Zumba

Has anyone else tried Zumba?  I am a dancer - I've been in dance for nearly 20 years now, so of course this Zumba craze was intriguing to me.  Can you believe I've waited so long to try it?  My first try at it was on Monday night - I went to a Zumba class at the local Y.  I always was afraid it'd be too easy - I'm used to hardcore, leaps and turns, type of dancing.  Not the shake your booty for fun type of thing.

So what did I think.  Well, it was okay.  I know it probably depends on the teacher.  And I don't mean to be prejudice or anything (because I, myself, am overweight), but as soon as I saw that the instructor was overweight, I was turned off.  Before the class even started.  When I think of Zumba, I think of Latin.  When I think of Latin, I think of those sexy and curvaceous latinas.  Our instructor was not that at all.  I know, it sounds really mean, and I feel really bad saying this.  But it's the truth.  But I decided to stay and give it a try anyway.  

My boyfriend being Hispanic, I know a lot of the Hispanic songs.  I really love Latin/South American music - so fun to dance to.  But the songs the instructor picked out were not motivating.  Some of them a couple of them were fun, but the rest were just not Latin enough.  Sorry Beyonce, I know you're Bootylicious and you want all of us Single Ladies to embrace our single-hood; I just don't want to dance to your music when I'm in a LATIN class.  

Will I give it another try?  Maybe.  It will have to be a different instructor.  And I do have a Zumba game for my XBox 360 Kinect that I plan on trying (that way I can pick out my own songs).  It just sucks that instructors like that can ruin a class for someone only on their first try.  I know enough to know that not all Zumba classes should be treated equal, but some don't know that.  That's why gyms really need to be strict on who they hire as instructors, and make sure their instructors follow the tradition of the class they're teaching.