Lovelyish

I love Zumba!  My first class she said there are NO verbal cues but just watch and move along as best you can and you WILL catch on the more you go and get familiar w/ the moves.. and its true!  

I kept up pretty dang good my first night, and the more you go the easier it is.. I loved it!  The energy in the room is great!  And I sweat my ass off!  

eta:  I only pay 5 bucks for the class and for me I see it as paying for the experience.. not instruction.. but just to be around other people and having fun.  Don’t take it seriously- just move and have fun and burn some calories

It was your first class, take a few more and you’ll get it.

We had a Zumba unit in P.E. last year… loved it.

I love how there is a zumba add on my sidebar. lol!

It takes more than one class to get the moves down.
Our instructor goes around and helps people correct and perfect their movements..
If anything I feel like your instructor sucks.

It’s hilariously fun when I go with my Mom and her older friends.
And I thoroughly enjoy myself.

I enjoy Zumba precisely because it’s so free. The others who commented are right, you have to start out possibly looking rather foolish until you learn the moves and get the swing of it. I hated the old aerobics classes with the instructors calling out numbers to keep everyone in step. Zumba is supposed to be about feeling the music and enjoying yourself than. The choreography isn’t really meant to be precisely copied by everyone in the room. Everyone in the room is supposed to claim it and make it their own.

you’re just embarrassed ‘cus you didn’t know the moves. -_-

If Zumba is pretty much just free-form dance with vague instruction then why pay for a friggin class? Just blast some music and look like a fool at home for free like I do.

Maybe that was the process to weed out those who weren’t fully committed? I had a professor once who gave us a huge lecture about how hard his class was, the next week 10 people dropped and after they were gone, we actually had a lot of fun. He explained that he does that occasionally to weed out those who really didn’t want to put forth any effort, so maybe the instructor was looking to see who was committed and who wasn’t.

Perhaps next class she will actually teach and help rather than just throw people in it. 

I suck at Zumba. probably because i have no sense of rhythm. at all. 

I can’t keep up with all the moves.
but it is so fun. i would love to go again. 

Definitely sounds like you just had a sucky instructor. I used to go to the Zumba classes at my gym, and there was one instructor who I LOVED and one instructor who I absolutely HATED. I figured out the days that the good instructor taught, and I only went to her classes. It was an amazing workout and tons of fun. I would definitely recommend checking out more than one class before condemning the whole workout.

It seems like you hate the teacher of the class more than the act of dancing Zumba.

I don’t do trendy workouts. I do real workouts. I run, and I lift weights. It’s really not that hard guys.

I love Zumba! I had a great instructor who would explain all the moves before each routine and she would call out all the moves. It was really easy to keep up. I had a great experience!

this reminds me of the electric side and square dancing activity we did in my freshman p.e. class. the teacher went too fast and just expected us to quickly follow his instructions without actually physically showing us, so I just tried to go along with the person standing next to me and did some freestyle spins and left/right turns rather than standing there confused. just go with the flow I also did square dancing when I was in third grade, which was totally confusing, but I skipped and hopped around, then switched partners in a dizzy and chaotic ambience I didn’t know wtf I was doing but it was better than sitting in class doing math. we also had a jazzercise class once every 2 weeks or something and the teacher was hyper like jim carrey because she went so fast. she wasn’t people friendly or considerate at all and didn’t care to really go at a gradual pace.

zumba instructors’ teaching and dance styles are different from each others as night and day. in my area there is a good amount of them that caters to a younger crowd

I love looking at myself in the mirror standing at front and center btw. and usually by the second half the class, my reflection somehow looks skinnier than when i started lollllll 

So basically you just expected to learn the moves immediately and were disappointed when you didn’t?  If you stuck with it I assure you, you’d probably catch on and learn the moves soon enough.  

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga - Your comment just makes you look stupid.  ”Real workouts” are whatever exercises the body. The “trendiness” is irrelevant.  You can stick to your running and weight lifting, but you can’t deny that zumba (which is just another form of aerobics) is exercise.  In a society that is fighting weight gain and all of the health issues that go along with it, I think it’s wonderful that there are so many diverse workouts that can be fun while still being beneficial.  More people should get up and do physical activities instead of spending all day in front of the computer or tv.  Judging them just because it isn’t running is ignorant.

Just want to say that not every class is like that. Sounds like the instructor is just a sucky teacher. Zumba is really fun if you have the right instructor! It is like the best work out ever. I would recommend trying another place or two. And I will admit that there will always be some moves that you don’t get right off the bat, but the instructor doesn’t have time every single class to teach moves over and over again so in some cases it is best to go more than once before you can tell if they are doing it “right”. But i agree with, the person you experienced was bad.

Unless this was an advanced class with the same students over and over, your instructor should give at least SOME verbal cues. Otherwise, I love zumba and the moves are pretty easy to learn so you only flail around maybe the first time, a little the second time and then it becomes second nature. If you are into dancing and latin beats, of course.

I respect your decision to never take a Zumba class again.  I would’ve felt the same way after an experience like that.

