Zumba – Ditch the Workout, Join the Party!
I stepped into my first Zumba class spring 2010. I only had to go a few times before I knew I had to be an instructor. By September 2010, I was licensed to teach Zumba Gold + Zumbatomic (now called Zumba Kids) and began teaching my first classes at the seminary’s gym. It was the best group of ladies to begin my Zumba journey with, as they were all energetic, excited, had a passion for dancing and Jesus. I could always try harder moves with them and would learn whether it worked or not. It was a judgement free zone (which all of my Zumba classes are that way – I am genuinely happy that each and every person shows up to my class each time and never judge them.) – I knew that I could easily mess up, laugh at myself, and move on.
After a year of teaching two nights a week at the seminary, I had the opportunity to start a Zumba Kids class at the Hamilton YMCA. From there, classes began rolling in. I ended up taking over a Monday morning class from an instructor that became injured and soon followed with a class at the Princeton YMCA. It’s been a fun ride, learning how to have confidence in front of complete strangers, laughing at mistakes made during a routine you’ve done a million times, and meeting people from all over the world.
August 2013 I was able to fulfill a dream of going to the Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando, FL. I received two more licenses (Sentao and Toning), met some incredible instructors, and was recharged with a passion to be a better instructor.
