musingsofazumbamind
Musings.of.a.Zumba.Mind
My professional and personal thoughts along my ten year epic journey with Zumba® Fitness.
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This #wcw shout out goes to Kass Martin. Yes, I am shamelessly posting this because you know I really want you to join us at our Zumba® Fitness ZINversary Master Class. But I also want you to know who she is, and how lucky I've been to know her.
Yes, she's totally on the Zumba DVD's you find at Walmart, and part of the Zumba® 6 Week Transformation Program -- even her likeness is on the Zumba Fitness gift cards you buy online or the Zumbawear ads for the past decade. She leads songs on many of our instructor training volumes, she has shared the fitness concert stage at Zumba Instructor Conventions in the past, and will have multiple sessions at #ZINCON 2023.
But... the reasons I really love her all started after a short talk we had years ago. I once flew to Katy, Texas for a Pro Skills one day training, and then flew directly to Chicago the next morning for a Master Class, both with Kass (and Steve, my other fitness crush). She picked me to lead a drill in the training, and although I was nervous, she told me, "I already know you can do it." That automatic, effortless confidence in me unlocked a new confidence for ME, and it's been there ever since. That long-ago weekend with MaryBeth in Texas and then my Chicago crew the next day, every compliment gifted to me in that 48 hour span, left me speechless for a long time, and made me a wholly different instructor.
I know I'm "just a ZIN member" but Kass's belief in me, then and now, make me feel like a million bucks. And I hope I spread that same love to others, I hope I make you feel like you can truly be yourself and believe in yourself, because I believe in you, too!
#zumba#zumbafitness#zumbalove#zumbainstructor#dancefitness#zinmembers#zinmembersrock#fitness#zinmember#dance#kassmartin#veronawildkass
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When you just really like your choreographer friends, when you love their vibe and you want to vibe with them, you rent a school gym and get ready to party! I can’t wait to see Karen and Jazmyn again in full force, in real life, and with all of you smiling back up at us! This party is $10 but worth every penny, and we hope you join us and share your energy with us as we try and make our dreams come true!
#zumba#zumbafitness#zumbalove#zumbalife#zumbamom#zumbainstructor#zinmember#zinmembers#zinmembersrock#fitness#dance#dancefitness#cardio#workout#heartstopper#pump#lifting#strong#staystrong
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Wowza, friends. This new @zumba class at @crunchmadison is SOMETHING ELSE. You HAVE to join us on Thursdays, this therapy comes THROUGH 🔥 #crunch #crunchmadison #zumba #zumbafitness #zumbalove #slayitloud #slayiytstrong #thursday #therapy #thursdaymotivation #fitness #family #fitnessfriends #forever #just #doit #getitin #getlow #twerkit #whynot #loveyourself #today #mypeople (at Crunch Fitness) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp3viuvtdQD/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#crunch#crunchmadison#zumba#zumbafitness#zumbalove#slayitloud#slayiytstrong#thursday#therapy#thursdaymotivation#fitness#family#fitnessfriends#forever#just#doit#getitin#getlow#twerkit#whynot#loveyourself#today#mypeople
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Happy #zumbawearthursday where you feel like FIRE, even in the cold! @zumbawear @zumbawearcanada @zumba @zincommunity @melaniecan #zumba #zumbalife #zumbawear #zinmember #zumbarocks #always #thanks #thanksfordancing #smiling Welcome to Wisconsin! Camera by @qtheeskimo34 (at Oregon, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CoKTBd3ObP9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#zumbawearthursday#zumba#zumbalife#zumbawear#zinmember#zumbarocks#always#thanks#thanksfordancing#smiling
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Let’s dance! 3x with me this week and it’s a new playlist for October, with a merengue by @maxpizzolante and a bachata by @romeosantos and @justintimberlake 🔥 I’m so incredibly lucky to still love @zumba like I do — after 13 years, I keep bringing you new energy and new choreo each month and your smiles feed me in return. See you soon! #zumba #zumbafitness #zumbawear #zumbaworldwide #zumbaworld #choreo #zumbamoves #allidoiszin #zinmember #zincommunity #zumbalove #vintage #45029 @zumba.virtual @zumba All times Chicago, USA ♥️ DM me for Zoom link (at Oregon, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjRCpGCpGdH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#zumba#zumbafitness#zumbawear#zumbaworldwide#zumbaworld#choreo#zumbamoves#allidoiszin#zinmember#zincommunity#zumbalove#vintage#45029
