Ditch the workout, join the party

By TARA DANIEL
WHEN you enter a gym you’re often greeted with bright lights, sweaty bodies and the humming of treadmills and spin bikes. To many, this is an intimidating atmosphere that can transform the energetic vibe into an overwhelming nightmare.

In Zumba, Australia’s latest fitness trend, the exercise is done in a separate studio to the gym, under dim lighting and to lively exotic music. It is an escape from the workout world of muscles, sweat and pain.

The the program is still in its early stages in Australia so participants appear at ease. Before the class the regulars position themselves at the front, chatting., while the first timers uncomfortably shuffle their way around towards the back of the room, eager to blend in.

Over the past few months it has been hard not to recall the toned and tanned Zumba boys and girls in the television commercials, posters and magazine articles. Fortunately, these ‘Zumba-ers’ do not make up the majority of your every-day fitness class.

People of every age, body shape and character can be found doing Zumba: the older woman in a tight singlet top with the words ‘Zumba’ splayed across her chest, the younger metro guy in short shorts chatting to all the ladies and the mother and daughter combination.

Weights, step boxes and yoga mats line the room, and it is not until the instructor takes the stage that any presence of Zumba becomes apparent.

With all lights on the instructor you start to get the picture of what you are in for over the next hour. Her bright blue sweat pants, black singlet with a fluoro pattern and long wavy dark hair suggests a vibrant and energetic workout awaits.

When the music begins so too does the fun. It’s a showcase of a variety of dancing skills mixed with shimmies, booty shaking and all round laughs. Within the first minute, three-quarters of the class is out of step and given ten minutes everyone’s moving in their own way.

Zumba Instructor at Fitness First Ralene Woodbury says coordination and dance experience can only take you so far in Zumba:

‘Being able to express yourself with the music is the key. There is no right or wrong in Zumba. It’s up to the participant to move in the way they feel.’

It is also for this reason that Zumba instructors barely speak during a class. There is no coaxing participants to ”push themselves” or to ”feel the burn”. Instead words are spoken calmly and to keep participants in the ‘Zumba world’:

“Ladies, you’re wearing great big coloured feather headpieces and white lingerie. Men, you’re in tight white shorts. We’re going to Rio!!!”

The music is used for inspiration and to draw you deeper into the scene. One track might take you to the jungles of Brazil with drums and native dance moves while the next sends you to Latin America for ballroom dancing.

Just as everyone starts to feel comfortable, the instructor asks the class to make a circle facing the centre of the room. For the first time everyone can see everyone and there’s the realization that you’re not alone.

As all thirty bodies try to grapevine in one direction there’s a sudden squeaking of sneakers on the wooden floor as the instructor calls to head the opposite way.

Bodies bump off one another and occasionally someone trips over but it’s easy to laugh it off. By this stage everyone’s learnt not to take themselves too seriously.

As the class progresses more and more people give up on learning the difficult choreography. Mentally, they appear exhausted and physically just want to dance. And so they continue with their own moves that slightly mimics those of the instructor’s.

At the end of every song the class erupts in applause and “Woo Hoos!”. It is the sounds you would expect at a music concert but instead this is the reflection of personality and emotion: the effect of exercise and energy release on the human spirit.

Zumba regular Peta Evans, says that Zumba is the perfect workout without realizing you have actually worked out:

“I hate running on treadmills or lifting weights,” he said. “I get bored very quickly. Zumba on the other hand keeps you engaged and moving without even realizing you’ve broken into a sweat… So far I have felt the benefits of cardio, coordination and weight loss.”

Participants leave the class feeling like Shakira. Their red faces and sweaty bodies may tell a different story, but they ‘re experiencing the Zumba high: the physical and psychological result of shaking, shimmering and letting loose.