Stories / Love
From High School Sweethearts to Zumba® Instructors
Next up in this month’s community highlight series is the story of Zumba® Jammer Tyler Crain-Davis and ZIN™ Member Zac Crain-Davis! Learn more abou…
Their Epic Chemistry Shines In Their Zumba® Classes
Our community highlight series continues with ZIN™ Members Kristyn and Heather Roberts! Since fatefully meeting at their local gym, Krist…
They Met In A Zumba® Class and the Rest Is History
Rounding out this month’s community highlight series are ZIN™ Members Cindy and Emily Peterson. After meeting in a Zumba® class, it’s no …
A Dynamic Duo That’s All About Good Vibes
We’re keepin’ our community highlight series movin’ with ZIN™ Member Noelle Fraire and her partner/Zumba® fan Mariah Urbina! Not only do …
From Meeting as Teens to a Dance Floor Proposal
This month, we’re highlighting the incredible stories of instructors, students and fans in the Zumba® community, starting with Zumba® Jam…
I Left My Violent Neighborhood And Made My Dreams Come True
Rony Gratereaut grew up in a rough neighborhood in Puerto Rico, where he saw things that no young person should be witness to. Despite hi…
How I Help Babies and Caregivers Form Lasting Bonds Through Dance
“Several years ago, I had just had my third child and was looking for a fun fitness class to help me lose weight. I discovered Zumba, wen…
I Met The Love Of My Life In A Zumba® Class
“Most fairy tales are warm and fuzzy, but mine started off on (literally) a cold note. In January of 2016, I was driving towards a new li…
I’ve Raised More Than $125k For Charity By Teaching Zumba® Classes
Marisa Stani is energetic, exuberant, and full of heart. When she started dancing at just 22 months old, she was so consumed by passion t…
Friends Don’t Let Friends Fight Alone
Meet Sandy, Jocelyn, Janet, Maribel, and Carla. These Zumba® Instructors and survivors are fierce warriors, who don’t let anything stand …
Apert Syndrome Does Not Get In The Way Of My Life
“I have a syndrome known as Apert. It is a genetic disorder that affects the way your skull grows, so it affects the head, fingers, toes,…
Dear Mom, This One Is For You
“One of the reasons why I love Zumba so much is because of the love you feel from the community. Not prejudiced or contingent love… just …
The Beautiful Thing That Happened When I Lost All Of My Hair
“For women, hair is a big part of owning your look and expressing yourself. My whole life, I’d been known for my hair. Big, thick, golden…
Watch This Zumba® Instructor Receive a Gift That Changes Everything
Meet Tekeema Parson. She lives in one of the most obese counties in North Carolina and is making it her mission to change that statistic.…
My Fitness Instructor is Truly Amazing
“To know him is to love him. Some consider him a living saint. He is a natural leader. He is a professional dancer. An amazing teacher. A…
The Surprising Way I Teach Early Childhood Education
“Growing up, music and movement were a part of my life in so many ways; from being a flutist in concert and marching bands to dance compe…
Why I Decided to Teach Zumba® Classes Full-Time
Maggie Engels is from Nicholville, New York (population: 400). After trying her hand at various jobs, she landed a position at NuMed, Inc…
This Woman is 79 and Just Became a Zumba® Instructor
You know what they say: age is just a number. Meet Monika Aasa, a 79 year old woman in Sweden who just received her license to teach Zumb…
How Zumba Is Making a Difference in Madagascar
Get to know Zum’Mada – an organization of 11 Zumba Instructors who teach at the one and only fully Zumba-dedicated studio in Madagascar, …
Why I Decided to Teach Zumba® Classes Full-Time
Maggie Engels is from Nicholville, New York (population: 400). After trying her hand at various jobs, she landed a position at NuM…
How Buying Donuts Led Me to a Healthier Life
“Seven years ago, I was the type of person who never had an urge, want, or need to exercise. All I wanted to do was work, work work…
From Class Participant to Lead Instructor
“I’m originally from Cozumel, Mexico, but I moved to San Diego three years ago. I’ve been practicing Zumba for many yea…
To My Student-Turned-Instructor: Thank You
“Roberta Cowell lost her husband about two years ago, a few months before attending her first Zumba class. Tears fill my eyes repeating t…
Overcoming the Loss of My Mom
“I had been a Zumba Instructor for a little over 2 years when my mom was diagnosed with a tumor. I moved back to my hometown to be with h…
I’m a College Student and Full-Time Zumba® Instructor
Maribel Garcia first discovered Zumba® classes as a young teenager and became a licensed instructor the day after her 18th birthday. As s…
A Zumba® Instructor With Down Syndrome
Yulissa was born in Lima, Peru on August 9, 1991. Within minutes of her birth, she was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. From an early age, s…
Dedicated To My Zumba Instructors
“I want to share how my Zumba Instructors, Marlene Calderon and Mony Macias, are changing lives, including mine. I am from Chihuahua, Mex…
From Banker to Zumba® Instructor
“I live in a small town in Serbia called Sabac. There are not a lot of opportunities for women here when it comes to careers, or even for…
Mother & Daughter Raise Thousands!
