Founded in 2001 by Alberto Perez, Alberto Perlman, and Alberto Aghion, Zumba Fitness is a sensational way to stay fit. Zumba Fitness intertwines fitness, culture and entertainment into an exhilarating experience. It had all started in Columbia when Alberto “Beto” Perez forgot his tape of aerobics music for a class he was teaching. With no other option left, he decided to look through his music in the car to see what he can find. He had a variety of traditional salsa and meringue music. Perez settled on to what he could find and improvised with the aerobic class. With a turn of events, the class was a success and many of his students enjoyed working out to non-traditional aerobic music. He continued working with cultural music and his class soon became the most popular in his fitness facility. With this success, he moved to the United States, where he teamed up with Alberto Perlman – a child hood friend – and COO, Albert Aghion. The triad produced a demo reel and from there on this style of working out became a major success and was trademarked Zumba.
The word “Zumba” derives from a Spanish word meaning “buzz like a bee and move fast.” It’s also Columbian slang for “fast.” With this Zumba phenomenon, over 6 million participants take classes each week. This Latin-style dance class – which includes salsa, meringue, cha-cha, cumbia and salsa – is fused with hip-hop and reggae, as well as other global styles of dance like belly dancing, flamenco, Bollywood and African. The variety of culture integrated in this dance form creates a better and more fun atmosphere for the people doing it. Zumba is competent to turn customary exercise practices into an electrifying and energetic fitness program. The steps are exceptionally easy to learn...
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... in the circuit is designed for people interested in circuit training. Lastly, Zumbatomic is especially for children between the ages of 4 and 12. There are many more sections of Zumba, just to make the experience worthwhile. Zumba sessions are usually about an hour long and are taught by instructors licensed by an organization called Zumba Academy.
In conclusion, Zumba has created a sensation around the whole world. With more than 6 million participants, it is known as the most fun and effective way to lose weight. This popular fitness trend has swept not only the nation but to 6 different continents. Zumba fanatics enjoy a number of fitness benefits, and its enduring growth in reputation gives recognition to the effectiveness of the method. Zumba helps better liberate negative associations people have with exercise and re-frame their attitude toward fitness.
Imagine a 240-pound professional football player stretching his sweat-drenched body to its limits in heat of more than 110 degrees. This scene doesn’t take place on a football field, but in a heated Bikram yoga studio where many athletes and everyday people are going to cure and prevent aches and pains.
The history and development of salsa “cannot be separated from the history of migration”, meaning that the music developed and changed as it traveled the globe (Román-Velasquez: 211). Due to its global influences and popularity, salsa represents many cultures: “Initially associated with the Spanish Caribbean populations of Cuba and Puerto Rico, salsa was soon claimed as the voice of the New York City barrio and as representative of the experiences of the Latino community in the United States” (Román-Velasquez: 211). The term salsa describes more than just the music, but also “ a 'manner of making music' which is a flexible blend of many genres and which is continually reblended and given slightly different 'flavours' in different locations” (Román-Velasquez: 211). As salsa globalized, so did salsa dancing, adding another performance factor to the genre. Salsa clubs and fans in
This dance they get into nature by way of rhythm and it can make your body
Yoga has been practiced for thousands of years, throughout many cultures to help with the balance of physical and mental well-being. Throughout the years yoga has also been incorporated with many healings, whether with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, or many other things that cause us mental and physical pain. However, recently yoga has been intertwined with cancer patients who have just been diagnosed, are currently going through the treatments, and for the miraculous people who have survived this destructive disease.
What is Belly dancing? We see bits of it on the television every day, whether it is a music video, a commercial, a new method of burning fat, or in a movie. So, what is this dance where you move your hips at different speeds? Where did it come from? I have always wondered what it was because it looked so fun. It is a dance where you can be creative with it and make it your own. Here is a brief look at the history of this popular dance craze that is sweeping the world.
Around the world there are different dances that represent different styles and cultures. The well known dance called the Salsa, was originated in the 1970s in the Caribbean but the name was originated from New York. In the following paragraphs I will discuss the dance itself, where it is originated from, the movements of the dance, the rhythm of the dance, the venue at which it is performed and the different styles of the Salsa.
Hip hop is a form of dance that lets people express themselves. It is also a fast and energetic type of dance. When dancing hip hop, people need be sharp with all of their movements. Most hip hop dancers use rap music to dance. Not to mention, rap music is usually fast and energetic. For example, a quote from the text of “DJ Renegade on the History of Hip-Hop” says,” New steps were created at a fast-pace and the vocabulary continues to grow.” This excerpt shows that new moves are getting created really fast and the names of the moves continue to grow.
Black, Tamara. 2008. Exercise and Fitness in a U.S. Commercial Gym.Ann Arbor, Mich.: University Microfilms International.
Hip hop dance was important to African American culture because it allowed them to create their own culture, their own music their own style. When watching Flex is Kings, there are many young men in a video demonstrating what hip hop dance culture has evolved to in the 21st century. They are a contemporary urban dance movement. One can see the emotion and the “seriousness” in their movements. Hip hop dance is these people’s lives’(“Flex Is Kings”). Flex is a type of street dance, sometimes is called “bone breaking” due to their moves looking like a person either has no bones or that they are literally breaking them to create the skin cringing dances they create(“Flexing”). Dancers such as Storyboard P have mastered the art of flexing. He mentions in one of his interviews that when dancing one is revealing who they are (“Storyboard P”). African American people lean on this particular art form to elaborate how, as a race we have been able to display our culture to mainstream America. Mainstream is basically a majority of people (Mainstream).
Sarnataro, Barbara. “Zumba: Fun Is Secret Ingredient of Latin Dance Workout”. webmd.com. WebMD, LLC. Web. Apr 10 2014. http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/zumba-fun-is-secret-ingredient-of-latin-dance-workout
Although she doesn’t like men ogling her classes, Belinda Shakar does not shy away from the sensual aspects of her dance. In fact, that’s what attracted her to belly dancing as a teenager. “I really liked the sensuality of the dance and even the blatant sexuality,” she says. She had been taking traditional dance classes in Los Angeles in hopes of becoming a performer but thought belly dance seemed more interesting than the styles she was learning. She finally switched to belly dance after injuring herself in a ballet class. The accident convinced her that ballet is unnatural: “It distorts the body and torments it. That is still my feeling o...
Lunges and squats are often referred to as the masters of lower body exercises. In addition to your legs, theses functional, compound exercises also work your buttocks. However, poor form, a muscle imbalance, the consistent overload on your knees, and the repetitive motion, can make these exercises wreak havoc on your knees. (See References 1) Not to fear, you can still strengthen and shape your glutes with do-able, effective exercise that are easy on your knees.
Many studies have come to the conclusion that individuals who participate in health and wellness routines as well as a regular exercise program have a relatively increased degree of energy, lower healthcare bills, much better quality of life along with less stress, as well as improved health. Staying in good physical shape and healthy calls for everyone, to be conscious of their health, to be aware of the key fitness and health components and to follow them.
A lot of people ask, “Does Zumba really work for weight loss?” The answer is yes, Zumba can help people lose weight but the most important thing to realize is the dance sessions are no magic fix for dropping pounds, it just happens to come in a package that most people don’t detest; instead of running on a treadmill, you get to spend an hour or more dancing with friends and strangers to different types of music. Because people find the classes fun and they enjoy it so therefore, they keep attending classes, and that is what makes it wor...