Do you teach zumba? That was the question I received last week at a private salsa lesson I was giving. Zumba? To be honest with you I wasn’t familiar with the fitness dance craze that has taken over the nation. I looked into it and found some pretty interesting things about Zumba.

Zumba is a fitness program inspired by Latin dance. Zumba uses a variety of styles in its routines, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, mambo, rumba, flamenco, and calypso. Music selections include both fast and slow rhythms to help tone and sculpt the body as part of the workout.

The actual word “Zumba� is derived from a combination of a Colombian word along with samba and rumba.   Leave it up to us Colombians to come up with something novel like this!

Founded by Alberto “Beto� Perez (see the video I included in this post) the idea is to combine Latin rhythms with cardiovascular exercise to create an aerobic routine that is fun and enjoyable to perform.

I was shocked to find out that Zumba is big business too with DVD’s selling in excess of 3 million since its inception. The fitness program also has world-wide coverage, including 9,000 instructors worldwide ready to teach you Zumba. Many local YMCA’s, for example, have these lessons as part of their selection of classes and many people take advantage of them from Minneapolis to San Diego.

Although the movements are really nothing new for those of us familiar with Latin dance, I like how the program has been able to expand Latin dance to a segment of the population that otherwise might not be connected with it. As you see in the video here, soccer moms and anybody trying to lose weight have found great success with the fitness craze.

If any of you have experiences with Zumba, feel free to leave a comment and share it with the rest of the Ritmo Bello community.