Zumba Dance

The reason many people are jumping on the Zumba bandwagon is because the classes are a lot of fun, and a person can burn between 500 and 800 calories during an hour long class. The thing that gets the body moving in a class is the Zumba music. A Zumba class is a combination of Latin American moves, hip-hop, belly dancing and any other dance style. The Zumba music has to be exciting and encourage movement in order to get the entire body working in an aerobic workout so it can burn fat and build muscle.



History of Zumba



A celebrity fitness instructor in Columbia named Alberto "Beto" Perez started to use Latin American music in his low-impact aerobics class in 1990 after he forgot the regular music tapes he used. So many people liked the music that the instructor started to incorporate meringue and salsa moves into the class. His motto was Ditch the Workout, Join the Party. There are even workouts called Zumba Gold for older people that incorporate old-school music. Zumba classes are designed for every age group and for men and women.



Zumba hit the United States in 1999, and went nationwide immediately through strict instructor training and video sales. A Zumba instructor has to be certified in teaching Zumba methods before the class can be called Zumba. Otherwise the classes are called Latin Fusion.



Zumba Music



Anyone that has ever taken a Zumba class knows that the Zumba music is integral to the experience. No matter how energetic and exciting the dance moves are, unless the Zumba music is pumping it is hard to really get into the workout. Classes are hip shaking, hand slapping, shoulders rocking and feet stomping. The music has to encourage this non-stop, continuous movement and accentuate the dance moves.



There are no set steps and rules for a Zumba class. The instructors are free to bring their individuality and ingenuity to the dance moves. Therefore, Zumba music incorporates Latin, rhythm, blues, and even country music. Some Zumba classes will incorporate belly dance type moves so music from India is often used. The only requirement for Zumba music is that it has a strong bass rhythm and a fast, pulsating beat.



Programming the Zumba Music



Like any exercise class, the musical composition of a Zumba class should start with a couple of song to warm up the class, enough songs for the workout depending on the length of the session, and one or two cool-down songs. Most of the music should have a Latin rhythm, but there is a wide range of good Latin music that samples from other styles such as hip-hop.



Depending on the audience, the Zumba music can include the oldies as well as Brittney Spears. The key to Zumba music is to put together a group of Latin and popular songs with a similar beat. This enables class participants to dance continuously for two or three songs without having to take a break.



Pump up the music and make Zumba fun.