MVNU brings back Zumba

MVNU voice instructor Carrie Vail brought Zumba back to campus this semester.

Vail and co-leader Tiffany McCallen teach a Zumba class every Thursday at 8 p.m. in the old gym at the Prince Student Union.

Zumba is a worldwide cardio activity with over 15 million participants in 180 countries. According to the Zumba.com website, Zumba’s dance-style fitness routines effectively burn hundreds of calories and are perfect for “everybody and every body.”

Vail started doing Zumba when it was first offered at MVNU and has continued the workout routines because they can “always be fresh.”

MVNU Zumba began several years ago as an evening work out program led by students. However, once the leaders graduated, no one took over the class and the Zumba program ended.

Her early encounters with Zumba inspired Vail to become a fitness instructor, she said.

“I had never taught a fitness class before, but I love it so much that I wanted to learn how to teach it properly,” Vail said.

McCallen and Vail received their Zumba instructor licenses together in December 2016. The two met through their kids soccer teams and school and have been friends ever since.

McCallen was not a fitness instructor prior to receiving her Zumba license but she said fitness has always been very important in her life.

“I think that anyone who attends a Zumba class with me can see how much I love to dance and to teach,” McCallen said.

McCallen got involved with Zumba a little over a year ago. She recalls looking for a program to inspire her to reconnect with fitness. She attended her first Zumba class at a YMCA and instantly got “hooked.”

McCallen loved it so much she took Zumba classes up to five times a week.

“I knew Zumba would always be a passion of mine, so my next logical step was to become a licensed instructor,” she said.

Vail and McCallen hope to show students that working out does not have to be a chore.

“For one hour, we offer people a chance to forget their stress, to laugh, to dance, to sweat and to be free; the calorie burn is an added bonus,” McCallen said.

McCallen finds that after only three classes, students can really jam along with the routines and maximize their workouts.

“The more you come, the more fun it will be,” she said.

Vail and McCallen structure their class so that students with any level of experience can easily join in and get a great workout.

“We use lots of hand cues and repetition so that people can pick it up easily,” Vail said.

Classes run for about an hour and usually attract around 20 students. There’s plenty of room for more participants.

“We would love to fill up the whole gym” Vail said.

Find out more on Facebook, just search MVNU Zumba Fitness.