Zumba: More Than Just a Dance Class

References:

Zumba & Dance Fitness. Imperial Ballroom Dance Company®. (n.d.). Retrieved October 20, 2022, from https://www.imperial.dance/new-page-3

Presentation Script:

Preface:

The UNC Student Recreation Center offers a variety of classes that students can join to exercise. One of these groups is Zumba, a dance cardio-inspired workout.

Background Information:

Zumba originated in the mid- 1990s (Luettgen et al., 2012), and is based on moving to music and having fun with your workout. Experimental studies have revealed positive effects on the physical and mental health of participants, showing increased happiness and quality of life (Barranco-Ruiz et al., 2020). I was prompted to ask the question: “How does a community based workout-class improve mood and happiness, beyond simply a physical benefit?”

Observational Data and Analysis:

During my observations, I both attended a Zumba class, and interviewed two female students who participate in the class weekly.

I interviewed the girls before class, and met Annie and Lily at their sorority. Neither girl had tried Zumba before, and found the class through the Student Recreation website. When they first started, both girls were nervous, but felt immediately welcomed by the teacher.

When I tried the class myself, I understood the welcoming feeling Annie and Lily described, and the class felt as a community. I did note that people tended to come in groups of friends. I would have felt slightly awkward coming alone. Before the class started, people clustered and chatted in the open room. The large studio had mirrors along the front wall, and the instructor stood in front, performing moves while students mimicked her. The class resembled a “Just Dance” game on the wii. Certain students seemed to know the moves well, while others were slower to pick up. I felt no judgment in the room, and did not feel uncomfortable being unfamiliar with the dances.

Students varied in confidence and competence, and Annie and Lily explained that some people regularly attended the class, while others showed up occasionally. Annie and Lily participate weekly since the start of the semester. Two months in, they still look forward to their Tuesday nights. Annie is “excited all day” on Zumba day, and it provides a relief from schoolwork. She and Lily both said they felt accomplished and energized after their workout.

The class was intense but fun. Around thirty minutes in, I started to feel fatigued, and noticed that some people looked tired while others seemed unfazed. This showed the diversity of fitness level and talent. At the end of the class, I could feel collective relief, yet noted smiles on everyone’s face as they toweled off. I overheard two girls exclaim how fun it was, and everyone thanked the instructor after. I felt proud of myself for completing the workout.

Most of the fun of the workout can be attributed to the loud music and dance component. Lily and Annie noted the music aspect as very important because it carried beyond the classroom. They had discovered new songs from the playlist, although informing me that it sometimes became repetitive. Nevertheless, the songs played were upbeat and inspiring, putting them in a good mood.

Conclusion:

Interviewing the girls first allowed me to pay attention to details in the class I might have overlooked. Overall, participants seemed to feel less stressed and happier after their workout, observations which were validated by the interview. Additionally, these are supported by research that praises the benefits of Zumba. My study and interview showed that the inclusive community, music, and dance of Zumba increases participants mood, in addition to being a form of physical exercise.

 

Explication of Research:

Preface:

The UNC Student Recreation Center offers a variety of classes and groups that students can join to exercise and perform physical movement. One of these groups is Zumba, a dance cardio-inspired workout with multiple class times per week. I am always interested in different workout classes, and some of my friends have raved about Zumba over the past semester. As I heard more about the positive reviews of this class, I realized it was the perfect group for me to study for this project. Seeing how enthusiastic my friends were about Zumba and observing their overall increase in mood after attending the class, I was prompted to ask the question: “How does a community-based workout class improve mood and happiness, beyond simply a physical benefit?”

Background Information:

Zumba is a dance fitness class that originated in the mid- 1990s (Luettgen et al., 2012), and is based on the premise of moving to music and having fun with your workout. Multiple studies on the workout examine the effectiveness, both mentally and physically. An experimental study conducted in 2020 revealed positive effects both on the physical and mental health of participants, showing increased happiness and quality of life in addition to physical markers (Barranco-Ruiz et al., 2020). At UNC, the program is hosted at the Student Recreation Center four times a week.

