New Zumba Classes!!

I know that it's not exactly Spintronix, but I am getting really excited about the fact that I'll be teaching Zumba classes starting TOMORROW at Champs Fitness in Mountain View, MO. The class starts at 7:30pm and it's going to be an absolute blast. Then I'll be doing regular weekly classes of 7:30pm on Tuesdays and 5:30pm on Thursdays. I have been working hard to make sure I have great playlists all ready to go and the moves are going to be hot.

If you want to know a little bit about the history of my relationship with Zumba, know that it's a crazy one. I did some Zumba classes with Tish and with Mary and Pam way back in the day, but I never had a regular enough schedule to keep up with doing them very often. I even kept in better shape while I was doing them, and I loved it so much that I wanted to teach it in addition to all of the millions of other things I was doing at the time. I incorporated some Zumba dances into the Spintronix warm-up routine and life became more fun because of it. However, I didn't have the time, money, or energy to get out and get the training necessary to teach classes.

Then came Brazil. My roommate and I enrolled in some Zumba classes and also another class that is similar in structure but more hip hop in style called "Street Jam." We kept on one another about going every day and we both got into great shape. The instructor Wendell is an incredible human being and we both became very focused on making sure we made it to our classes. I started playing with the idea of becoming Zumba certified again and found that it was much easier to do since I was living right there in Rio de Janeiro, the capital of the Zumba craze in Brazil! My roommate and I both signed up and got our training down, and it was a fantastic experience. Another awesome point about it was that the woman who trained us was the girlfriend of our other dance teacher! Just one big happy family there in Brazil...

When I came back to the states, I had no intention of starting my own class just yet. With all of the new ideas I had for my biology classes, an offer to teach at the college level, and of course the new season of Spintronix fast approaching I just didn't think it would be something I would have time to do. But then, I started going to everyone's classes in the area - sometimes driving as far as an hour away - to get my Zumba fix. I went from dancing 8-10 hours per week to dancing 4 hours per week and having to drive at least two of those nights. It made things very stressful. So when the students of one class I was subbing for approached me about starting my own class, i definitely had a lot to consider! And of course, I decided I would... I mean, it would save on me driving far away and it would help me to keep developing myself as an instructor.

Now, I'm just super excited! If you are too, then I'll see you tomorrow!!!

<3 Jackie