Heather Latter
“Zumba” might be the new age Jane Fonda-type dance workout but with its Latin rhythms and international flavour, it’s been gaining popularity here in Fort Frances of late.
And given there are now at least five certified “Zumba” instructors in town, many residents can take part in the Latin dance-inspired fitness program that incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, some belly dance moves, and more.
“I’ve always liked the dance part of exercising,” said Margitta McLeod, a certified “Zumba” instructor who teaches classes at the Memorial Sports Centre.
“I’m not really good or disciplined with going on a treadmill or lifting weights,” she noted.
“I’m really more motivated in a group setting.”
The Fort Frances resident was approached while participating in classes at a fitness centre in Toronto a few years ago, asking if she had every considered teaching.
“So they would ask me more and more to come on stage and join them,” McLeod recalled, noting she ultimately decided to go ahead and take the Fitness Instructor Specialist (FIS) course at Durham College, in addition to becoming certified as a “Zumba” instructor.
McLeod returned to Fort Frances and after talking with management at the Memorial Sports Centre, she began offering “Zumba” classes there in October, 2010.
“There were about 30 ladies that started without ever having heard of ‘Zumba,’” she noted.
“It grew from there. It really took off.”
Now McLeod’s classes have doubled in size with available spaces filling quickly.
Meanwhile, several other local fitness instructors, including Arlene Georgeson, Jackie Lampi-Hughes, Jodi Shoemaker, and Chantelle Spuzak, became certified to teach “Zumba” after undergoing training last fall.
“Zumba” classes are offered by Lampi-Hughes, Shoemaker, and Spuzak at Energy Fitness here, also by Spuzak at her Dancemakers School of Dance, and by Georgeson at Moss Yoga Studio on Scott Street.
“It seems to target the people who don’t really want to exercise, which sounds funny, but you don’t really realize you are exercising because it’s just a fun little dance,” explained Lampi-Hughes, noting five “Zumba” classes are offered at Energy Fitness each week.
She said it’s a good class for beginners because it gets them in the gym.
“It gets you moving and gets your heart rate up,” she reasoned.
“If that’s the kind of exercise that gets you motivated enough to get out there, to get moving and be happy, then that’s great,” echoed McLeod, stressing you don’t have to know how to dance to enjoy “Zumba.”
“Being able to keep a rhythm helps, but otherwise it’s pretty easy to get started with,” added McLeod, though saying there’s a bit of a learning curve and that it’s fair to give “Zumba” three tries before deciding if it’s for you or not.
Georgeson, who used to teach aerobics here, has enjoyed getting back into instructing with the “Zumba” program.
“The girls are happy. They leave with a sweat,” she remarked.
“And at the end of the class, they are almost not ready to go,” noted Georgeson, who will begin offering her second “Zumba” session later this month.
“It’s good motivation for me and something I enjoy doing,” she enthused.
While McLeod indicated it’s mostly women taking part in “Zumba” classes locally, there are male participants in the cities.
In fact, the creator of “Zumba” is a man—Alberto “Beto” Perez—who developed “Zumba” after he forgot to bring music to a regular aerobics class and improvised using his own mix of music such as salsa and merengue tunes.
And so a new kind of dance-fitness was developed.
“Anyone who is certified to teach ‘Zumba’ gets choreography from ‘Zumba’ because they want you to teach their formula,” explained McLeod, though adding each instructor does have the freedom to make modifications.
She stressed “Zumba” is a good workout for people of any age.
While she teaches those aged 14 and up (due to the policy of the Memorial Sports Centre), McLeod is certified to teach children, as well.
Called “Zumbatomic,” this level is designed exclusively for kids (aged four-12), with kid-friendly routines and all the music they love.
Other types of “Zumba” classes available (though not necessarily in Fort Frances at this time) are “Zumba Gold,” which targets the largest-growing segment of the population (baby-boomers), “Zumba Toning,” which combines body-sculpting exercises and high-energy cardio work with “Zumba” moves, and “Aqua Zumba,” which takes place in the pool.
“And there are all kinds of body types,” McLeod remarked. “I have from teeny-tiny to perhaps a little fuller, from young to old.”
She said she believes some women might not want to join the dance-fitness class because they are self-conscious about their body image.
“But they should come because they forget about all that for an hour and they just get to be themselves and that’s what I love,” she reasoned.
“That is really my goal—to step out of your life for an hour and have fun.
“Don’t worry if you jiggle here or there, we all do—just enjoy [the class],” she enthused.
“And when you are concentrating on the instructor, nobody is looking at you and you’re not looking at anybody else, so who cares?” echoed Georgeson.
“We’re just here to have fun.”
And to make each session even more fun, some of the instructors bring in coin skirts (like belly dancers wear) which participants can wear around their waists while they dance.
“The ladies loved it,” McLeod recalled, noting some loved it enough to go out and buy their own.
She stressed the tagline for “Zumba” is: Ditch the workout, join the party.
“It’s all about having fun,” she reiterated. “Before you know it, the hour is over and you are totally soaking wet.”
For more information about “Zumba,” visit Zumba.com
All certified instructors will be listed on this site.
