Pattie Wells' Dancetime Center is now combining dance with fitness through our new Zumba program. Check out the classes with our licensed Zumba instructors MaryBeth Hughes and Fabiola Gomes.
The word 'zumba' has several different meaning in Spanish (Colombian) including: to buzz, whizzing, teasing, something beating. However, when capitalized it refers to the most popular fitness dance craze in the new millennium, Zumba Fitness.
Zumba has been described as a dance fitness to South American music with beats averaging around 145
BPM's (beats per minute) including a large variety of Latin style music like salsa, merengue, samba, cha
cha, flamenco, axe, tango, rumba and cumbia but also belly dance, reggaeton, Calypso and hip hop.
Generally, a few easy step patterns or movements are taught and done repetitively to a variety of music genres but generally upbeat, rhythmic styles predominantly Latin music. Zumba is preferred by many over the aerobic dance classes of the eighties and nineties due to its low impact movements. It offers a fun fitness and dance program for people of all ages and fitness levels.
There are many benefits in taking Zumba Fitness courses including more fun, fitness and friends. There are a considerable number of online health websites where exercise physiologists state the specific health and fitness benefits including:
Also, Zumba Fitness teaches movements that partner dancers can add to their Latin dances including salsa, mambo, cha cha, samba, swing and several other dance genres. The improvement in fitness will also be useful for your dancing like the core strengthening, increased flexibility and improved stamina.
***Cross training sneakers*** are encouraged since the movements that turn, twist and pivot are often taught in Zumba dance classes.
Saturdays, 12 PM with MaryBeth Hughes, 4-week class/one hour session, $36
See all of the dance classes here [Complete Dance Class Schedule].
Zumba was developed in 1999 by Albert "Beto" Perez, originally from Bogota, Colombia. Beto was an aerobics teacher who taught an aerobics class using Latin music including salsa, merengue and Latin dance moves. Eventually, he moved to Miami, Florida and worked with a friend, Albert Perlman. They worked together spreading the Zumba Fitness concept in Florida and finally beyond. Albert Aghion, an entrepreneur, encouraged the other two Alberts to market the Zumba Fitness concept with DVD's and infomercials in 2002. In 2005, the three Alberts created an educational division and wrote training manuals in order start a teacher training program to license Zumba fitness instructors.
The numbers vary but there are millions of Zumba enthusiasts, tens of thousands of Zumba teachers and anywhere between 50 to 150 countries that have Zumba dance classes currently. The Zumba Fitness organization currently offers music CD's, choreography, a clothing line and programs like Zumba Gold for seniors and Zumba Atomic for kids 5-12 years old.
The Pattie Wells' Dancetime Center is excited to offer our Zumba Fitness Dance Program with two licensed Zumba San Diego instructors: MaryBeth Hughes and Fabiola Gomes. Check out more about Dancetime's Zumba Fitness program including info on our courses, information about our instructors and videos of Zumba dance classes at Zumba Fitness Blog Post.
Zumba Fitness