Latin music and groups of sweaty coeds. Salsa? No. Something newer with a flashier name: Zumba.
Room 207 of the Student Activities Center is set for a capacity of 50 people. At 4 p.m. every Tuesday and Thursday, it is straining at its limits as students crowd in for Zumba class.
Zumba is part of the new series of fitness classes being offered by the Student Activities Center. Most of the classes sound familiar -- yoga, step and kickboxing are standard fitness options that appear on the roster of classes. But then there's Zumba.
Zumba began as an accident in the mid '90s. Columbian fitness trainer "Beto" Perez forgot the usual music for his aerobics class. He improvised with the music he had in his car, traditional Latin salsa and meringue tapes. Perez designed choreography for the class as he conducted it, and Zumba was born.
It has since been launched in America and is now taught in 75 countries at more than 40,000 locations. The program has also launched three DVD collections. Zumba combines an aerobic workout with Latin dance moves, but you don't have to come from a dance background to enjoy the class.
"I couldn't do some of the dance moves, but it was a lot of fun," said Hanna Pettus, a freshman in horticulture. She said she thinks she'll return to the class again.
Sydney Miller, a junior in secondary education, Meghan Brooks, a senior in biomedical sciences, and Haley Trammel, a junior in human development and family studies, all participated in the class. Brooks was the only one of the trio who comes from a significant dance background.
All the girls say they enjoyed the class and want to come back.
The atmosphere in the room is definitely one of fun. As the class begins, some students seem unsure of themselves, looking around at neighboring friends and giggling at some of the dance moves. But by the end of the 45-minute class, all are drenched in sweat and seem to have forgotten any initial embarrassment or apprehension.
Zumba is popular, that is certain. The room has nearly wall-to-wall mirrors, but many students are stranded on the sides, left to look at royal blue concrete blocks for three-quarters of an hour. Some may wonder why the Student Activities Center is adding so many fitness classes in lieu of the upcoming construction of the new Rec Center.
If students become involved in and aware of these classes now, they are more likely to stay active in them and make the new Rec Center a popular place. Adding more classes now is also a good move because Auburn students will be using the current Student Activities Center for a few years to come. A complete schedule of all fitness classes offered during the fall semester can be found on the Student Activities Center's Web site.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
