Sometimes great ideas are born from accidents. In the mid-'90s, no one could have predicted the success of the Zumba®program, not even Alberto "Beto" Perez, who created the Zumba experience, after what many have called a true "happy accident."
THE ORIGINAL "FITNESS-PARTY"
As a fitness instructor in his native Cali, Colombia, Beto's life took an unexpected turn one fateful day in the mid-'90s when he darted off to teach an aerobics class and forgot his traditional aerobics music. He improvised using his own mix of music from tapes he had in his backpack (salsa and merengue music he grew up with). Spontaneously he created a new kind of dance-fitness, one that focused on letting the music move you (instead of counting reps over the music). Energy electrified the room; people couldn't stop smiling. His class loved it! And on that day, a revolutionary new fitness concept was born – the Zumba®Fitness-Party.
After the initial success in Colombia, he took the class to the United States in 1999. Zumba is considered exercise in disguise, with a typical class burning between 500 and 1000 calories.
As of 2009there were more than 20,000 Zumba instructors in 35 countries.
Exercises
Zumba exercises include music with fast and slow rhythms and resistance training for fitness and losing weight.The music comes from the following dance styles:cumbia,salsa,merengue,mambo,flamenco,chachacha,reggaeton, soca,samba,belly dancing,bhangra,hip hop music,axé musicandtango. There are seven different types of classes for different levels of age and exertion, including one based in the swimming pool.
Cumbiais a Latin American music style that originated in Colombia'sCaribbeancoastal region.
Salsais adanceform with origins in Cuba as the meeting point of Spanish and African cultures. Salsa is normally a partner dance, although there are recognized solo forms such as solo dancing "suelta" and "Rueda de Casino" where multiple couples exchange partners in a circle. Salsa can be improvised orperformedwith a set routine.
Merengueis a style ofLatin Americanmusic and dance with atwo-stepbeat. Partners hold each other in aclosed position
Mambois aLatin danceof Cubanorigin that corresponds tomambo music
Flamencois a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusianmusic and dance and in whose evolution AndalusianGypsiesplayed an important part.
TheCha-cha-cháis a style ofCuban music. It is popular dance music which developed from thedanzónin the early 1950s.
Reggaetonis a form of Puerto Rican and Latin Caribbeanurban music.
Socais a style of music fromTrinidad and Tobago. Soca is a musical development of traditional Trinidadiancalypso, it borrowed ideas from predominantly black popular music in the United States and Caribbean such as soul, funk, disco, electric blues, hip hop, and rap beginning in the 1960’s andzoukfrom the French Caribbean islands ofMartiniqueGuadeloupe, as well asreggae from Jamaica in the 1970s and the more melodic form of modern Jamaicandancehall.
Sambais a Brazilian dance andmusical styleoriginating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil andAfrica via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions.
Belly danceor Bellydance is a "Western"-coined name for a traditional Middle Eastern dance, especiallyraqs sharqi. The term "Belly dance" is a translation of the French "danse du ventre" which was applied to the dance in theVictorian era. It is very misleading because you use every part of the body in the dance; the most featured body part usually is the hips.
Bhaṅgṛāis a form of South-Asian music and dance highly influenced by the culture and language of Punjab. Bhangra also refers to a folk dance. Bhangra dance began as a folk dance conducted by Punjabi farmers in 11th century to celebrate the coming of the harvest season.
Hip hop musicis anAmerican musical stylethat developed as part ofhip hopculture, which is defined by four key stylistic elements:MCing, DJing,breakdancingandgraffiti writing.
Axéis apopular musical styleoriginating inSalvador,Bahia,Brazilapproximately in 1986, fusing different Afro-Caribbeangenres, such asMarcha,reggae, andcalypso. It also includes influences of Afro-Brazilian music such asFrevo,ForróandCarixada. The word "axé" comes from aYorubareligious greeting used in the CandombléandUmbandareligions that means "soul", "light", "spirit" or "good vibration".
Tango is a dance that has influences from European and African culture.Dances from thecandombeceremonies of former slave peoples helped shape the modern day Tango. The dance originated in lower-class districts ofBuenos AiresandMontevideo. The music derived from the fusion of various forms of music fromEurope