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Such a misty, magical day with this kid. He just loves every layer of nature and animal life, it makes me appreciate being outdoors even more. Thank you, Eugster's Farm Market, for the memoroes. Oh, and the apple cider donut didn’t hurt! #apple #orchard #pumpkin #patch #fall #harvest #teentime #familytime #youpick #youpickflowers #qualitytime @eugstersfarmmarket (at Eugster's Farm Market) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ci5tkuwpZTR/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Today ended smashingly, thank you students and families and teachers, so ready to rock another school year! ♥️💛💚Dress by @akesestylelines with Kente fabric from Ghana. Cute toddler is @josephst12’s and straight up Wisconsin, eating stolen tomatoes from the neighbor’s garden. #kente #ghana #akwaaba #firstdayofschool #school #secretary @jenniferakese (at Verona, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch-9p_rpHRV/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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“No stress, relax, let life roll off our backs…” It’s only the first day of school, and like a friend says, each day is a chance - each day is a choice! I choose to be pro-public education, pro-Union, proudly anti-racist and proudly allied with my @pflag family! @neatoday @wisconsineducationmatters @educationweek @myweac #avenueq #mystreet #sesamestreet #kindness #active #allyship #vasdschools (at Oregon, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ch9q-vGuTep/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Why not come to class and shake it a little? (Or a lot!) Life’s too short to sit out on all the fun! And I have one new Balkan song that I learned last weekend to add to the mix 😎 Virtual Zumba Fitness Thursdays 6pm Chicago time on Zoom Fridays 6pm at Princeton Club - Fitchburg #zumba #zoomba #zumbafitness #proskills #dembow #fitnessclass #zumbalove #zumbawear @zumba @zincommunity @zumba.virtual @zumbawear (at Madison, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cgj2Nb6LTB_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Three “happy hours” with me this week, and then I’ll be sharing smiles with friends in a Jam session and MC on Sunday in Illinois! Tuesday 6pm Platteville Middle School, Thursday 6pm #zoomba virtual, Friday 6pm Princeton Club - Fitchburg DM me for class passes or info! #zumba #zumbafitness #zumbainstructor #zincommunity #allidoiszin #zinmember #proskills #happyhour #happy #shades #nofilter @zumba 📷 @qtheeskimo34 (at Madison, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CgLLD7wtBwE/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#zoomba#zumba#zumbafitness#zumbainstructor#zincommunity#allidoiszin#zinmember#proskills#happyhour#happy#shades#nofilter
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From my @zumba B1 manual, September 12, 2009: “Zumba is a dance/fitness program inspired by Latin and International rhythms, creaa add red by Artistic Director, @zumbabeto. Because of its unique Formula, non-verbal application and emphasis on musicality, Zumba can be taught anywhere on the planet. Music and dance are universal languages.” PREACH! Almost 13 years in and I’m still speaking these universal truths, these love languages with my people. ♥️ #zumba #zumbabeto #zincommunity #zinmembers #zumbafitness #zumbainstructor #universal #language #sing and #dance #smile and #speak the #truth (at Middleton High School) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeezgpmpkQj/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#zumba#zumbabeto#zincommunity#zinmembers#zumbafitness#zumbainstructor#universal#language#sing#dance#smile#speak#truth
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Get me off my Spotify!
I find Release Radar to be the best way to start my week. Every weekend I take a listen on Spotity to what is brand new in the world and in the realm of what I already enjoy. This particular playlist is called “Release Radar” and it’s LIFE. Each song, each artist, is pulled from the algorithm of what I currently hear in my playlists and what I just might need to start hearing. It’s inspiring, it’s brand new and it brings me so much joy. Even if I don’t love every song, I love hearing what artists are making, especially across the world and most definitly together.
For instance, any song with Ed Sheerhan and a non-western artist are my favorite songs at the top of this list. Always.
This week has got me thinking I need to start creating again, and to get on YouTube with my creations on the regular. The salsa remixes of two songs in particular are really grabbing me. The acoustic version of a Koffee song lends itself to a new choreographed stretch and I hear at least one new step-touch warm up. The options are endless!
And the time I would would need to do this is non-existent. Sadly, for every song I would love to learn and choreograph, every move that pops in my mind as I listen, I have another task that needs completing before I can create again. This time of year is so full -- end of year tasks at work, summer planning and deadlines, and family events -- it’s all a whirlwind. I find myself not sleeping deeply at night as I process what I will need to do the next day. It’s a vicious cycle being a mom, wife, school secretary, fitness fan all at once the first week of June. There is no time for creation, only task after task to completion.
Here we go. Let’s turn off the Spotify and tackle these last few days of school and the first few days of summer, and try to enjoy each minute, each moment, like a gift in time.
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How I build an event playlist
I’ve been reflecting today about my “how” before I start to build the playlist for an upcoming event. It’s always daunting, to relinquish some of the responsibility to other instructors by asking for songs. I start with a firm request, that any ideas submitted are diverse in every way -- rhythms, artists, song lengths, year of release, speeds and feel. Inevitably, one instructor tends songs that sound similar, not considering them the same rhythm and only cousins within a genre, and another instructor sends the exact opposite they are asked. For instance, if I lead with “please don’t send soca, salsa or cha-cha,” then those are the three exact rhythms they send me. None of this is malicious, and at this point in my career, it’s all reason to laugh.
