Erzulie Goes to Zumba

“You should so come! It’s so much fun!” That was the only thing my friends said about Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance fitness program that quickly gaining popularity here in Kuwait. “Trust me Erzulie, you’ll work up a sweat,” another friend said. I eventually gave in; I didn’t mind trying something new and it would be nice to know first-hand what the fuss was about.

My friend and I walked into the large workout room in a building in Salmiya two minutes before the class started. The place was packed. There were girls of all ages and sizes. Since I never worked out with a group before, I timidly scurried to the back of the room. Suddenly, the loud music started and I heard a woman yell in a high-pitched voice, “Yeahhh! Yeahhh! Come on! YeaaaAAAHHHH!” I peeked between the rows of girls and saw the leader of the pack, a toned woman with curly black hair clapping and cheering the crowd on as they mimicked her moves. “Follow me, I know what she’s doing,” a sweet girl in front of me said when she noticed me doing the two-step and waving my arms around awkwardly. I ended up watching the girl’s moves but I could not help but notice my friend who was two rows in front of me do the moves herself. That’s when I got the giggles. Call it nervous laughter, but I could not stop laughing whenever I saw my friend doing the moves! I tried to hide my tears because I was the only one laughing (hey it was my first time!) I eventually got the hang of it but couldn’t quite enjoy the whole experience, especially because I compared myself to the experienced girls and saw that I have no coordination skills whatsoever. Plus, some of the moves were a bit explicit; I don’t think I’ll ever be comfortable thrusting my hips and wiggling around in a roomful of people. The Zumba leader was like an energizer bunny who literally did not stop moving or encouraging us to push ourselves. Before the last song came on, I slipped outside and sat there waiting for my friend to finish.

“Why didn’t you enjoy it! It’s a lot of fun and I lost 5 kilos ever since I joined!” an avid-Zumba friend of mine said. While I’m glad that she’s loving her sessions there, I came to realize that I’m not one to involve anyone with my workout, “It’s just not for me,” I told my friend, “I think I like to workout alone, with my music and no one and nothing else.” I found the whole experience interesting but a bit distracting. Maybe it was because it was my first time, but I just didn’t feel it. Although my arms and legs were sore the next day, I think I preferred them to be sore from an hour-long run and 200 push-ups.

“How was Bumba Bumba?” my husband asked when I came back home. I smiled and didn’t bother to correct him because it sounded like such a cuter name. I shrugged and said, “It was all right, but I can’t wait until we renew our gym membership.”

Some Zumba songs for you...

Daddy Yankee Ft. Andy Montañez – Sabor A Melao

Don Omar Ft. Lucenzo - Danza Kuduro

Wisin & Yandel – El Telefono

at 8:30 AM