New dance exercise, 'Zumba', a hit

The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) (MCT) - Kay Sullivan grew tired of the typical exercise machines.

Lifting weights bored her. And Pilates and Yoga?

"They make you just want to lay there and fall asleep," says the 45-year-old Fogelsville, Pa., woman who decided to try a Brazilian-flavored group exercise class, Zumba, to spice up her routine.

One recent day, she took a spot in the back of the class at Dance Fusion in Allentown, Pa., and hoped for the best.

Ten minutes after learning the hip shakes, pelvic circling and moves she said she'd never be caught dead doing in public, she felt like she was "dancing with the stars."

"We've never felt so sexy in our lives," says Sullivan, who was dancing, laughing and joking through the class. "Of course, I know I don't look as good as her."

She is referring to instructor Shawn Schmitt, who was breaking down the salsa, meringue and cha, cha, cha steps for one of about a dozen Zumba combinations taught in the hour-long class. Schmitt is one of several area instructors trained in the latest exercise craze that comes from Latin America.

Schmitt says the official Zumba slogan, "Ditch the workout; join the party," fits the experience.

"Dance is something you associate with fun and having a party," says Schmitt. "It's really how you feel when you're doing this exercise. The beat of the music keeps you going and inspires you to want to move and shake your hips. You have too much fun to realize you are exercising."

Schmitt became certified in Zumba two years ago at an Ohio exercise conference hosted by Beto Perez, who created the fitness routine in Colombia in the mid 1990s. Before class one day, Perez forgot his traditional aerobic music and improvised with music he had in his car. He popped in his Latin music, mixed in a few hip-hop and Salsa combinations and Zumba was born. Zumba quickly spread to gyms in Miami and continues to pack classes across the country.

"I think the popularity of 'Dancing with the Stars' helped," says Schmitt, adding that the choreography is easy enough for even nondancers to pick up. "And how often do you get a chance to dance like that anywhere else?"

Another plus, she says is that you're exercising and working several different muscle groups at once.

Participants can burn between 500 to 700 calories in an hour-long class, depending on the intensity of the workout, Schmitt says. But she says the people who fill her classes are seeking a change as much as a challenge.

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Kutztown, Pa.'s Maria Woytec, 38, a fan of "Dancing with the Stars," gave Zumba a try after seeing a class in action at her daughter's dance studio, Dance Fusion.

"I've been phobic of exercise my whole life and I'm not coordinated, but I just love this," says Woytec. "It's not competitive; it's not scary, and once you start, it's hard to stop."

Lisa Yeager, who is teaching Zumba at area YMCA clubs, says Zumba is luring people from mainstream exercise classes because it reaches people of all abilities and fitness levels.

"You can be in great shape or a couch potato," says Yeager, who also teaches at Allentown, Pa.'s Jewish Community Center. "It's something everyone can do and enjoy."

Yeager says the Latin dance choreography can appear intimidating, but she gives participants some assurances before the music starts:

"I make sure to tell them not everyone moves the same and it takes time to train your body to move in different ways. I tell them, 'your booty shake isn't going to look like the next person's booty shake."

In Schmitt's class, Caroline Chandik of Allentown has her own strategy for getting through Zumba.

"If you don't look in the mirror, you feel like you're doing great and you look like her," says Chandik, referring to Schmitt.

Sullivan, after experiencing Zumba for the first time, says she loved the fun moves, especially the "hip slap" move that had her wiggling in circles.

"You have to do it with a little attitude," says Sullivan, who plans to return to try it again.

Nancy Hoffman, of Orfield, Pa., 37, says Zumba makes her feel "young."

"I absolutely love Latin music and pretending I'm a dancer," she says. "It's great. You laugh the whole time and sweat like you can't believe."

For Jordan Price, 20, of Hamburg, Pa., Zumba beats traditional exercise classes and machines.

"It entertains you the whole time you are working out," she says. "I would have lasted about five minutes on a treadmill."

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© 2009, The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.)