Splashing Into Fitness

Three master Zumba Trainers descend on Kochi, making waves.

- Rheanna Mathews

Who doesn’t know about Zumba® these days? 

A dance fitness programme created by Colombian dancer, Alberto ‘Beto’ Perez, during the 1990s, it is making waves all across the country. A byword for fun fitness routines, many have joined the bandwagon, not least because of the efforts of the many Zumba instructors strategically placed across the world. Although Kerala was a little slow to the race, we’re catching up quick.

Maria Browning, Master Trainer and Zumba Education Specialist (ZES™), Sucheta Pal, lead ZES for India and Shweta Pratap Singh, the first ZES in Kerala, talk to us about Zumba life and the positive effects it has, be it a lifestyle or even a professional choice.

Instructor (ZIN™ ) in Kentucky. I later became a master trainer for Zumba. It was the first time I had felt so passionate about my work.

What made you choose Zumba as a career?

I moved from Colombia (my native country) to Kentucky, US. My sister who used to live near Miami, where Zumba was initiated, started taking Zumba classes at her gym. She told me how these classes were so much fun and how it almost felt like we were back in Colombia. But when I searched for Zumba classes in Kentucky, I realised there weren’t any. So I went to Ohio and registered for a class that Beto (Alberto Pérez) was teaching. I ended up being the first Zumba

From a synchronised swimmer to an Aqua Zumba instructor, what has the change been like?