Zumba Dance Party Is Back at Southampton Youth Services

Fitness-minded people of all ages moved to the rhythm of the beat at Zumba class Monday evening at where classes have resumed after a short hiatus.

Zumba, now a trademarked international movement, is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program that, according to Zumba.com, began in 2001 featuring exotic rhythms including merengue, salsa, reggaeton and cumbia. While these rhythms may sound intimidating, it's evident after spending a short while in instructor Sabrina Manglaviti’s class that Zumba is not about matching the leader's steps exactly, but more about moving around and having a good time.

The class starts out with some basic foot movements to get the body warmed up and swiftly incorporates the hands, hips and head. The movements take only a short while to get used to and over the duration of the class the rhythms become easier and flow more naturally. “The choreography is meant to have only a few moves so that people don’t have to think about what the next step is going to be and instead can just jump right in and feel confident,” Manglaviti said.

Manglaviti is licensed to teach Zumba Basic and Zumba Gold, which is geared toward senior citizens. She has also learned how to instruct Zumba students in wheelchairs. “As long as you’re willing to move, it’s for you,” she said, adding that she strongly supports free styling and any unchoreographed moves.

Manglaviti’s class is about the energy, not the choreography, and she welcomes special song requests because “after all it is their class.” Doing Zumba helps her put any of the day’s stresses to the side. “I hope that the class does that for the attendees as well because it’s no longer about me, but what I can bring out of them.”

Zumba does not discriminate against age either. Sharon Wood, the marketing director of SYS, danced alongside her teenage daughter and friends in her first Zumba class. She said she was happy to have made it through the entire class while having fun and breaking a little sweat. Wood is excited to spread the word about resuming Zumba classes at SYS and said she hopes more people will check it out now that she has experienced what Zumba is all about.

Anyone may attend the Zumba class or any of the other SYS classes, including Boot Camp, Hip Hop cardio, Pilates and Spin. Zumba classes run Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and cost $5 for SYS Fitness members or $10 for non-members. SYS is also offering a “Zumba Card” that is valid for 8 classes with pricing at $25 for fitness members and $75 for non-members.