Quick Facts
Biography
Zumba is an exercise fitness program created by Colombian dancer and cyclist/choreographer Alberto "Beto" "Power Pedal" Perez during the 1990s. Zumba is a trademark owned by Zumba Fitness, LLC. The Brazilian pop singer Claudia Leitte has become the international ambassador to Zumba Fitness.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included. Zumba Fitness, the owner of the Zumba program, does not charge licensing fees to gyms or fitness centers. Approximately 15 million people take weekly Zumba classes in over 200,000 locations across 180 countries.
Origin
Zumba was founded in the mid-1990s by Perez in Cali, Colombia. In 2001, Perez partnered with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, and the trio released a series of fitness videos sold via infomercial. Insight Venture Partners and the Raine Group made an investment in 2012. The company expanded into class instruction and by 2015, according to Perlman, there were 14 million Zumba students in 186 countries.
The name "Zumba" has no particular meaning; it was chosen arbitrarily as a brand name.
Classes
Zumba classes are typically about an hour long and are taught by instructors licensed by Zumba Fitness, LLC. In one Zumba class, a person can burn between 500-1000 calories, depending on the energy put forth. The music comes from the following dance styles: cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, hip hop music, axé music and tango.
There are nine types of classes, for different levels of age and exertion.
- Zumba Gold is a program designed for beginners and older people.
- Zumba Step is a lower-body workout that incorporates Zumba routines and step aerobics with Latin dance rhythms.
- Zumba Toning is for people who do their workouts with toning sticks. It targets the abs, thighs, arms, and other muscles throughout the body. This type of Zumba class provides participants with a cardio workout and strength training.
- Aqua Zumba classes are held in a swimming pool. The instructor leads the class poolside while participants follow in shallow water. Moves have been specially adapted to combine the same dance movements used in a Zumba Fitness class with those used in aqua fitness classes.
- Zumba in the Circuit combines dance with circuit training. These classes usually last 30 minutes and feature strength exercises on various stations in timed intervals.
- Zumba Kids and Zumba Kids Jr. classes are designed for children between the ages of 7 and 11.
- Zumba Gold-Toning is a toning class for older participants with goals of improving muscle strength, posture, mobility, and coordination.
- Zumba Sentao is a chair workout that focuses on using body weight to strengthen and tone the body.
- Strong by Zumba was launched in 2016. This specialty combines high intensity interval training with Synced Music Motivation.
Zumba instructors have the option to become ZIN™ Members (Zumba Instructor Network members) to receive bimonthly training DVDs to assist with the creation of music and choreography for their personal Zumba classes.
Because Zumba offers different options, proponents of the Zumba program claim that it is safe for all ages, meaning that anyone from age 0 to 100 can participate in this form of aerobic exercise. At least some of the classes are specifically aimed at elderly people, to help them build strength, improve motion and posture, and socialize.
Legal status
In August 2017, Zumba was banned in Iran for being un-Islamic.
Events
ZINCON
Zumba hosts the annual ZINcon in the US, where Zumba instructors from all over the world are reunited and attend master classes, specialty training, and a Zumba concert.
Zumba Cruise
In January 2015, the first Zumba Cruise took place.
Zumba Academy
In addition to the Annual Zumba Convention, Zumba also holds a number of shorter one-day Academies where instructors can meet and attend master classes and rhythm sessions. These events are held in cities in mainland Europe and the UK.
Products
In 2005, the Zumba Academy was launched to license instructors for teaching Zumba classes.
DVDs and CDs
Zumba sold DVDs via infomercials in 2002. More than 10 million DVDs have been sold.
In July 2012, Zumba released the compilation album Zumba Fitness Dance Party.
Clothing
In 2007 the company launched a clothing line called Zumba Wear. As of 2012, official apparel sales amounted to $10 million per year.
Video games
In 2010 Zumba released its first fitness video game on November 30, 2010. As of August 2011, it had sold 3 million copies.
The Zumba Fitness 2 video game was released in November 2011. A similar game was released on the Xbox 360 as Zumba Fitness Rush in February 2012.
Zumba Fitness Core was released in October 2012 for the Wii and Xbox 360. The game includes new features such as nutrition tips and ability to set personal goals.
Zumba Fitness: World Party was released on November 5, 2013. It features a new World Tour mode that unlocks songs from seven global destinations as a player progresses, as well as authentic customs, local rhythms and native dance styles.
The game was followed by Zumba Kids on November 19, 2013.
All of the Zoë Mode-developed Zumba titles run on Epic Games' Unreal Engine 3.
Games
- Zumba Fitness (2010)
- Zumba Fitness 2 / Zumba Fitness Rush (2011)/(2012)
- Zumba Fitness Core (2012)
- Zumba Fitness: World Party (2013)
- Zumba Kids (2013)