I’d heard rumours around town about it. I even knew a couple of people who did it. But it wasn’t until I went to the Legion one Wednesday evening that I experienced the power of Zumba myself.
There was a noticeable ambiance when I walked into the Legion hall shortly before six that night. The regular lighting have been forsaken in favour of strings of coloured bulbs, giving the room a low light, cozy feeling. Cozy may be too strong a word, considering the level of activity that was about to bust out, but the feeling was definitely casual.
About a dozen and a half or so men and women were drifting into lines that faced the small riser at the front of the room where Marie Wrede was getting ready for the class. She and a few others had on Zumba-specific clothes and shoes, and pretty much the dress code was as casually aerobic as the feel in the room.
At the back of the hall a knot of high energy Zumba-goers (Zumba-ites, Zumbiacs, Zumbanians?) was already hopping and hooting with enthusiasm in advance of the class. It was infectious, and made me smile even before I knew what I was getting into.
That feeling continued as the music started and Wrede began to put the class through its paces, literally. The songs were high energy beats that incorporated latin sounds and rhythms, getting you in the mood for something like serious salsa dancing. And although there were some salsa-like stepping, there was a whole lot more going on too. And at the same time.
I honestly can’t remember what happened first, but I do know there was a lot of arm movements in combination with some basic dance steps. If you have ever done step aerobics or jazz dance (which I had, thankfully) you’ll recognize a lot of the same manoeuvres, and you’ll soon learn a whole lot more. As a first-timer, it was a lot to take in, but it was easy to see how Zumba could quickly become a fun, dancey way to stay fit.
The best things about the class was the level of fun everyone was having. They were turning it up to eleven, hooting and hollering and just having a blast as they sweated along.
The pace of the moves is fast, and the segments get your heart rate up in a progressive way. As the hour-long class continued, there were breaks for water (which I didn’t bring, but I will next time) so folks could reclaim some of the liquid they were sweating out.
Concentrating on trying to mimic the rapid fire steps and semaphore-like arm gestures, I wasn’t working as hard as the rest of the more seasoned others. Still, there were others who also fumbled their way through and continued. The low lights and fun create a jump in and go atmosphere.
After slowing the pace and a short series of stretches, Zumba was done for another dancey session. If you’re interested in going, classes will be held on Wednesdays at 6 p.m. throughout February at the Legion Hall, and Monday 6 p.m. classes with Marie Wrede will resume at the end of February when she returns from holidays. Wrede will also be offering a Thursday night class beginning March 7 at the Nakusp Elementary School gym (6 p.m.).
