There was definitely a party going on.
But instead of food and drinks, there were "whoops" and "yeahs" as folks dressed in workout clothes using lightweight dumbbells moved to the sounds of salsa music.
Welcome to Zumba, a Latin-inspired fitness class.
Zumba has been taught in the United States since 1999, and in Tucson for four years. One Zumba venue is the Move It! … and Lose It! fitness and dance studio at 250 N. Pantano Road.
There are various types of Zumba classes, according to the studio's owner, Patty Guilmartin.
"Zumba is an infusion of Latin dances - it's cumbia, salsa, belly dancing, flamenco, Calypso and mambo," according to Guilmartin, who said the average one-hour class can burn about 630 calories.
With class sizes capped at 25 people, there are Zumba classes for all types of people and nearly all ages.
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"The Zumba motto is 'Ditch the workout, join the party,' " Guilmartin said.
For Zumba toning participant Laura Hopkins, the classes are just a fun way to get in shape.
"The time goes by so fast that you don't even think about working out," she said.
Move It! … and Lose It! offers more than 50 classes each month. Classes cost$5, $6 or $7 each.
"I like the fact that the average person can come in and they can be quiet and shy at first, but it changes something inside of them," Guilmartin said. "Over the weeks, you will see them in the back and then they move up and up, and pretty soon they are up there having a great time."
Contact photographer David Sanders at 954-3153 or dsanders@azstarnet.com