Observational Data and Analysis:

During my observations, I both attended a Zumba class, and interviewed two female students who participated in the class weekly.

I interviewed the girls first, and was prepared for what to expect when I actually attended the class. I met Annie and Lily at the Kappa Delta sorority house on October 5th, and we began with the girls describing why they started taking the class, and if they had prior experience. Neither had done Zumba before, and Lily had found the class while scrolling through the Student Recreation website. She liked dancing, and convinced Annie to come with her. Both girls admitted to being nervous before their first class, but said they were immediately welcomed by the teacher.

When I entered the studio, I understood the welcoming feeling Annie and Lily described. However, I did note that people tended to come to the class in groups with their friends. Had I not come with friends, I would have felt slightly awkward or left out. Before the class started, people clustered and chatted, spread out in the open room. The large studio had mirrors along the front wall, and the instructor stood in front, performing the moves while students mimicked her. The class resembled a “Just Dance” game on the Wii, and certain students seemed to know the moves well, while others were slower to pick up. However, I felt a lack of judgment within the room – everyone was paying attention to themselves, and I did not feel uncomfortable that I was unfamiliar with the moves.

Students seemed to vary in confidence and competence regarding Zumba, and Annie and Lily explained to me that some people regularly attended the class, while others showed up occasionally. They told me after their first class, they enjoyed it so much they wanted to go weekly, and had been doing so since the start of the semester. Now, they look forward all week to their Tuesday nights. Annie told me she was “excited all day” when she knew Zumba was at the end of it, and it provided a relief from the strenuous work after the weekend. She and Lily both said that after their workout they felt accomplished and energized, and they walked out already excited for the next time they would head back to the Recreation Center.

I understood these feelings of excitement and pride that Annie and Lily described when I attended the class myself. The workout was intense but fun, and by the fifth of seven songs that were playing, I was starting to feel fatigued. When I glanced around, I noticed that some people looked tired, while others seemed unfazed. This showed me the diversity of fitness level and talent, something that Annie and Lily also noted in our interview. At the end of the class, I could feel the collective relief, yet noted the smiles on everyone’s face as they toweled off their sweat. I overheard two girls exclaim to one another how fun it was, and nearly everyone walked up to the instructor after to praise and thank her. I felt tired yet energized, and proud of myself for completing the workout.

While the workout was tiring, I truly had an enjoyable time. Part of this can be attributed to the loud music and dance-inspired aspect of the class. In our interview, Lily and Annie noted the music component as one of the most enjoyable aspects, because it carried beyond the classroom. They both had discovered new songs due to the playlist, although they informed me that sometimes the playlist became repetitive. Nevertheless, the songs played were upbeat and inspiring, putting them in a good mood.

Interviewing the girls first and then watching the studio allowed me to pay attention to certain details I might have overlooked, and I could understand where Annie and Lily were coming from when they talked. The class seemed to move beyond simply a way to exercise your physical body. Students seemed visibly happier and more energetic when they left the class, observations which were validated by Annie and Lily’s remarks.

Conclusion:

Both my observed study and interview with Annie and Lily confirmed my hypothesis that Zumba appears to have mental health and mood benefits, in addition to simply existing as a form of physical exercise. The music increased mood, and participants seemed to feel less stressed and more accomplished when finished with their workout. These observations are supported by research that praised the multi – layered benefits of Zumba as a workout. After my time working with the Zumba class, I think the workout is a great form of both physical exercise and mood and happiness improvement.

 

References:

Luettgen, M., Foster, C., Doberstein, S., Mikat, R., & Porcari, J. (2012, June 1). Zumba(®): Is the “fitness-party” a good workout? Journal of sports science & medicine. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3737860/

Barranco-Ruiz, Y., Paz-Viteri, S., & Villa-González, E. (2020, May 26). Dance fitness classes improve the health-related quality of life in sedentary women. International journal of environmental research and public health. Retrieved October 12, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7312518/

 

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