Try jazzercise instead. Same benefits, but they always give a lot of verbal cues.

If you’re looking for a “dance” class persay, ZUMBA may not be the best thing for you.  It’s designed to be more of an aerobic workout than anything.  From my experience the instructors don’t really care whether or not you’re doing the dance moves correctly; all they really care about is if you’re getting a good workout and are enjoying yourself.  I’ve been taking ZUMBA classes since February.  I thought it was intimidating at first because I was the only guy in a sea full of girls and the instructor just jumped right into some crazy fast moves like you described, but I did more and more classes and grew to love it.  I’ll even go and pay $7 a night to do ZUMBA outside of my local YMCA sometimes.  Other than fencing, it’s the most fun I’ve ever had exercising.  

I’m not a fan of zumba. I am, however, a fan of spinning!

I’ve never tried Zumba but I will definitely keep this in mind.

That sucks that you had an instructor like that. But that’s not a Zumba thing, just an issue with the instructor. My favorite instructor tells you at the beginning that 1) she rarely uses verbal cues since she’s also really working out and she explains her main physical cues (unless you’re at the end of a semester and then she does less explaining since it’s mainly regulars) and 2) that the music will not stop so the only breaks will be what the iPod gives between songs but that if you need to stop and go get water or rest for a bit to walk out of the line and do so but to try to keep your heart rate up. She will also stop a song and walk through the main moves if she notices many people struggling. My second favorite instructor goes through and explains all the main moves if she notices new people. Even then it’s difficult to pick up until you’ve been to a couple classes and then it becomes incredibly easy. Now the issue you may have since you have a dance background is that Zumba is run like an aerobics class not a dance class since it first and foremost is an aerobic workout class.

I wouldn’t give up on Zumba, just find a different instructor if you can. Everyone in the classes I go to actually work up sweats and our moves don’t have anyone resembling flailing around.

I’ve gone to Zumba a couple of times. One of my best friends is a Zumba fantastic. I felt the same way as you the first time. If you keep going to the classes, you’ll know all the dance moves in no time.

I’ve never tried zumba. Doesn’t sound like the workout for me though. And after reading this and various comments, I think maybe I’ll give it a miss, although it does sound like you just have a really bad instructor. I’ll just stick to my pole.

I think the classes are worth it if it’s included in your gym membership or if they’re free. You should definitely try again! It’s worth a try if it’s free. Easy and fun exercise!

@Nina1981@xanga - I think that I had a hard time with it because I’m a pretty rigid person overall. I enjoy focusing on technique and don’t really have it in me to really “cut loose” or “feel the energy in the room”, that’s all.  xD

@july37@xanga - Haha I might have been able to but…I will openly admit that I am straight-up quitting on this one.

@d0wntherabbithole@xanga - That’s good that you enjoyed it. Was yours all non-verbal or did your instructor actually show you some moves first?

@blessedheartbeat@xanga - Yeah I know. Irony.

@eternal_relevance@xanga - It sounds like the instructor does suck. Apparently it’s been that way for a couple of years though, so I don’t see it changing anytime soon. :/

@drawmafreezone@xanga - I guess that’s what I didn’t really expect. I expected a fun dance class but maybe not something so free-form. I’m not super great at improv.

@annamariuhh@xanga - Not really. I mean, it would have been embarrassing if everyone else was keeping perfect step maybe, but the other girls seemed just as confused as me.

@lilblucherrygrl@xanga - Right, that’s what I’m saying. I didn’t really think it would be THAT freeform. Thank god I didn’t have to pay for a trial.

@CrisaRei@xanga - That’s a valid suggestion, but my friend has been going almost 2 years and she says it’s the same every time.

@prettykay04@xanga - I have a sense of rhythm, but I have no sense of coordination at all lol.

@willjogforicecream@xanga - I’ve been asking around but my friends are saying the only other one is nonverbal as well. I’ll just stick to krav maga and bebopping around in my room haha.

@TequilaKisses@xanga - Perhaps. I thought they were all taught this way though. I use the word “taught” very loosely, as there was no actual instruction. I guess I’m indignant about how thoroughly the instructor was enjoying herself when she didn’t bother to explain anything at all.

@starcrossedloversdivine@xanga - I don’t think there’s a differentiation between “trendy” workouts and “real” workouts if they get the same results.

@valeriebeth04@xanga - That’s good! At least someone’s having fun! lol

@P0RCELA1N_D0LL@xanga - Yeah I really don’t like classes like that. I’m not totally incompetent, but I’d like some explanation before diving right in.

@katethoughts@xanga - Yeah, I can’t really shop around though. There are only two classes where I live.

@Ashley Nicole Anders@facebook - Yeah, I’ll be sticking to the gym stuff too from now on, unless I can find a class where someone’s willing to actually teach me something.

@AubreyBird@xanga - It’s not really something to “stick with”, as all of the songs are different, have different moves, and there is a huge playlist of songs. The moves weren’t hard, but learning them as a song was playing was difficult. It was pointless to try and remember them because every song just launched into a different set of moves. I wanted to actually learn to do something, not try to keep up for an hour’s worth of music.

