• STEP BY STEP: A basic guide to break down the steps
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• ACTIVATE: A 45-minute, easy-to-follow class to get you started
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• RIPPED: Body sculpting featuring Zumba® Toning and Zumba Sentao™ programs
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• EXHILARATE: The original full-length fitness-party experience
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• RUSH: A 20-minute workout to amp you up
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• MIX: A rhythmic journey around the world
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• FITNESS CONCERT: Experience the party live
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Zumba Fitness? What is It?

 

Back in the mid 1990s, celebrity fitness trainer “Beto” Perez learned the concept of dance fitness inspired by Latin rhythms and dance routines in his native Colombia. It happened when he went to his aerobics class but had forgotten the music, so as a hasty backup, he grabbed some cassette tapes he had in his backpack. These included music of traditional Latin salsa and meringue, which he had been listening to all through his life.

By improvising, Beto gave his class and found to his surprise that his students so enjoyed their workout and got so much from it that he realized he had the makings of a revolutionary new concept in aerobic fitness. The Zumba Fitness Party was born and very soon, the class became the most popular at his fitness facility. These days, the Zumba program has expanded and is now taught at over 50,000 locations across 75 different countries. It has also sold millions of DVDs which have changed the lives of the many lovers of Zumba worldwide. To date, Zumba classes attract an estimated 6 million participants every week!

 

About Zumba Fitness
The Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System includes four DVDs and two toning sticks. Zumba Fitness® is the only Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends red-hot international music, created by Grammy Award-winning producers, and contagious steps to form a "fitness-party" that is downright addictive. Since its inception in 2001, Zumba Fitness has grown to become the world's largest and most successful dance-fitness program with more than 10 million people of all shapes, sizes, and ages taking weekly Zumba classes in over 90,000 locations across more than 110 countries.

A fitness instructor in his native Cali, Colombia, the life of Zumba program's founder, Alberto "Beto" Perez, took an unexpected turn one fateful day in the mid-'90s. He darted off to teach an aerobics class and forgot his traditional aerobics music, so he improvised using his own mix of music from tapes he had in his backpack (the salsa and merengue music he grew up with). Spontaneously, he created a new kind of dance-fitness, one that focused on letting the music move you (instead of counting reps over the music). Energy electrified the room; people couldn't stop smiling. His class loved it! And on that day, a revolutionary new fitness concept was born--the Zumba Fitness-Party.

 In 2001, Beto brought his new dance-fitness style to Miami, Florida, and, through a student (Alberto Perlman's mom), met entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion. All three hailed from Colombia and all three had a vision to bring this dynamic dance-fitness class to the masses. The three Albertos formed an alliance and created a business, calling it Zumba Fitness. They trademarked the word Zumba® and set a goal to expand the brand all over the world. First came the DVDs, then the infomercial--which introduced the Zumba Fitness-Party to the public on a wide-scale basis. That followed with the demand for Zumba classes and Zumba instructors and then the company took off and the Zumba program expanded in a big way. By 2005, Zumba Fitness spawned a full-fledged Zumba Academy to license Zumba Instructors to teach Zumba classes. More expansion followed with the launch of Zumbawear apparel and accessories, music CDs, and in 2008, one of the bestselling at-home fitness DVD series ever--the Zumba Fitness® Total Body Transformation System--which starred Beto and introduced Zumba Fitness' newest stars, Tanya Beardsley and Gina Grant. In 2010, Zumba shook the ground by being the first branded fitness program to launch a video game on all three major gaming platforms: Wii, Xbox, and PS3.

Fast forward to today, the Zumba program is now taught in gyms and studios all over the world to millions of Zumba enthusiasts. And as the program continues to evolve from its humble beginnings, to a global movement, to a way of life--its growth has only deepened the company's commitment to providing accessible fitness, without the strain, without the sacrifice, just the pure joy of a party.