Zumba: Salsa, Tango, Merengue ... Shake It All To A Latin Beat

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Crank up the salsa music and get moving to the Latin beat.
If you are not a dancer, it’s OK – just start moving your body, add some exercise steps and join the Zumba party.
Zumba fitness, which began in Colombia, South America, using music from Latin America, has danced its way north to the United States and into fitness centers in the Tri-Cities area.
It is an exercise routine that keeps participants moving from the moment things get started until the cool down at the end of class.
Laughter radiating from a Zumba class held recently at the Health Resource Center Annex in the Johnson City mall indicated that a good time was going on.
Women in various age groups and of all fitness levels enjoyed the camaraderie and forgot about being self-conscious.
“It’s fun to do, and nobody is perfect. The laughter is part of it,” said participant Lori Hamilton of Johnson City.
“Zumba is an exercise to keep you fit and having fun,” added Darlene Hatley, RN, a fitness instructor with the Health Resource Center who led the class that day.
Hatley gave participants some pointers on how to get the most from their Zumba experience.
“You want to wear something so you can see your hips moving,” she said, while wearing around her waist a scarf embellished with small metal coins that moved in rhythm to the music.
Beth Fennell, a Johnson City resident who is originally from the Caribbean island of Montserrat, found the music used in the class to be similar to the rhythms from her home country.
“There are lots of movements that are familiar to me,” she said. “It was awesome. I didn’t know I had parts that could move like that!”
Zumba participants agreed that Hatley did a good job showing them how to do the dance moves.
The class danced at moderate pace with Hatley demonstrating the steps first, and then allowing the others to follow along and get used to it before launching into the dance routine.
“I like how she breaks it down and does the movements slowly,” Fennell said. “I could go home now and practice.”
“I thoroughly enjoyed our instructor. She was very knowledgeable and knew how to move,” said Shelia McKinney of Johnson City.
Hatley explained that the Zumba craze began with fitness instructor Alberto “Beto” Perez. He was able to take his ideas on how to make fitness fun and put them into dance routines using tango, salsa, merengue and other music from Latin American countries.
Zumba was born the day Beto forgot to bring his music to a fitness class and had to use some tapes from his car, according to his Web site, zumba.com. The traditional Latin salsa and merengue music was a hit with his class.

ETSU ZUMBA
At East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Zumba is going strong at the Center for Physical Activity. Sheridan Nichols Crockett’s class is made up of students and ETSU staff who want to dance their way into better health.
ETSU student Alisha Whitt said that she has to move when she hears the rhythmic music. She said she first heard about it when co-workers brought the music to their office and introduced her to Zumba.
“You can’t help but shake your butt. It’s mental stimulation, not just physical,” Whitt said following her first official Zumba workout.
She realized the benefits of doing Zumba could be far-reaching in terms of physical and mental health.
Caitlyn McGowen, also an ETSU student, said she “got talked into participating in a Zumba class.”
She soon discovered that this new form of exercise was better than traditional exercises she was doing.
“It’s more fun than counting reps or doing jumping jacks,” she said.
McGowen said she also found out that dancing in a room with other people is nothing to be afraid of. “It can be intimidating since it is fast-paced. After one or two classes, that totally goes away.”
Student Heather Cook also had a good time in class and wants to use the moves she learned out on the dance floor. “I couldn’t stop smiling. I feel like I could use these when I’m out on the town.”
Crockett became a certified Zumba instructor in 2007 and also teaches classes at the Wellness Center in Johnson City. She said she likes Zumba because it keeps her classes moving the entire time and the routines are easy to learn.
“It is fast-paced. That’s why I like it,” she said. “It’s all muscle memory. You don’t have to be coordinated. The more you do it, the easier it is. You just come to class and have a good time.”
Crockett said she receives regular updated material from Beto’s organization, including new music.
“You can create routines for yourself,” she said. “The organization wants you to use 70 percent Latin music.”
She said her classes are always full of people eager to Zumba.
“I never have less than 25 to 30 people,” Crockett said. “They build confidence and say ‘Wow, I can do this.’ ”
That kind of excitement will most likely keep Zumba in fitness centers from some time to come. Crockett agreed that it’s an exercise you do not get tired of doing.
“I’ve been doing it two years, and I’m not sick of it yet,” she said. “It’s a very freeing experience.”

