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find your spot

Everyone will have their usual place/spot that they dance in every class. Front and centre, you will have the die-hard fans. These are the people who know the routines well and bust out each move with confidence or are even creating their own interpretation of the routine. About ¾ of the way to the back of the room is where you will most likely find the other new people, and at the back are a mix of the more shy dancers and the people who like to let loose and want lots of space. Find a place for yourself where you feel comfortable and can see the instructor’s entire body.

class introduction

The instructor will explain their style of cueing (how they lead the steps) and go over some choreography of the more complex or more new steps. Then the music will start. It will probably be a song you recognise. The steps won’t be too complicated and the class will fill with energy. The rest of the class is made of other upbeat songs from a huge range of genres to give the party atmosphere. Find the people that seem to know what they are doing and you can follow them from behind as well as watching the instructor.

the class begins

At first, it feels like you’re in a room filled with professional dancers and that everyone else knows all the moves. You might feel like you are all alone. Then you realize that everyone there was in your place once and they only know what they are doing because they have learned the routines after weeks/months or even years of Zumba addiction. Zumba structure works on different parts of the song so the steps you do coincide with the chorus or verse. The other clients who have been coming for months or years will probably know the song and be ready to change to the next move. Muscle memory. Don’t fret. If it seems a lot to take in, within a few weeks, you will be amazed at how you instinctively know all the changes. More importantly, it’s OK to mess up. So don’t even worry about what the instructor is doing and do your own thing. Let your personality out. Others will be.

tailor your workout

There are loads of ways to make the class your own, whether you want to throw caution and your arms to the wind or zone in on the precise hip rotations. To get the best workout from your Zumba class, you could focus on the moves that you do pick up, and do them like you were born to do them. The more arms and the more height change, the more of a workout you will get. Alternatively, try to feel the music and go hard when the music goes hard. But never feel pressure to put your all in if you're just there to soak up the atmosphere.

When it's all over too soon

It will all be over in a flash. You’ll realize you have just danced salsa, merengue, cumbia, dancehall, reggaeton, among many other dance styles without a single dance lesson. Not to mention that you just had a great workout. Don’t worry if you didn’t get it all the first time. No one does.

when you're coming back for more

You’ll go home and for the next few days, you’ll be haunted by great songs and the itch to dance again. When you come back, most of the routines, if not all, will be exactly the same. Your muscle memory will kick in and everything falls into place a little bit easier. Before you know it, you might just be elbowing others out of the way to get to the front row.