Zumba


Zumba is an exercise fitness program created by Colombian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Pérez during the 1990s. Zumba is a trademark owned by Zumba Fitness, LLC. The Brazilian pop singer Claudia Leitte has become the international ambassador to Zumba Fitness.

Origin

Zumba was founded in 1998 by Pérez in Cali, Colombia. Pérez, an aerobics instructor, forgot to bring his regular music to his aerobics class. He happened to have cassette tapes of Latin dance music—salsa and merengue—and danced to them instead, which Pérez later taught as "Rumbacize". In 2001, Pérez partnered with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, and the trio released a series of fitness videos sold via infomercial. Insight Venture Partners and the Raine Group made an investment in 2012. The company expanded into class instruction and by 2015, according to Perlman, there were 14 million Zumba students in 186 countries.
The word "Zumba" is a neologism that was expressly created as a brand name. The original name was "Rumbacize", a combination of rumba and Jazzercize.

Choreography

Zumba choreography is composed using all or some of the sixteen core steps. There are four basic rhythms: salsa, reggaeton, merengue and cumbia, and each basic rhythm has four core steps.

Classes

Zumba classes are typically about an hour long and are taught by instructors licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC. In one Zumba class, a person can burn up to 600 kcal, depending on the energy put forth. The music comes from the following dance styles: cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, hip hop music, axé music and tango. Zumba is one of the most versatile fitness workouts, as classes can be geared for any fitness level.
There are ten types of classes, for different levels of age and exertion.
Zumba instructors have the option to become ZIN™ Members to receive monthly music and bimonthly training DVDs to assist with the creation of music and choreography for their personal Zumba classes. By 2019, there are more than 100,000 Zumba instructors around the world.

DVDs

Zumba is a total-body cardio and aerobic workout, which provides a large calorie consumption. A study shows that a person burns 300 to 900kcal with an hour-long Zumba exercise.
Because Zumba offers different options, proponents of the Zumba program claim that it is safe for all ages, meaning that anyone from age 0 to 100 can participate in this form of aerobic exercise. Some of the classes are specifically aimed at elderly people, to help them build strength, improve motion and posture, and socialize.
Besides its high calorie burning benefit, Zumba can help lower the risk of heart disease, reduce the blood pressure and bad cholesterol, and increase your good cholesterol.

Legal status

In June 2017, Zumba was banned in Iran for being un-Islamic. Shortly after, in August 2017, six people were arrested after being accused of 'trying to change lifestyles' by teaching Zumba.

Events

The annual ZINcon takes place in the US, where Zumba instructors from all over the world are reunited and attend master classes, speciality training and a Zumba concert. In addition to the Annual Zumba Convention, Zumba also holds a number of shorter one-day Academies where instructors can meet and attend master classes and rhythm sessions. These events are held in cities globally. In January 2016, the first Zumba Cruise took place.

Products

In 2005, the Zumba Academy was launched to license instructors for teaching Zumba classes. Zumba sold DVDs via infomercials in 2002. More than 10 million DVDs have been sold. In July 2012, Zumba released the compilation album Zumba Fitness Dance Party. In 2007 the company launched a clothing line called Zumba Wear. As of 2012, official apparel sales amounted to $10 million per year.
In 2010 Zumba released its first fitness video game on 30 November 2010., it had sold 3 million copies. The Zumba Fitness 2 video game was released in November 2011. A similar game was released on the Xbox 360 as Zumba Fitness Rush in February 2012. Zumba Fitness Core was released in October 2012 for the Wii and Xbox 360. The game includes new features such as nutrition tips and ability to set personal goals. was released on 5 November 2013. It features a new World Tour mode that unlocks songs from seven global destinations as a player progresses, as well as authentic customs, local rhythms and native dance styles. The game was followed by Zumba Kids on 19 November 2013. All of the Zoë Mode-developed Zumba titles run on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3. In November 2019, Zumba Burn It Up! was released by 505 Games, for the Nintendo Switch, the first Zumba game in 6 years. It will be released in Japan on June 18, 2020.