Zumba, Burning Calories With a Latin Twist

Zumba, a new Latin-inspired dance craze, has come to Rye, and many residents are flocking to the YMCA to be a part of the most popular ongoing party in town.

Zumba actually makes exercise fun. So much so that Zumba classes regularly draw as many as three times more participants than any other class at the Rye YMCA.

In fact, there were more than 90 participants of assorted shapes and sizes at a recent Sunday Zumba class in the Y gym–only four of them men, all who were over 60 ( including myself).

And not since the football season ended have there been so many backfields in motion.

In brief, they came, they saw, they did the Salsa, Samba, Meringue, Cha Cha, Mambo and more –all in sync to Latin music blaring from powerful speakers.

"C'mon and Dance" was one of the opening numbers, including the exhortation: "Are you ready to party –let's dance."

And then, for almost an hour, Rye Y Zumba instructor Diana Vita had the class sashaying through a fusion of Latin and international music-dance themes.

The routine features aerobic and fitness interval training blending into a combination of fast and slow rhythms that tone and sculpt the body.

So the participants were working their biceps, abs, hips, stomachs, ankles and more.

But because the moves were choreographed in rhythmic sequences, they seemed relatively easy to do. Ms. Vita called out the moves, then described them, and then danced them as the class followed her lead.

"Cumbiya," she said, referring to a Colombian dance step that involves stepping forward several times, then back, then sideways, with a jump and a turn.

And so it went: "Side, side, center, center, arms up, two, three, four, circle, reverse" came the instructions in one rapid burst sequence, and the collective legs went one way, then another, arms going up, down, twirling, pumping, bodies moving around and around.

The participants were really getting down and boogying, grooving to the music, smiles on their faces in most instances, occasional whoops and shrieks of delight in others, while still others just seemed to lose themselves in the sheer joy of movement to their own inner drummer and choreography.

And if you looked around the class, you could see people forgetting for a little while at least life's problems –the cancer survivor with the bandana around her head to hide the effects of chemotherapy; the Latin beauty whose brother committed suicide jumping off an Aspen cliff after a love affair ended badly; the restaurant inspector fighting to lose weight because of the daily, on-the-job temptations; the real-estate agent blocking out the down market, the mom who has shed 70 pounds via exercise and wants to become a Zumba instructor, and so on.

When the class ended, Ms. Vita explained how Zumba came to the Y.

Maria Kacha, one of the Y members, a fashion expert of Cuban extraction, heard about Zumba during a family visit to Florida, took several classes there, and mentioned it to Ms. Vita, Rye Y Associate Health and Fitness Director. Together, they pursued the necessary certifications to teach Zumba through the Zumba Instructors Network (ZIN).

There they learned about Beto –Beto being Beto Perez of Cali, Colombia, who started teaching Latin dance-inspired fitness in Florida when he was working as an aerobics instructor, forgot his aerobic music before he was about to teach a class, reached into his knapsack, pulled out a Latin music tape, and played it. His class loved exercising to Latin music, and Zumba (which literally means fast moves) was born. Beto brought his idea to two entrepreneurs, they formed a corporate triumvirate, and voila, today Zumba is taught in 50,000 locations in 75 countries with around 6 million participants Zumba-ing in any given week.

But not just anybody can teach Zumba. You must be certified in the various dance, aerobic and fitness disciplines taught by ZIN. After Diana and Maria became certified not long ago, they introduced the program to Rye. Several other Rye Y instructors have followed in their dancing footsteps since. They range from Maria's daughter, Sophia, a Rye High School senior, who is the youngest instructor, to Sarah Stephanie Iachetta, 72, my wife, a retired IBMer, and the oldest. Real estate professional Martha Ocoguera falls somewhere in between. She's lost more than 45 pounds since she started Zumba-ing. Dancer/acupuncturist Jill Doornick has taken the program to Rye Recreation.

Each has their own niche. Vita may be the most athletic. The Kachas the most Latin. Iachetta specializes in Zumba Gold (less strenuous and senior-oriented) and Zumba Aquatics featuring dancing in the Rye Y pool. Ocoguera adds a toning and mega-mix touch. And Doornick combines modern, Afro, hip-hop, jazz, ballroom and Latin.

With all these options, it's no wonder why many Rye residents are heeding the mantra "C'mon and Dance."

The YMCA offers Zumba classes every day of the week at varying times. Call 914-967-6363 for more information.