It’s like an exercise class turned dance party! And people are nuts for it!

Set to latin and international music, zumba, as one friend put it, makes your body think it’s getting a work-out, but your brain thinks it’s getting a dance class. Oh yeah!!!

It’s wild it’s crazy, and it’s a lot of fun. People laugh and yell and smile their way through a zumba session. And the zumba craze is sweeping the nation. Everybody is raving about how fun it is and how great you feel after! Plus, you burn some major calories.

Even if you don’t have a lot of coordination, you can still take a zumba class. Your moves may not be as fabulous as the teacher’s, but no one is paying attention to your silly, unpracticed hip roll; they are all having a great time dancing themselves.

I personally prefer classes where there is less influence on the hip hop moves and music, but some like that. I like it spicy and very hot, hot, hot! I even had a little sample with a teacher that gave a Fosse-show-tunes feel…now THAT I loved!

But a good zumba teacher just has an extremely high amount of energy, and a huge contagious smile.

If you are in Paris and want to try it for free, Paris Plage is hosting a zumba session on Monday evenings, until Paris Plage is over (Aug. 20th). Below the Pont Sully, from 6pm to 9pm.

If you aren’t in Paris for Paris Plage, try it for a 10€ trial class at the Academie Internationale de Danse

Go have fun and zumba your self into better shape!