The jingle of a belly dancing skirt, pounding base from an array of Latin, hip hop, and dance/electronica music fill the studio, laughter from multiple women and a few gay men, you have just joined a Zumba class. This upbeat dance inspired aerobics class has swept the entire world. You can party your way into great shape. Watch out! It's an addictive, easy to follow, calorie burning "fitness party" offered in over 110,000 locations across more that 150 countries. 
One fortuitous day in the mid-90's the creator, Alberto "Beto" Perez, accidentally forgot his music one day for an aerobics class and had to use his own collection of salsa and merengue tapes. The class loved his moves. In 2001, Beto brought his dance moves to Miami, Florida and began Zumba Fitness: The Company where he has been training and licensing Zumba instructors ever since. Seven types of classes are offered worldwide to meet the needs of different age groups, body types, and workout regimens. My first experience and ultimate addiction to Zumba began in Shanghai. One of the teachers at Shanghai Community International School where I was working, organized a class for us on Monday and Wednesday afternoons after school. This is where I first fell in love with my instructor. James was an adorable Chinese guy who just radiated energy. No matter how tired I was or how awful my day had been, I looked forward to Zumba. He made everyone feel good about themselves and their ability to pull off some of the difficult dance combinations.
James flitted around the room, getting freaky with the walls, and always telling us to be sexy. He sang along with all the songs and wore fluorescent clothing accented with one glove or one sock pulled up. No way could anyone ever be bored. For a promotional video, we even did Zumba on the Bund! People were walking by taking photos and joining in. On older gentleman practiced tai chi while balancing a fishbowl and several other items atop his head while we boogied in the background.
We had other teachers but no one could inspire me like James. He was just so much fun! When I found out I was moving to Kenya I immediately went to Zumba.com to see which classes were available. Of course there were tons but I would have to wait until I got there to know where the locations were and if I would like the instructor.
Upon arriving in Kenya, I was so busy getting settled in that I didn't start Zumba for several weeks. Then while wandering through a mall I saw a poster advertising Zumba classes with Magic Mike. (My jaw hit the floor. Yes, Magic Mike, like the movie with Channing Tatum.) Except this Magic Mike is black and not quite as sexy but still has a great body and tons of energy. I was hooked after one class. Now I go two to three times per week. Another great thing is that it only costs 500 ksh which is the equivalent to $6 compared to Shanghai where I was paying 100 yuan which is $15 per class. One not so great thing about the classes in Kenya is the lack of air conditioning and use of deodorant. The most recent class I attended smelled so badly of BO, I thought I might pass out. Every time this lady lifted her arms in front of me, I stumbled and had to stop breathing until the tidal wave of stench had passed. This of course is a small price to pay for the best, most exhilarating workout I have ever done. I highly recommend Zumba to anyone anywhere. Maybe some day I can be an instructor. Until then....
Z-U-M-B-A What's that spell. ZUMBA!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Shanghai and Nairobi
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