Let There Be Zumba

The year was 1998-ish. I was working in a video store, and we recieved an advanced VHS (yes, VHS) screener copy of this new fitness revoloution called Zumba. The owner of the video store had no interest in it, and she knew that I had grown tired of the one Tae-Bo work out tape we had in stock, so she offered it to me. Not being one to turn down anything free, I accepted. That night my sister and I tried Zumba for the first time. I admit it was fun, but I was frustrated that my hips--or any part of my body for that matter--didn't move like the girls in the video. I chalked it up to the fact that I wasn't Spanish. My favorite was the belly dancing song (because I was good at it), and the Flamenco (because it was easy, and I knew that after Flamenco was the cool down)! I lasted about three days before I grew tired of Zumba. It was too hard to move like the people in the video, it was too high impact, and it was 55 minutes long! The only other work out tapes I had used up to that point were Jane Fonda, and Sweating To The Oldies. Both were only 30 minutes. Those extra 30 minutes were just too much for lazy college me. Flash forward 11 years. I started, and stopped various different work out regiments that included walking the track with my best friend, Curves, and lots of other fitness tapes. Nothing stuck. I grew bored of videos very quickly. Once I learned the "routine" I wanted nothing to do with it. My friend suggested I come to try Yoga at the gym. I was terrified of gyms (I had never even set foot inside one) and group fitness scared me more than anything. She assured me I'd be fine, since it was in the dark. After much convincing, I agreed to try it. I actually loved it, and wound up joining the gym. For a while Yoga on Thursday nights was the only time I set foot in the gym. My friend was unable to make it to Yoga one Thursday, and asked if we could switch our Yoga date to the Monday night Yoga class. I had nothing else going on so I agreed. I arrived early so I peeked into the class that was just finishing up. It was Zumba. I made a comment to my friend about how I remember the VHS tapes I used to have, and asked if she had any interest in trying Zumba. She stated that she tried it, and hated it, because the instructor was too hard to follow since she didn't even speak. She just did whatever she wanted. As the class was letting out, I ran into someone I knew and she told me that I HAD to try it, because it was so much fun! She was laughing, and smiling and didn't look like she just spent an hour in misery, so I was intrigued. One Saturday I decided I was going to give Zumba one more chance. I was terrified. This was the first time I had set foot into the gym without using the buddy system. I stood in the back corner, making sure no one inside the class could see me, and that no one outside the group exercise room could see me through the doors. I couldn't even see the instructor. I picked someone out of the sea of people, and followed her. She seemed to know what she was doing. An hour later, and I was in love. Zumba was just what I needed. The hour flew by, the music was great, and yeah the instructor didn't speak, but it didn't matter since I couldn't see her anyway. I extended my membership to include all the NYSC gyms in my area and went to every Zumba class I could find. Before I knew it, I was one of the front row girls. A few years later I moved to Virginia. My first priority was to find a gym with a good Zumba class. That's where I met my mentor Natasha. She is an amazing instructor, and when she first started she didn't even speak a word of English!! We became close friends and she eventually convinced me to go for the instructor training. I had the greatest ZES (Stephanie Masceri). I learned so much about Zumba. Get this--instructors are encouraged NOT to speak so that the workouts feel more like a party and not like someone is telling you what to do. Genius. Getting my certification was definitely one of the moments I am most proud of. I spent an entire YEAR reviewing concepts, memorizing choreography, and perfecting my cueing. I believed I was finally ready to teach. I had an audition at one of the bigger gyms in my area, and although it went great, the director prefered that I had more experience before I started. She invited me to come back and audition whenever I was ready. I was a little sad, but happy at the prospect of being able to come back. I threw myself even more into perfecting my craft. It paid off because not even a month later, I had an audition at another gym (with a brand new studio), and landed that job! I also landed a second teaching gig at a martial arts studio. Next month, I'm going for my Zumbatomic certification so I can teach the kiddo's Zumba as well. I can't wait for that! When I look back at how it all started, I'm so surprised. I gave up on Zumba, and almost passed it up a second time because I was shy and insecure. When I tell my students about my first live Zumba experience, and how I stood in the back they can't believe it. It's amazing how far I've come, and I can't wait to see where Zumba takes me in the future!! Onwards and upwards!! Stay tuned to find out what is going on in the Zumba life of Rinny. Oh, and I promise future posts won't be this long!! Peace, Love, and Zumba!!