48 THE QUEENS COURIER • AUGUST 22, 2019 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
dance
Get moving and stay fi t with Zumba classes
BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF
editorial@queenscourier.com
Zumba (ZOOM-ba), derived from a
Colombian word meaning “to move fast
and have fun,” fuses Latin and other
international dances with interval training
set to global dance music. Zumba is
being taught at over 60,000 locations in
105 countries, has sold millions of DVDs,
and more than seven million participants
take Zumba classes each week
According to Zumba instructor Lisa
Eskenazi, Zumba specifi cally tones your
core and entire body, all while burning
between 400-1000 calories per hour,
depending on your energy level. With a
formal dance class, the focus is on memorizing
choreography and improving your
skills as a trained dancer. With Zumba
Fitness, it is not the dance steps that are
important, but that you keep your heart
rate elevated.
“Working out has never been so much
fun,” said Lalita K., owner of Creative
Yoga Studios in Astoria, which off ers
Zumba three times a week. “It’s a dynamic,
eff ective cardio workout with dancing
that’s also easy to do. Th ere are no ‘levels’
in Zumba. It burns fat, increases fl exibility
and makes it easy to lose weight.”
Celebrity fi tness trainer Alberto “Beto”
Perez created Zumba in Colombia in the
mid-’90s. One day, he walked into his
aerobics class and realized he had forgotten
his aerobics music. He grabbed
whatever tapes he had in his backpack,
which were traditional salsa and merengue
music and improvised what went on
to become Zumba.
“It doesn’t feel like a workout. You’re
dancing to great music and having a good
time. It’s basically a party. You don’t have
to be the best dancer or have any prior
dance experience to do Zumba,” said
Marisa Breglio, a Zumba instructor at
the Flushing YMCA and Matrix Fitness
Center in Astoria.
In addition to Zumba Basic, there’s
also Zumba Toning, which blends body
sculpting techniques with Zumba moves
using weighted, maraca-like Zumba
Toning Sticks; Aqua Zumba, a “pool
party” of water-based workouts Zumba
Gold, which is modifi ed slightly for
seniors and adults with physical limitations
and Zumbatomic for kids aged
4-12.
Debbie Ann Schneider teaches Zumba
at the Ozone Park Jewish Center and says
even her 76-year-old mother comes to
her classes
“Th e hour fl ies by. You go at your own
pace and move to the rhythm of the
music, so there’s no wrong way to do
Zumba. It’s simple and it works. I’ve had
people take my classes and lose 40 lbs, or
be able to go off their thyroid or diabetic
medication. Just go with the fl ow and
have a good time,” Schneider said.
To fi nd a Zumba class near you, log on
to www.zumba.com.
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