In the past couple months, I’ve had some time to take Zumba classes with other instructors at various facilities around Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. It is so fun to be jumping around with the rest of the participants and just relaxing and having a good time. It is also important for me to experience what you all experience from your “side” of the room, so I can think about how to make my classes better for you.
The first thing that really stands out in my mind is to keep the steps simple and easy-to-learn, but still fun and interesting. Of course I knew this already but the occasional reminder is very necessary!
Second, variety in music is important. We all have different tastes, and if one song isn’t my cup of tea, hopefully the next song will be more to my liking.
There were other things I noticed these other wonderful instructors doing, and hopefully I can incorporate their methods to improve my teaching. But the final thing I wanted to share here is something for both of us to keep in mind: It’s very easy to coast when you’re not in front of the room, and especially easy in spaces with no mirrors. Now, understandably when a song is new and the steps unfamiliar, we are more tentative as we concentrate on learning the moves.
However, once we have a feel for the dance, it’s time to rev up the energy and put some intensity behind our movements– even in the slower songs. Getting feet and hands in the right place is one thing, but actually putting in the extra “oomph” so that our time in class results in an effective workout…. well, that requires some internal motivation! So let’s all make it a goal to push ourselves a little extra during our Zumba classes together. It’s especially important this time of year filled with sweet temptations!