Who doesn't want to burn off all that extra fat weighing on the body? Who doesn't want to tone up those muscles and sculpt the body? Who doesn't want to beat the daily routine that is driving us all crazy? Who doesn't want to have fun? In just three years, zumba has become the world's most popular fitness class. Its fans are growing worldwide, and if they are to be believed zumba can help you do all these things. Fitness classes can be boring, but thanks to Beto Perez, a zumba teacher, these classes have been turned upside down. Perez, a Colombian-American dancer and choreographer, has revolutionised the regular cardio workout by introducing what has been called a dance workout craze. Perez lost the tape he usually used for his classes a decade or so ago, and instead of working out with no cassette he used a tape from his car that he used to listen to while driving. The tape was a collection of different songs, and it turned out to be the most euphoric, ecstatic class he and his trainees had ever had. That was how Perez started zumba and started to incorporate ever more dance styles. Zumba is a mixture of salsa, samba, tango, belly dancing, Bollywood dancing, Flamenco, soca (an African dance) and many more. It is a fitness workout in which dancing is the major theme. “No equipment is required, as only body movements are used. However, if steps are used, the workout is called ‘zumba steps' and if dumbbells are used it becomes ‘zumba toning,'” Era Moshkina, a Ukrainian certified zumba instructor told Al-Ahram Weekly. Moshkina, who has the AFA (American Fitness Association) Gold's Gym Academy Award, has been an instructor in zumba for almost three years. “Zumba is an evolution of the workout, and it is growing rapidly all around the world. Zumba is for all ages and for everybody. There is zumba for kids, and I have almost 30 children in my class who are very disciplined and marvelously fit. There is also zumba gold, and I have more than 20 ladies who are 50, 60, even 70 years of age in one of my classes,” he says. “These ladies won't miss a zumba class. They didn't imagine they could do it: to move like this, to dance like this, to have fun like this. They give me a feeling of happiness whenever I see them dancing behind me,” Moshkina said. “I know that some instructors do lots of movements in one class. However, my real challenge is to make the steps easy to follow. I don't need too many dance steps, and the trainees could get lost between this step and the next one. If they just follow me and learn the moves step by step, the class will play on its own. I can then watch them doing the right steps all by themselves,” he added. Zumba is not only for the ladies either. “Here in Egypt, there is a misconception that zumba is only for ladies. But zumba is for both sexes. I think it is because of the mentality here that we don't have zumba for men in Alexandria, although there are men who practise zumba in Cairo. Zumba for men exists worldwide, and they like it even more than the ladies,” Moshkina said. “What is amazing about zumba is its power to rid the body of negative energy as it cleanses the system. It relieves stress and replaces it with fun and positive energy. Energy has power, and happiness is contagious. That's why zumba is so contagious,” Shaimaa Etman, a fitness instructor at the Alexandria Sporting Club, told the Weekly. “Zumba makes me fly. You might be astonished to hear me say so, but zumba makes me feel as if I am flying. After a zumba class, you feel there is nothing in life that deserves a moment of depression. No day should be allowed to go by without a session of zumba,” said Dalia Saad, a regular trainee at Moshkina's zumba classes. Although only the Sporting Club, Gold Gym, Fit Plus and Tamareen Centre currently offer zumba classes in Alexandria, the whole city seems to have caught the craze. The zumba classes were recently crowned by a zumba fitness party, the first of its kind in Alexandria. Rania Hamdi, who attended the event along with her daughter, said that “my daughter Farah always attends zumba classes for kids and she encouraged me to join her. Why didn't I know about this amazing class before? Although the party lasted for four hours and we almost dropped dead out of fatigue, I have rarely been so happy before. It was my first time to attend, and I loved it. I loved the way it made us feel about ourselves. We feel our bodies love us when zumba is there,” she said. Maha Ramadan, a member of the Fit Plus group, said that “I found out about zumba through my friend Asmaa who encouraged me and who always attends zumba classes. I have now been going for three months, and I wouldn't miss any of the classes. I enjoy every single minute. I think a lot depends on the coach, though. If the instructor is good, he or she makes every class feel like a party and always brings contagious energy to the floor. We are all left with big smiles on our faces.” Asmaa Samir, an accountant, said that she can never return home after a strenuous day in the office without attending a zumba class at Fit Plus. “I have been attending zumba classes for about a year,” she said. “Before that, I used to do aerobics classes and go to the gym once in a while. However after being introduced to zumba whenever I miss a class I feel my whole week is ruined. I love how zumba shapes the body. We are all of different sizes in the class, from extra-large to extra-small, but zumba is not really about size. It's about energy and the positive energy it gives us. It simply makes us happy,” she said. Mona Zaki, 46, said that “what makes me attend zumba class is the dancing. I love the way zumba makes my body move. It seems miraculous to find out what your body can do at a certain age. We often underestimate our own fitness. Zumba doesn't make you feel as if you are in training. Since we don't use any equipment, we don't feel we are burning up calories though we are burning a lot.” The basic tempos of zumba are based on merengue, regaatone and salsa, but one could imagine other tempos being used. Moshkina puts it by saying that “zumba cannot be boring. Each song, each different melody, is joined by a wide array of versatile dance styles such as salsa, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, soca, samba, hip hop, axé and tango. I also add oriental dance because the ladies in Egypt are pretty professional in such a breathtaking style of dance.” For those who ask about burning calories, he says that a regular zumba fitness class can help burn from 800 to 1,000 kcal. “In zumba toning, one can burn up to 800 kcal and help with toning the muscles as well. But most workouts burn calories; what zumba can help you do is to feel happy,” he adds. Zumba can help create communities that enjoy improved mental and physical health. It can alter lifestyles that have been resistant to change. Zumba can change lives without prior notice or notification. Just dance: ditch your workout and don't forget that big smile.
