Today, a girlfriend and I ventured to a Zumba class at our Community Centre. Being a lover of all things latin and spanish, I was counting down to the music being pumped up.
What an experience. There were six of us in the class. Four of us in our twenties, one lady roughly forties and a gentleman, perhaps fifties.
When I arrived I did not dare venture up to the studio. I sat outside and waited for my girlfriend to arrive. I felt like it was the first day of school. People milled around, a friendly lady passed and asked "Are you hear to Zumba?". My normal sarcasm screamed inwardly " No, I'm standing here in workout clothes for a shoot and ur blocking the light". Instead I smiled and "Yes" barely escaped my lips.
Eventually she arrived and we ventured upstairs. To find the instructor and same lady smiling. The instructor gave me a hug. I didn't know how to react. I was taken aback by such an open display of friendliness. The scenario replayed in my head throughout the class. "Perhaps I have been associating with too many a**holes and this is normal?" I thought as I tried to do some reggaeton shake mixed with a desperate "chest pop" (if that is what it's called).
I watched the lady at the front ( Miss Forty). She barely paid attention to the moves and was smiling from ear to ear. The gentleman booty popped, and did the salsa, swaying with his imaginary partner like there was no tomorrow. While the rest of us were still learning, he had all the moves down like he was the instructor himself, the first 5 minutes in he was breaking a sweat like I don't know what.
After the first ten minutes, all inhibitions flew out the window, and I was poppin, doing some shoulder movement, thrusts and gyrations like no tomorrow. Sweat poured and stress seemed to be lost. We laughed and danced , embraced our sexy side with some 'tude and sauntered around like we were in a video (I daresay it did not look the way it felt!)
The instructor was great. She made the six of us feel like we were the most important people ever. She beamed as we all flailed around a bit awkwardly. All in our own world, but focused (at least a few of us were) on her.
She deserves a medal. Hardly anyone turned up, but she pumped it like there was no tomorrow.
I think I love zumba, this shaking your hips thing and the clothes. I need some more of it.
