For those that aren't familiar with
Zumba, it is a workout which incorporates dance elements
from hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo, with some
martial arts elements into aerobics routines. It was developed in
Colombia by choreographer Alberto Perez in the '90s. With slogans
like “party yourself into shape” this type of class seems to be
founded on an idea of fun, community and a friendly atmosphere.
It was a suspiciously good start. I'd
left my house in what I'd call perfect time, so I found a parking
space with relative ease. When I got into the hall, I heard Kelly
Gomersall (the same one who teaches Bokwa) yell: “Are we ready to
start?” with just enough time for me to shed the top layers and
slot myself in the crowd on the side with fewer spectators, in a
suspiciously good bit of empty space.
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| Zumba has spread in popularity around the world © Claude PERON – www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Claude_PERON/gallery |
As it kicked off, the moves, as always,
varied between very simple side-step-like motions, to fairly
complicated routine of tangled feet, off-beat steps and random
uncoordinated arm waving. I'd fancied myself as a relatively
coordinated person. I can count to four, I can step on the beat, I
can clap in time with the best of them. But sadly, as soon as the
moves became a shade more complicated and the mirrored wall started
playing directional tricks with my eyes, all of this went out of the
window and the good start was replaced by a desperate game of catch-up.
In light of this, I spent more time
than I'd like to admit breaking the moves down to just feet, adding
on other nuances later, hoping I could execute them with as much
grace as the instructor. This time spent doing half the move to try
and catch up, resulted in a reduced level of cardio, and a less
tiring workout than I wanted, which was a bit disappointing. For a
brief second I thought to myself, “it could be that you're just
fitter now?” Then, the internal laughter began.
I shouldn't like to presume she noticed
my aimless flapping, but at one point Kelly stopped to break down the
next sequence to us. “So,” she concluded once she'd been through
it, “it's JUMP, two-three-four, ARMS two-three-four, BOOBS
two-three-four, HEAD two-three-four. Everybody got that?”
She can't be blamed for leaving any
body part out of the workout, eh? The next routine also 'exercised'
the boobs, as it included some shimmying, which also deserved an
explanation, since apparently we were all just wiggling our wrists or
elbows. “Can we all try and shimmy please. Stick your arms out wide
and shimmy. Please be careful of the person next to you if you're
well endowed.”
Short of the very occasional element of
distraction that makes someone accidentally walk into a plant, I
never thought of breasts as a dangerous weapon until that moment, but
I'd definitely class my erratic moves as more dangerous than the
boobs. In any case, Kelly's little quips and jokes actually made the
class a whole lot better, and more human and friendly than just
copying moves mechanically and being barked at by a robotic
instructor.
To that end, in a bid to get everyone interacting and integrating and I suppose simply more vocal, she encourages a lot of “whoop-whoop”s and “woo”s at various times, which noises are sadly not to my taste. I want to blend into the walls, not attract more attention to my sweaty, crimson and uncoordinated self.
To that end, in a bid to get everyone interacting and integrating and I suppose simply more vocal, she encourages a lot of “whoop-whoop”s and “woo”s at various times, which noises are sadly not to my taste. I want to blend into the walls, not attract more attention to my sweaty, crimson and uncoordinated self.
The good thing about Zumba is that it
varies. It is based around so many different dances, that if you
don't like one, or find it disproportionately difficult, it will be
something completely different when the next song starts up. And
regardless of whether you had no idea what was going on and performed
the entire routine backwards and upside down, the local culture is
that everyone applauds at the end of every song. Even with everything said, I love a bit of Zumba, and persevering through a few classes will iron out any coordination issues.
She ends on a routine that involves a
lot of stretching, accompanied by a song by what sounds like a 90s
pop princess, who sings relatively slowly and seductively about love,
and we all do a little bow, applaud and go home for cheesecake.
Tuesday 7-8pm Zumba with Kelly
Gomersall at Xercise4Less, Leeds.
