Fitness Class Review - Zumba at Canalside

This past week, I booked it down to Canalside after work to hit up two awesome classes - Zumba at Canalside, and Intro to Hoop dance! And this week for the blog, I'll be reviewing the Zumba class! (more on the hoop dance class later!)

Photo credit to the BuffaloNews.com

Class - Zumba at Canalside
Location - Canalside
What it cost - Free!
Level of difficulty - Medium

Review -

In the unlikely event that you have never heard of Zumba, it's a Latin flavored dance fitness class that incorporates Salsa, Merengue, and Hip Hop dance moves (among other dance styles) to give you a cardio boost and an all over burn.

Zumba classes are taught in over 180 countries, with over 15mil people participating globally. In fact, Canalside is one of the 200,000 locations where Zumba classes are available - Zumba is truly a global fitness revolution. And with the high energy and fun of the class, it's no wonder that it's so popular.

Photo credit to the BuffaloNews.com

This class is taught by local instructors - 

- Meghan Schimmelpenninck has been a licensed teacher since 2009, and is licensed to teach Zumba and Zumba toning (a class incorporating weight sticks). She is the group fitness director at Gold's Gym (per LinkedIn). 

- Jen Wright is also an instructor at Catalyst fitness, and has been licensed to teach Zumba since 2010. In addition to teaching standard Zumba classes, she is also certified to teach Zumba Gold - classes for participants of advanced age. 

These two women were fantastic instructors of this class - both extremely high energy. I'm not sure how they made it through the entire class with nary a break, but they did it with incredible vigor. 

Every single song had its own theme, and the dance moves repeat through the song. The sequences are cued by the instructors with visual cues and gestures - no mics are used during this class, with the instructors choosing instead to lead by example. Also, usually the first sequence of the song is a slower, "less energetic" version of the moves and rhythms that the rest of the song will be based on (side note - if you are caught getting a drink during this first sequence of the song, it can be difficult to pick up the rest of the song... I would keep water breaks very, very short!)

Photo credit to the BuffaloNews.com

The space itself is a wooden "boardwalk" area right by the Naval Park at the Northern-most point of Canalside (right on the water). This area is definitely large enough for the hundreds of people who turn out for these classes, but unlike the PiYo class, there is no incline (if you're short, I would definitely recommend trying to get a spot in the front - as I mentioned before, there's no vocal instructions, so it's much harder to catch on it you can't see the front). 

Photo credit to ... me! I actually remembered to take a few this time

An additional note - I would definitely recommend flat bottomed tennis or basketball-style shoes for this class, as opposed to grippier sneakers or running shoes. The ground itself is a little grippy, and flat bottomed shoes will make some of the moves (like spins and slides) a lot easier. 

Also, don't forget your water! You're going to be dancing your butt off, and definitely will need to hydrate!

Verdict? This is a super fun, high energy class. Even if you're not a fitness buff or a dancer, I would recommend grabbing a few friends and coming down for this class on Tuesday nights before grabbing a beer and having a laugh.