A & E: Health

Doing the Zumba

New dance-exercise craze becoming popular on rez

By Candace Begody
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK, March 24, 2011

After a long day at the office, there is nothing better for Sherri Helton than to slip into workout threads and lace her sneakers for an evening of dance.

This isn't an evening of two-stepping to the country songs of rez bands at Nakai Hall either.

Helton, of Dilkon, Ariz., is among many who are loyal followers of Zumba, a Latin-inspired dance-fitness program that blends international music and dances such as the salsa, meringue and the Cumbia.

The 9-year-old program is among several classes held at the Window Rock Wellness Center. It is evolving into a worldwide phenomenon that allows women to get fit and have fun by dancing to the rhythms of high-energy music such as reggaeton and hip-hop.

"I love the workout," said Helton, who has been attending Zumba for nearly two years. "But it's not a boring workout because you're dancing too. With Zumba, you are able to put your own flavor into it and it's all about how you want to express yourself."

Zumba is only about two years old on the rez and the numbers of participants has been increasing with each passing month, according to two-year instructor Ralph Roanhorse, of Ganado, Ariz.

"It's changed a lot since my first class," said Roanhorse, who knew nothing of Zumba before becoming a certified instructor in 2009. "The class was very small and people didn't know what it was about. We took it slow and we all had to learn together.

"Even when I became certified, it was still new to me and I knew it was new to those that came to my first class," he added. "Today, the classes are so big I can't believe it."

On a recent occasion, Roanhorse held a two-hour class at Chee Dodge Elementary School in Yah-Ta-Hey, N.M. Over 150 people attended - the most Roanhorse has seen.

"A lot of people are asking me to teach here and there," said Roanhorse, noting that his volunteer status will keep him close to Window Rock. "There are some people that follow me everywhere and know the routines."

Two who have become fanatics and work their daily schedules around Roanhorse's classes are friends Alvina Reid and Peggy Thompson, both of Ganado.

"I was hooked the first time," said Thompson, a two-year participant. "If you do it right, you can get in the good workout - abs, legs, arms."

As opposed to aerobics, which is "very straight forward with very little use of hips," according to Roanhorse, the majority of Zumba routines require one to move the hips freely, move the arm in variations of speed and direction, and incorporate turns and twists to get your heart rate up. The routines ultimately lead to breaking a sweat as this reporter did.

"It's a lot of cardio," Roanhorse said of the dance workouts. "We work out at a high rate and the fitness comes in with jumps, hops, lunges, high knees, kicks and squats. We use different parts of the body and use our core - abs and hip muscles.

"We have fun but it's all about fitness," he added. "Some have lost weight and use it to lose weight."

Classes are conducted to ensure that beginning-to-intermediate dancers are comfortable.

For example, the lights - at least at the Wellness Center - remained off during the workouts with just a hint illuminating the room.

"We dance in the dark," said Reid, "because others that are working out in the gym are new to Zumba too so when we're dancing, it draws a lot of attention. People will peek in to see what we are doing."

Classes are held in a room much like a dance studio with one of the four walls covered by a mirror from floor to ceiling while the opposite end is a glass window.

For Helton, keeping the lights off may have a cultural tie.

"I think as Natives, we are very conscientious of our bodies," she said. "We are taught to be and act a certain way and this kind of expression goes against that. But I don't think we have anything to be afraid of. I like to dance."

Of course, Roanhorse has his reason for dancing in the dark.

"I want to create a party or club atmosphere," he said. "When you go to a club, there aren't any lights on. There is also a mirror - some don't like using it. You'll also have guys looking in when they see the ladies moving. I just want to make them feel comfortable."

Roanhorse, a former aerobics instructor who is one of only a handful of Zumba instructors in the area, decided to make a change from aerobics by taking a one-day Zumba training session two years ago in Window Rock.

"It's taken a lot of practice, commitment and desire to want to do this," said Roanhorse. "It was so new to the area that I didn't have anyone to mentor me.

"I had to start building up by picking songs, watching videos and choreographing dances to different songs," he added. "Even as I drive to work, I am thinking of ways to improve and make it more fun."

It's rare these days to see him doing aerobics as he is spending most of his free time teaching Zumba - a class that comes with encouraging those with two left feet.

"Not everyone can dance," he said. "Some have two left feet. So I have to encourage people just to have fun with it, to listen to the music and let their body move the way it wants to. Some are making it their own and that inspires me."

Because Zumba is ever changing with people around the world incorporating other cultures into the program, Roanhorse raises funds to attend conferences.

Last year Roanhorse attended the Zumba Instructor Convention 2010 in Orlando, Fla.

"It's the only place I can get hands-on training," he said. "I want to learn from other instructors that are known worldwide because they are the best. They are always incorporating dances into Zumba from other cultures and that's what I want to bring back to the reservation."

With the help of his students who have donated time and items, Roanhorse has begun raising money to attend the Zumba 10-year anniversary event in June in Orlando.

"Zumba is something I love doing," he said, "and I appreciate my students for all their help. We've really built a community and our goal is to stay physically fit. I would like to see it being taught in smaller communities because it is a fun way to stay fit."

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