IN ABINGDON
Zumba fever has also spread into Southwest Virginia, according to Carla Griffith, a certified Zumba instructor at the Coomes Recreation Center in Abingdon. She said there are many more classes offered in the area now than when she began teaching Zumba a year ago.
“There are 25-35 people in our evening class,” she said.
It’s not only the younger female population that fills up Griffith’s classes.
“One lady is 68 years old,” she said. “We’ve have several older ladies. They were a hoot to have in the class. We have had actresses from Barter – a wide range of people including men.”
She is planning to add more classes in September at the Coomes Center as the fall exercise schedules get heavier.
Griffith said she designs her classes to appeal to a variety of people. “It’s designed to be fun and easy for everyone. It’s kind of like a street dance. It’s for people who want to dance and have fun.”
In addition to Latin music, she also incorporates hip-hop and some of Michael Jackson’s music.
“No Zumba class is going to be the same. Different instructors use different moves,” she said.

IN BRISTOL
Felicia Ruiz, Zumba instructor at the Bristol, Tenn., Family YMCA says their classes have been full since first offered in February this year.
“We have had a great response,” she said.
The large classes consisting of 50-70 people each have continued to be popular this summer when class attendance normally slows down.
“This summer, we still have 30-40 people in class,” she said.
There are four other instructors to help keep the daily classes going.
Ruiz and the YMCA team received their certification in Zumba during a one-day training seminar in Charlotte, N.C., before offering their classes. She said they also studied a Zumba training manual to complete the course. Other instructors who went from the YMCA included Heather Floyd, Blakelee Peters, Jessica Bland and Lark Adams.
Ruiz also pointed out that there were a few men also training to be instructors. “Out of 200 people there, five were men.”
Although a man started the Zumba craze, the classes have mostly been attended by women in the local Tri Cities and Southwest Virginia area.
Ruiz said she has even seen a few men come to her classes. “Some wives bring their husbands. They were surprised that it was such a good workout.”
The classes at the YMCA, as with the other fitness centers, are designed to appeal to a wide audience. She encouraged people to check out the class offerings there to see which class is best.
“Try different classes and see which instructor fits you best,” she said. “I’m high-energy and bounce around and keep people pumped.”

ABOUT ZUMBA
Zumba.com says the exercise routine “fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy to follow moves to create a dynamic fitness program that will blow you away.”
Visiting the site is like walking into a party in progress with photos of dancers flashing around the screen and Latin music playing. The site is a walk on the festive Latin side to everything Zumba-oriented, including the history of Zumba, instructor training, Zumba Club Med, Zumbawear and fitness DVDs.
In 1999, according to the site, Beto brought Zumba to the U.S. after it became successful in Colombia. He was reportedly approached by two entrepreneurs, Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, who wanted to help him take the fitness routine around the world. In 2002, an infomercial company launched the concept on television.
Since then, Beto and company have expanded Zumba into a fitness campaign for the larger Hispanic market around the world by partnering with Kellogg’s.
Hamilton, who participated in the Health Resources Zumba class, is also a registered nurse. As a health care professional, she advised anyone who has a medical condition to contact their physician before doing the exercise since some of the moves can involve twisting the torso.
“If you have a back problem, be careful.” She added that anyone who is diabetic should bring snacks to class.
Web sites like www.webmd.com can also provide a source of information. While the information on most sites can be trusted, it is always good to follow up with a physician or nurse in the community.
For more information on Zumba fitness, visit www.zumba.com. Other Web sites that provide fitness information include www.fitness.begin.com, www.fitnessonline.com or www.health-fitness-tips.com.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: ZUMBA CLASSES
The best resource for finding a Zumba class in your neighborhood is to visit www.zumba.com, click on “Find A Class” and then enter your zip code.
Some class locations and instructors are:
-- Johnson City: Health Resources Center in The Mall at Johnson City, Annex Classroom, (423) 952-3700, Darlene Hatley; Baslar Center for Physicial Activity, ETSU, and The Wellness Center, (423) 431-6668, Sheridan Crockett.
-- Bristol, Tenn.: Bristol Family YMCA, Martin Luther King Boulevard, and YMCA Wellness Center, West State Street, by Felicia Ruiz, (423) 227-6485.;
-- Bristol, Va: Xtreme Dance, Exit 10 off I-81 on Lee Highway, Margie Munsey, (276) 623-1318.
-- Abingdon, Va: Nautilus Body Works and Fitness Center, Highlands Shopping Center, Margie Munsey; Coomes Center, Stanley Street, by Carla Griffith, (276) 623-1473, and Amanda Godfrey, (276) 698-5156.
-- Chilhowie, Va.: Old Chilhowie High School, Margie Munsey.