@wishing_writing@xanga - Yeah, there are only two places to go around here though, and apparently the other is much the same. I’ll try something new.

@Dippity@xanga - See, I don’t really think it would become second nature to me. All of the songs are different. My friend who has been for two years said that she’s heard the same song only a handful of times, and there are different moves for every song.

@methodElevated@xanga - Thanks. From what I’m hearing I just had a crappy instructor, but…I think I’ll stick to something more structured.

@Coffee_and_Chem@xanga - Good idea, I may actually look into that.

@Chibi_Son_Gokou@xanga - Fencing is a good idea. I’ve always wanted to try it.

@raspberryjade@xanga - I’ve never done spinning. I’ve heard it’s difficult though.

@T0m03@xanga - Well, just be prepared. It’s VERY free-form.

@rafi09@xanga - Well, there’s only two classes around here and they’re pretty much the same, from what I’ve heard. It sounds like you have a good teacher though.

@WhimsicalOphelia@xanga - I don’t understand how that’s possible. My friend here said that they rarely use the same moves and she’s only heard the same songs a handful of times in her 2 years. Is your class different?

@polexperfection@xanga - I creeped on your site a little bit. SUPER impressed that you can do that stuff. You must have abs of steel.

@andysigdelt@xanga - Haha it is definitely not worth me being frustrated for an hour, and for me it’s not free, I just tried it with a friend. I’ll just go running or dance around with my iPod or something.

@MadMarch@xanga - It must be different. They reuse songs and dance moves at the one I’ve gone to. It may not be the same ones everytime, but they definately recycle.

@MadMarch@xanga - We had dvds (Zumba Fitness Total Body Transformation System DVD Set) that were really clear on the moves and took things step by step.

Try the dvd at home first next time if you’re worried about knowing the moves. It’s actually a lot of fun. 

This is an unpopular opinion, but I hate Zumba too. I went to one class and everything was either pathetically easy, or I had no idea what was going on, and either way I felt like an idiot.It’s just not for me – I’ll stick with yoga, spinning, and kickboxing, kthx. It’s fine with me, at my gym all the zumba classes are always packed, while my yoga and spinning classes rarely have more than 10 people.

Zumba always sounded pretty fun but after this I’m not so sure.  I’m like you, I need instruction to be able to really get into something like this.

I love zumba! I think you just had a bad experience. Maybe you should give it another chance with a different teacher.

All zumba clases aren’t like that, it really depends on your instructor. My 1st zumba class was so fun and I haven’t missed one since. Every song she told us what dance we would be doing, and what the song is about she also called out what the moves were beforehand. She can name that dance (cumbia,salsa) and I know what moves we will be doing.

Before giving up try a different class somewhere else.

@groovy_mutation@xanga -  don’t let her experience prevent you from trying, She didnt’ have a great instructor at all. Maybe your experience will be different.

I have absolutely no skills in dancing and the one time I had to Zumba, it was painfully embarrassing and I would never do it again. I took a Yoga class my second to last semester of college, and my teacher was out for one of the classes due to surgery so one of her old students took over and taught us Zumba that day. She told us if we didn’t do well enough we would get an F for the day. I normally don’t dance at all, there is a reason I skipped prom in HS and all dances since I was 14, but I was forced to do something I didn’t ever want to. I decided to try and be open about it, but due to the fact that I can’t even dance on my own, having to figure it out while looking at the teacher, NO WAY. Never again, I agree with you.

I went to a beginner’s Zumba class here, and I had an experience similar to yours, and HATED it. I love dancing, all things dancing, but not this.  There was no direction from the instructor, even though it was introductory, and the class looked ridiculous all trying to keep up with the instructors’ non-verbal instructions. There was even a “dance off” at the end where the class was split into two and had to line up facing each other and “shake” each other off.

URGH. I will never go to a Zumba class again, it seemed ridiculous to me.

Err. I’m sorry you had a crappy instructor, but I’ve never had a bad experience in Zumba. Every instructor I’ve ever had has walked us through each dance before we try it.

You should try it at a different location with a different instructor and see if you like it better. It’s a fun class. It’s not fair to judge the entire thing based on 1 instructor who doesn’t know how to actually instruct.

Wow, what an awful first experience! My instructor gives great cues, will come back and show you how to do the more complicated ones, and just encourage you the entire class. It’s really quite fun and uplifting! Perhaps you should try a DVD and then judge it since that instructor was clearly lacking in the ‘instructor’ department?

I hated zumba. I’ve been to a few classes because everyone told me “oh you have to do it more than once or you’re just giving up”….whatever. I love my hip hop class over zumba any day. I agree with you, there was NO direction and NO motivation. Frustration sets in quickly. 

Zumba isn’t a dance class, it is a fitness class, have you ever taken a Step Class or any of the Les Milles classes like BodyJam, BodyStep, BodyPump? Zumba is similar to that structure.

There is a difference between a dance class and a fitness class.

Give it a few more tries, you’ll pick up the movies.

I’ve done Zumba many times, I work at a fitness center so I take a lot of classes in general.