classes are held in more than 180 countries.
The goal in Zumba is to move your body and enjoy the process. It is a cardiovascular dance workout that mixes low-intensity and high-intensity moves. It is an interval style cardiovascular workout with both aerobic and anaerobic components that strengthens muscles throughout your body. But once the music starts, you may have so much fun that you forget you came for a workout.
Zumba is a dance party. In some workout classes, you may hear an instructor yell to be on the right foot or left foot. At a dance party, nobody cares what foot you are on! In Zumba, there are no correct or incorrect moves. You’ll never be expected to memorize a sequence or perform it. In adult Zumba classes, there are few verbal instructions given. The instructor will communicate through hand signals and by demoing all of the moves. That is intentional, because it doesn’t really matter if you do the step “correctly”. Rather than worrying if you do the next step correctly, you are free to allow yourself to get lost in the music and do your thing. Just keep moving. Everyone has unlimited solos.
The only “wrong” moves are the ones that don’t feel good in your body. If you encounter actions that bring you pain or aggravate injuries, feel free to skip them or make your own distinct moves that make the class yours. Zumba is mostly low-impact. Occasionally, I’ll offer hopping or jumping progressions for those who want the benefits from plyometrics, such as building bone-density or increased heart rate. However, this is always your class, if those are not helpful, feel free to stay with the low-impact versions.
It never matter if your dance moves look like mine or another person on the screen. My expression certainly doesn’t always look like the people I learned them from:-). If you feel confused on a move, try focusing on just the feet before you worry about adding the arms. And if you’re still confused, no worries, there will be another move around in a few seconds. Just keep moving. Feel free to keep your camera off if it makes you feel more free to dance. OR keep it on to join the dance party of imperfect people who are just trying to enjoy a workout and life. Not much space is needed! If you can find a 2 feet by 3 feet space to safely move your feet, you’ll be fine!
Find the dance moves that make you feel like your body and spirit is alive. And don’t worry about staying on beat.. you are always free to dance to your own rhythm… the one that makes your heart sing.
I’ll see you at the Zumba party!
Want to read more about how I found freedom through Zumba. Click here
