Free Zumba classes now offered at Muskingum

  Zumba classes are now in session. Classes are Tuesdays from 5 to 6 p.m. in the Chess Social Hall. They are free to all Muskingum University students and there is no need to sign up.

  "You can just show up and come anytime you want and as often as you can," said Coordinator of Student Involvement Gina Tamburro, who is also the instructor of the class.

  Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness course created by dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez in 1990. The dance originated in Columbia. It incorporates dance and aerobic elements.

  "Zumba is based on interval training, so you do a warm up, and gradually bring your heart rate up, and then you do intervals," said Tamburro. "We'll do some [fast] songs, and get your heart rate up, and then bring it down, and then bring it up again, as a way of aerobic exercise to train the body."

  The choreography consists of hip-hop, samba, salsa, merengue, mambo, martial arts, Bollywood, and belly dancing. The music used for Zumba uses fast and slow rhythms and resistance training for fitness and losing weight.

  "During class we do between 16 and 18 songs with interval training of all different levels," said Tamburro. "Some are hard cardiovascularly on your body. We do all different songs. It's a Latin-based exercise program so a lot of the songs are Latin but we mix in hip-hop, some African beats, just kind of depends on what song we are doing but a lot of different things. And it's a whole body work out so you're dancing so you are using your legs but we do a lot of abs and core work as well as arm work."

  Although the class is voluntary it is recommended that you attended more than once due to the fast pace it can be hard to keep up at first.

  "I definitely encourage people and tell people it's generally a three-class-class, meaning that the first time you try it you're going to be kind of intimidated," said Tamburro. "You won't catch on to all the moves right away, which is totally fine, if you come back for the second class, when you come back you kind of realize [you] can do this a little better, [you] remember some of the moves and it brings you back for a third time. You know at that third time [you] really do remember this now, [you] can actually catch on and do it, you work up more of a sweat and kind of work into the actual work out of the class."

  This was the case for one of students attending the classes. She stuck with it and was glad she did.

  "The first class I had no clue what I was doing, but after a few classes I picked it up and really enjoy the feeling I get after I finish a class," said junior Libby Johnson. "I can't wait until my foot gets better so I can attend the classes again."

  The students in Tamburro's class had nothing but good things to say about her and how she interacts with her class.

  "She does a really good job at not only making you feel like you can do it, but laughing with you to make you enjoy it because none of us are really that good at it," said senior Katie Day.

  The class is currently all girls but guys are welcome to join in too.

  "It's a lot of fun and I'd be interested to see guys start coming to it too," said Day. "Us girls, we have a lot of fun with it but I don't know why anyone wouldn't enjoy it. Even if you're not any good at it, you can at least laugh at yourself for an hour."