UP likes to move it, move it

By Hannah Kintner, Staff Writer kintner13@up.edu

With a roll of the hips and a stomp of the feet, students at are dancing themselves into shape as Zumba takes campus by storm.

Zumba is a form of Latin-inspired dance aerobics that can burn between 500 and 800 calories per hour-long session. It was first brought to UP last fall by sophomore and certified Zumba instructor Jennifer Rillamas. After making a 2011 New Year's resolution to get fit, Rillamas got hooked on Zumba.

"I went to the class and I absolutely fell in love with it," Rillamas said.

Four months later she was a certified instructor and was hired at the beginning of her freshman year to teach Zumba in Howard Hall. Rillamas knew Zumba had the ability to spark student interest in fitness when her first class brought in 30 students.

"I came here and I knew one other person on campus and I was like, 'Oh my gosh!' I never thought I'd meet as many people as I did," Rillamas said.

At this time, senior K.c. Gosline was also becoming certified to teach Zumba. Gosline was introduced to Zumba her sophomore year of college. Coming from a dance background, Zumba came to Gosline naturally. When she studied abroad in Australia in the spring of 2011, she shared her aerobic talents with the other students.

"I taught in our dorm living room. We'd push all the couches aside and every Monday we'd have class," Gosline said. "After that I was like I have to get certified and become a legitimate Zumba teacher."

Gosline became certified September of last year and student interest in Zumba was great enough to fill both teachers' classrooms.

"I was constantly having a really crowded aerobics room to the point where it was almost dangerous, so we had to move to the basketball court a couple times," Rillamas said.

Zumba taking campus by storm

This year, the Zumba craze is back in full swing and popping up in some of the most unexpected places.

150 freshmen that attended the Service Plunge got a taste of Zumba as the student leaders turned a cleanup session into a dance party.

"Everybody knew my routines, and then we all stopped cleaning and started dancing," Rillamas said with a smile.

Freshman Marissa Kelly remembered how they were all getting ready for bed when they were abruptly called back into The Commons by two of their leaders.

"We were all really confused! Half of us were in our pajamas and the music was blaring," Kelly said. "Jennifer had really good energy though; that's for sure."

A few days later, during the orientation weekend West Quad Social, the Villa Maria resident assistants lead new students in a Zumba dance party. Austin Veiga, resident assistant of Villa Maria, has never missed one of Rillamas' classes, and will become a certified Zumba instructor on September 20.

Veiga first decided to attend Rillamas' Zumba class to learn moves for Dancersize, a weekly event Veiga and his friends started in the West Quad last year.

"The first class I took two guys to, but by the end [of last year] we had easily 18 to 25 guys coming and probably 50 to 60 guys in Villa had tried Zumba at least once," Veiga said.

Veiga and his friends will continue to lead Dancersize this year, which will tentatively be held Wednesday nights from 7-8 p.m. in the West quad.

Students participating in Zumba say it's so enjoyable, they forget they are working out.

"It's fun! It doesn't feel like exercise until the day after, it's a great social event and it's just great cardio," Veiga said.

Junior Andrew Meyers started attending Rillamas' classes because he enjoys dance and was looking for motivation to get to the gym. With a full course load to accommodate his double major, Meyers found Zumba to be therapeutic.

"Since it is dancing it does release endorphins, so it's a great way to de-stress," Meyers said.

Don't believe you have to have a dance background to do Zumba though.

"People think that the moves are difficult but, the fact is, I went in with little to zero dance experience in my life and I'm getting ready to be certified," Veiga said."I'm proof that anyone can do it."

On Monday Sept. 3, Rillamas hosted the first Shipstad Zumba event of the year. Meyers was among the first to arrive.

"I think we're being a little optimistic," Meyers said while pushing the furniture in the first floor lounge to the walls in preparation for the event. "I heard about this through word of mouth so I can't imagine very many people know about it."

Meyers was in for a surprise, however, when well over 20 students flooded the lounge in exercise attire. Once the class started, Shipstad residents who were casually walking though the hall couldn't help but join in dancing.

Freshman Peyton Teutsch attended Zumba for the first time at the Shipstad event.

"I didn't know what to expect. I heard it was really hard to pick up on if you're new to it, but I had a blast," Teutsch said. "I'm definitely coming back! It was a workout I enjoyed doing."

Zumba expands to gym

This week marked the beginning of a new year of aerobics classes, and it is clear that Zumba fever isn't going anywhere soon. Both instructors have been given permission to teach all of their classes on the basketball court in Howard Hall due to the large number of attendants. Rillamas taught her largest class yet on Tuesday night as more than 70 students attended.

"I've been dancing since I was four years old, but when I came here I had to stop, so I love Zumba because it's a way to dance... kind of," sophomore Michelle Weidner, a regular in Zumba, said.

However, not everyone who attended the class had dance experience.

"It was so much fun. I had no idea what I was doing, but I was just shaking it," junior Rodrigo Gaspar-Barajas said of his first taste of Zumba at Tuesday night's class.

Gosline had a successful start to the aerobic year as well.

"I felt like I kind of intimidated some people because my class is really high intensity Zumba. Really cardio oriented, really toning oriented," Goseline said. "I feel like some of the girls went there like 'yeah, I'm going to a chill Zumba class,' and it wasn't what they expected."

Gosline describes herself as very cardio focused when it comes to athletics and that shows in her classes. She also incorporates her dance background into her classes, describing it as "dancer-oriented." She also teaches Zumba at Ed ge Performance Fitness on Interstate St. on Saturdays.

Next semester, Rillamas plans to teach a class that incorporates weights called Zumba Toning.

"It doesn't matter who you are, what your body shape is, your level of fitness, if you're a dancer, if you're not a dancer, it just doesn't matter," Rillamas said. "You can just still come and have fun."

Class Schedule

Jennifer:

Monday: 9 p.m. in Shipstad

Tues. and Thurs.: 8 p.m. in Howard Hall

Friday: 3 p.m. in Howard Hall

K.c.:

Monday: 3:30 p.m. in Howard Hall

Thurs.: 4 p.m. in Howard Hall