Crossword Dictionary
Zumba
Zumba is a fitness program that involves cardio and Latin-inspired dance. It was founded by Colombian dancer and choreographer Beto Pérez in 2001, and by 2012, it had 110,000 locations and 12 million people taking classes weekly. Zumba is a trademark owned by Zumba Fitness, LLC.
Zumba choreography is composed using all or some of sixteen core steps. There are four basic rhythms: salsa, reggaeton, merengue, and cumbia; each basic rhythm has four core steps.
Zumba originated in Cali, Colombia, in the late 1990s with the dance and fitness instructor Alberto (Beto) Pérez. On his way to teaching an aerobics class one day, he realized he had forgotten his usual music tapes. He improvised by playing salsa and meringue music recorded by various popular bands. The class enjoyed the dance music so much that they did not want to go back to the rigid aerobics tapes.
Pérez moved to Miami, Florida, in 1999 and began teaching his new combination of dance and resistance training there. In 2001, he was approached by entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion to create a worldwide fitness company based on his new approach to exercise. In 2002, the company began to advertise, resulting in wide demand for Zumba classes across the United States. The need for a large number of new instructors led the company to develop its training workshops. Zumba expanded into the Hispanic market in the United States in 2003 and 2004 and went worldwide in 2007.