What Is Zumba?
A fitness company known for its Latin dance-based group classes
Zumba is one of the best-known fitness organizations in the world, with more than 200,000 class locations available in 180 countries. And while the brand is best known for its signature "Zumba" Latin dance fitness class, the company offers several additional workout formats, from strength training to kid's fitness classes and even water aerobics classes.
Each workout involves highly choreographed movements set to upbeat salsa and international music. Essentially, Zumba is a fun, high-energy workout experience that keeps you excited to exercise and return for more.
What Is Zumba?
Zumba's most well-known and popular program is its namesake class, Zumba. This dance class features high- and low-intensity intervals that help improve cardiovascular fitness while also enhancing balance, coordination, agility, and to some degree, strength through the application of beginner-accessible choreography.
Classes typically consist of Latin-inspired songs, starting with a slower warm-up song, building intensity throughout the workout, and ending with a cool-down song. Even if you're not a strong dancer, the choreography is repetitive and designed to be built upon, so most people will catch on to the moves as they go.
History of Zumba
Zumba was officially founded in the United States in 2001 by Alberto "Beto" Perez, a Colombian dancer who started the fitness class in the '90s in his home country. Perez's "rags to riches" story could be considered serendipity—he was teaching an aerobics class at his local gym when he realized he'd forgotten his usual music.
Why Is it Called Zumba?
Zumba is called such because of its similarity to the Cuban music genre rumba. Music is a big factor in these exercise classes, which the name brings to mind.
In 2000, Perez decided to launch his fitness class in the United States. In 2001, he partnered with two investors and released a series of three Zumba DVDs available through an infomercial.
The dance fitness concept wasn't new when Zumba rose to fame, but the high-energy fun of its classes was. Plus, Zumba's timing was ideal. In the early 2000s, large fitness centers, like 24 Hour Fitness and Lifetime Fitness were popping up everywhere, often including group fitness classes as a benefit of membership. These gyms were looking for unique classes to add to the draw of their clubs, and Zumba fit the bill.