ZUMBA!
The name itself makes you want to do it—whatever it is.

Zumba is, according to Sarasota’s Zumba guru, Amelia Said, “a creative mix of cardiovascular exercise and freestyle dance timed to Latin, Middle Eastern, African, and rock ’n’ roll music.” The steps are derived from traditional Latin dance, including the merengue, salsa, mambo, rumba, flamenco and calypso.

Zumba is a Colombian word that means to move fast and have fun—and that’s exactly what her students do, explains Said, who teaches Zumba classes at the Berlin branch of the Sarasota YMCA. “The routine itself is easy to follow,” she says. Her students range from kids as young as five years old up to people in their 80s.

Zumba was created by Alberto Perez, a Colombian fitness trainer, who “walked into his aerobics class one day without his music,” says Said. Perez’s only option was to grab whatever tapes he had in his car, which happened to be a mix of his favorite dance music. Soon, the class found itself swaying to funky new rhythms, and they liked it so much they asked for more.

Perez worked on structuring Zumba into a teachable fitness regime. In 1999, he was approached by some entrepreneurs who said they’d help him Zumbacize the world of fitness. Apparently it worked, because there are now more than 2,000 Zumba instructors worldwide.

Said, who is also a kickboxing instructor and personal trainer, assures the less swift of foot among us that we don’t have to know how to dance to Zumba.

“Just flow with the rhythms—and get ready to party!” she says.

Sarasota YMCA, Berlin Branch, 1075 S. Euclid Ave., Sarasota; (941) 955-8194; or (941) 266-8511.