Zumba gains momentum

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October 9, 2009

By MEGAN MUNROE The Press Republican Fri Oct 09, 2009, 11:11 PM EDT

ZUMBA OPPORTUNITIES
Lori Walker teaches Zumba at the City of Plattsburgh Recreation Center from 7 to 8 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Thursday; 4:30 to 5:30 Fridays; and 9 to 10 a.m. Saturdays. Sessions at Premier Tan and Body Center, Skyway Plaza, Plattsburgh, are 9 to 10 a.m. Mondays and Fridays and 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Cost is $7/walk-in, $5 students/military; punch cards are available for multiple sessions at lower prices.

Beginning Oct. 13, Walker will offer after-school Zumba at the North Country Cultural Center for the Arts from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. An adult session follows from 4:30 to 5:30. Call (802) 295-1091.

Kathy Koester's classes are at Adirondack Dance Academy, 72 Pine St., Plattsburgh, 5 to 6 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays; 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. Wednesdays; and 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays. Cost is $7 for drop-ins and lower with purchase of punch cards.

Call 335-7385.

See a video of a Zumba class at: www.pressrepublican/video.

PLATTSBURGH — The room is dim.

The only illumination comes from multi-colored strands of light hung from the ceiling and a spinning disco ball. Loud, fast-paced music blares from speakers at the front of the room.

It seems more like a scene from a nightclub than an aerobics class.

In fact, it's a little of both. It's Zumba, a high-energy workout that combines different styles of dance from around the world. A single one-hour session incorporates a wide variety of moves not unlike sequences in hip-hop videos or scenes in Bollywood movies, with a heavy influence of Latin American hip shaking.

"Zumba" means to move quickly or buzz like a bee, instructor Lori Walker said. The fitness program is popular in Latin America and Europe and is gaining momentum in the United States.

WEIGHT LOSS
After moving here in November 2008 from Jacksonville, Fla., Walker found herself disappointed to learn the nearest Zumba classes were an hour away in Burlington. So she became certified and began teaching her own classes here in January.

Walker's class has changed locations several times, partly due to its growing size. There are sometimes as many as 60 people in a session, she said, and word-of-mouth has been drawing more and more to participate.

Zumba is a fun way to lose weight, Walker said. She, herself, had tried dropping baby weight by going to the gym but was having difficulty getting motivated. That changed with Zumba.

Attending classes three or four times a week, she quickly shed 40 pounds.

Stacy O'Brien-Goodrow lost 20 pounds in three months taking Walker's class — something she had tried to do since the birth of her daughter in July 2008. Zumba has given her more energy, and, she said, "the time goes by very quickly."

After her first Zumba class, Walker couldn't wait to go back.

"You can feel the joy in it," she said. "It's got a certain kind of charisma. The moves have a certain quality about them that other dances don't have."

"You don't even feel like you're working out," said Carol Seymour, a Zumba disciple since April.

A mother of three working full-time, she finds the classes "mentally refreshing."

Zumba is a "great de-stresser," Janet Castine said.

AEROBIC WORKOUT
Darlene Pavone, a fitness instructor for more than 20 years, joined Zumba because she wanted to take rather than lead a class for a change.

"It's the only workout I've done — including my own — where I know I've had a true aerobic workout every time," she said. "That is amazing. I never get tired of it. I never get bored with it."

Pavone has been coming to Zumba classes since March. When she first started, she wasn't sure she wanted to continue.

"I was lost," she said.

But after taking more and more classes, she began to pick up the moves and feel more comfortable. "Stick with it," she advises newcomers. After that, she said, "you can really have fun with it and be creative."

Zumba is fun for any age, Pavone added.

"I love coming and seeing little girls dancing their hearts out," she said. "We all have a good time together. It's great to see that. It makes you feel good."

GOOD FOR THE MIND
Kathy Koester is also a certified Zumba instructor, hosting classes at Adirondack Dance Academy in Plattsburgh. Intrigued by a description of the program, she ordered a DVD.

"I thought that teenagers would love to do it as a conditioning program," she said.

Her students range in age from 13 to about 74.

"The beauty of it is everyone does it to their own ability," she said.

She'll help modify Zumba to fit the person — for example, she'll tell senior citizens to bend their knees instead jumping. If someone is really out of breath, she'll suggest a walk around the room for a bit.

"You don't want to just stop moving because muscles will really get cramped."

Zumba includes sequences designed to keep the mind active, Koester said, which helps guard against Alzheimer's disease.

And for newcomers, she'll offer some coaching "so they don't feel completely lost."

After participants have run through a song a few times, she said, they learn what to expect from the music — a specific sequence of steps for the chorus then sections that repeat in the second half of the number.

Zumba is supposed to offer a party atmosphere that raises it above a typical exercise program, and that happens, Koester said.

"I've had groups of, like, five friends come together," she said. "Everyone's having a good time and they're laughing," she said. "And exercising."

— Features Editor Suzanne Moore contributed to this report.