Beto Perez, The Man, the Passion of Zumba The November 2009 issue of Reader's Digest had an article "Meet the Man Behind Zumba" describing how the founder of Zumba Beto Perez built a global empire helping people have fun and burn calories. I have attended many of his workshops and find him very personable and truly inspirational.
Zumba History: Celebrity
fitness trainer, Beto Perez, developed Zumba fitness in his native
country, Colombia, in the mid 90s. One day, he walked into his class
and realized he had forgotten his aerobics music. His only option was
his own tapes in his car, traditional Latin salsa and merengue music
with which he had been raised. It was a challenge to improvise a class
on the spot using non-traditional aerobics music. Beto rose to the
challenge and from this last-minute improvisation was born a
revolutionary fitness program Zumba! The class soon became the most
popular class at his fitness facility and spread like fire across the
globe.
What is Zumba? Zumba
is a Columbian word for "move fast and have fun". Love to dance?
Zumba is a perfect workout for you. You will be dancing and having fun
not even realizing that you just had a great workout. Don't know how
to dance or never danced before? No problem -- just follow along at
your own pace and do your own thing. It's all about moving and having
fun. Just relax and feel the music and find the rhythm in your own
body. You might learn a cha cha or two -- pretty soon you are a dancer!
Zumba
is a fusion of Latin and International music and dance themes creating
a dynamic, exciting and effective fitness program. The routines
feature aerobic/fitness interval training with a combination of fast
and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the entire body to a
one-of-a-kind workout. You can burn a lot of calories (up to 1000!)
depending on how much effort you put in. And you will achieve total
body toning, especially on glutes, legs, arms and abs. Dont' be
surprised to find that you are dropping a few dress sizes after
awhile-- it really works! The routines are choreographed to real music
and sometimes it can be dramatic, silly, sexy, playful, graceful,
passionate -- you name it!
Because of the structure of the song,
you will find it easy to follow along because the chorus repeats and
the movment will match that. And don't forget the fitness moves hidden
behind the dance moves -- you are probably enjoying the music so much
that you won't realize that you actually did a few squats and lunges
here and there and raised your arms a bunch of times or pumped your
chest or shook your hips. It's all good...
You
will be learning Latin dance steps like Merengue, Salsa, Cumbia, Mambo
and Samba as well as other dances from around the world: such as
Flamenco, Hip Hop, Disco, Charleston, Reggaeton, Belly Dance,
Quebradita, Bollywood and even a little Tai Chi. It's all about the
music -- the music will make you want to move. Zumba is fun, easy, and
an excellent exercise and... you won't even feel like you are
exercising! We try to create a "party-like" atmosphere which is less
intimidating for people who may not be as coordinated as others. It is
a "feel good" workout where you can dance your worries away. You will
leave feeling invigorated and refreshed. And watch out! All this can
be very addicting...!!
ZUMBAŽ and the Zumba Fitness logo are trademarks of Zumba Fitness, LLC, used under license. www.zumba.com
