By CAROLINE DOHACK
Latin music pulses through the Woodcrest Chapel gym. Dancers dot the floor, hands clapping, hips swiveling, shoulders rolling. The beat changes to a staccato breakdown. “Bang on drums!” shouts instructor Patti Leddy, 52. The dancers move their hands as if striking bongos, open palms pumping the air from side to side.
This is Zumba (say it ZOOM-ba). It originated in the early 1990s in a Colombian aerobics studio, where fitness instructor and choreographer Albeto “Beto” Perez forgot tapes for his class. With no time to retrieve them, Perez grabbed some Latin-music tapes from his car and led his class through an improvised session using Latin dance steps. Today, there are more than 2,000 certified Zumba instructors worldwide.
Zumba is a form of interval training. Through varied rhythms and dance styles, participants increase and decrease the intensity of their workout, which might help burn more calories. Instructors plan choreography to make sure each workout incorporates the entire body. “Are we adding some squats during the cha-cha? Are students working their biceps while their feet are doing the mergengue?” Leddy said.
At Leddy’s class, there are dancers at all fitness levels. Some come to socialize. Some come to sweat. They all come to have fun.
Susannah Welch, 31, has always had an interest in dance, whether it’s been modern dance or belly dancing. Latin dancing is new for her, and learning new steps provides a challenge during the hourlong session.
“I like that it’s a workout, but you’re really having fun,” she said.
Peggy Cobb, 49, looks forward to Zumba. “It’s the fastest hour of the week,” she said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s a stress-buster.”
Cobb feels safe in the Zumba environment. The moves can be as low- impact as she needs, but she can step it up as she becomes more fit. And, she said, she’s discovered a new appreciation for Latin music. “It’s very difficult to listen to that music and not move,” she said.
Although some dance classes are strict about technique, Leddy does not push her students beyond their limits, and she does not stress out over proper foot placement. The idea is to get moving. Zumba is a dance party; it isn’t “Dancing With the Stars.”
“It’s more freestyle,” said Eileen Swanson, 48. Swanson got started with Zumba because she was looking for a new fitness regimen. “It’s just a matter of moving and trying.”
And the efforts pay off. Swanson says she feels more energetic than she did before.
“I taught you how to shake!” Leddy said.
“I still can’t shimmy,” Swanson said.
But even if she can’t shimmy, Swanson says she is improving. “It doesn’t really matter because it’s just a matter of moving at your own speed.”
And that’s OK. The point of Zumba isn’t precision.
“It’s just Zumba,” Leddy said. “It just is what it is.”
Reach Caroline Dohack at (573) 815-1727 or ‘>[email protected].
Originally published by CAROLINE DOHACK of the Tribune’s staff.
(c) 2008 Columbia Daily Tribune. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.
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