The best gift I give myself in this process is warning the volunteer instructors how picky I am in creating a balanced and representational playlist. In any given class, the adventure through song is like an adventure around the world, so when an event comes along it is our duty to make that same trip. Every instructor is so different as they teach but the heart of every playlist for any instructor is the same -- merengue, salsa, reggaeton and cumbia make up the building blocks of what makes Zumba ® Fitness, Zumba ® Fitness. And I love that! I love knowing that almost anywhere I go, the playlist will at least have four feelings, not just rhythms or moves, to be felt altogether.
Hosting a larger event, either master class or fundraiser, holds potential for an even more diverse playlist because the class is naturally longer. The trip we can take is bigger, more scenic and more unique based on the songs we can share and the feel of the music. This is also due to having more than one instructor, one passion, one light to shine; because each of us is so different, the contributions we make to the playlist and the adventure around the world is different, as well.
After I ask for variety, I ask that people be flexible, because inevitably, trying to make the most diverse “trip around the world” leads to getting lost. And it’s important to be willing to look back to the plan and right ourselves if we are headed in the wrong direction. Often times at events I hear six salsas in two hours, six stops at the same restaurant in the same favorite city. Yes, leaving our home counts as a trip, and a trip to another country counts as an adventure, but only leaving home to go where we are comfortable is not the intent of this trip!
Next, I write all song choices and their instructor’s name on an index card, and color code the deck of cards by color, with colorful lines across the top. Brazilian songs are always blue, red is always salsa, merengue is usually yellow and cumbia is green like a cool cucumber. All the other rhythms each have their own color, even if I have to group them in a “cousin group” like all kinds of pop or hip hop, which tend to be pink.
And last, I shuffle the deck and place the cards by color in each “half” of the two hour event, in two tall lines on the floor. This means there is a pink, a yellow, a green, etc. in each half. Then I shuffle within each half so that all instructors are featured in both half and that they have at least 3 songs between each of what they lead, so they have natural breaks for having fun and catching their breath! It’s easy to get sucked into solid fun and forget to take breaks on adventures like this.
Once the colors, instructors, and cards all play out, I stack them back up and type the songs in order into a spreadsheet. That sheet then prints out as the song list for the event. I’ve learned that by the time I build the playlist that my instructors have already started wondering if they should change songs, or might need to bow out of the event, so I pray to the playlist for forgiveness, that somehow it knows it will need to change before the weekend. (It always forgives me... it somehow knows the changes are for the better.) Then the songs from the spreadsheet get made into a ZIN Play list on my phone to blend for the event, and an iTunes playlist and a Spotify playlist as back up.
And that’s it, that’s how I take a short trip around the world, representing at least four continents and five languages, and two solid hours of adventure. Hopefully the trip is a fun one where all are welcome!
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The feeing in the room on Sunday was truly ELECTRIC. There’s just nothing like the joy of connecting with 250 smiles, 500 happy eyes, especially for a cause like this. Let’s all support Ukraine, and donate our time, talents or money as we can to make the world a better place! Let’s keep this joy going 💙💛💙💛💙 Thank you, @raedesign for the photos and the fun — this event could not have happened without your hard work. @princetonclub New Berlin, we appreciate you for hosting! #zumba #zumbafitness #zumbathon #zumbalove #ukraine #dance #support #supportukraine (at Princeton Club - New Berlin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CcRVlH7JBKc/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
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Some date nights end up being @zumbawear photo shorts 🤷🏽♀️ #allidoiszin #zinmember #zinmembers #zumba #zumbawear #cameraman #shiny (at The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. - Fitchburg) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbqjT_aJStJ/?utm_medium=tumblr
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Looking ahead to all the fun we’ll have this week… I’m just like… whoa. Is my life really this full of gratitude? Find my classes and join my family at Ameliam.zumba.com #gratitude #givemesun #sunshine #attitudeofgratitude #zumbafitness #zumba #nofilter #necessary #zumbawear (at Oregon, Wisconsin) https://www.instagram.com/p/CbJC3mhpG2J/?utm_medium=tumblr
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Let’s dance! Let’s party! We need some joy to share, something positive to look forward to in this odd and chaotic, sometimes hopeless time. Join fellow ZCOM rep and @zincommunity member @karennerdgoddess and I in Verona, Wisconsin, USA for our passion with a purpose! 90 minutes for $10 in advance, $15 at the door. This party is open to the public and full of Latin and world music flavor. We can’t wait to see you there! #zumba #class #bff #bestie #zumbafitness #zumbawear #zumbalove #masterclass #youarethereason #justdance #party #withapurpose (at Glacier Edge Elementary) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca8xt8YshyO/?utm_medium=tumblr
#zumba#class#bff#bestie#zumbafitness#zumbawear#zumbalove#masterclass#youarethereason#justdance#party#withapurpose
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