Get inspired by this dynamic mother-daughter duo!! Cindy and Marisa Stani have been co-teaching Zumba® classes together for the past 5 ye…
You Have the Right to Remain Awesome!
“I got accepted into the police academy in California in May 2009. To get ready for it, I decided it was time to hit the gym. My fi…
A Better Caretaker Because of Dance
“It’s been very difficult to be a single parent, but I’m so proud of how both of my kids turned out. Right now, I’m a caretaker to three …
How I Found Myself Again
“In 2013, I was exhausted from the second I woke up to the minute I went to sleep. I had a 10-year old and worked a full-time offic…
Why I’m Feeling Confident for the First Time Ever
“Ever since I was a little girl, I would dream about being on stage and pursuing my love of acting. Growing up, I dabbled in f…
Dancing Freely in Guatemala
“At least once a year, I travel to Guatemala with Global Healthworks Foundation (GHF), a nonprofit organization comprised of altern…
A Dance-Worthy Life
“I came to New York at the age of 21 to pursue dance. I was in the top level at the Alvin Alley school and, although I was performing qui…
An Ability to Inspire
Born with Muscular Dystrophy, Maritza has spent her life physically bound to a wheelchair. But mentally, she has no barriers. “From a ver…
Younger Than Ever at Age 50!
Veronica Scott’s struggles with health have been life long. She has battled obesity since childhood, as well as Metabolic Syndrome, high-…
A Bump in the Road
“In August 2012, I was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer,” says Linda Few. “And after one year of chemo treatments, foll…
Cancer Doesn’t Like Happy
When licensed Zumba® Instructor Paula Jacobs was diagnosed with breast cancer, she had two choices: let it rain on her happiness parade O…
From CPA to Dancing Queen
Charlene Rhinehart grew up like so many young girls – introverted, shy, and lacking the inner confidence needed to chase her dreams. She …
The Only Truth is Love
Shortly after Jacqueline Grace was born, she was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a rare genetic condition that often takes one’s life be…
Love Yourself The Way You Are
Nathalie Christian was born with congenital dysmelia, which means her left forearm has been missing since birth. This disorder could…
A Single Father and His Son Use Music and Dance to Overcome Life’s Obstacles
Erick Santana’s road to adulthood was never paved in gold. Growing up in a low-income, super strict household, Erick was forbidden to go …
A Match Made in Dance
Acea Theroux had recently become a licensed Zumba® Instructor when he decided it was time to take his dance moves to a Zumba class. He di…
Smiling Happens When You Least Expect It
In the early months of 2010, Maryjo (MJ) Oster was facing one of the toughest challenges of her life: an awful separation from a toxic ma…
Unsung Heroes: Nepal Community
The Unsung Hero program recognizes ZIN™ Members around the world for their outstanding contributions to their communities, and for their …
A Flight Attendant Who Inspires
Eleanor Van Niekerk has a hectic schedule. As a flight attendant for South African Airways, she often finds herself on long overnight fli…
Instructor Brings Dance Movement to Asia
Emma Satchel is someone who knows the phrase “hard work pays off.” And though it took a handful of years to see this, E…
Queen Harrison’s Zumba Story
Meet Queen Harrison. The olympic athlete and role model discovered the Zumba® program in the beginning of 2015 and Zumba reached out to f…
Queen’s Zumba Story – Part 3
Queen decides her journey doesn’t end as a student. Watch her go through a B1 Zumba® training and teach her very first class!
…
Queen’s Zumba Story – Part 2
Queen Harrison takes her first class with Zumba® instructor Jhon Gonzalez, and becomes hooked. She discovers that it’s not just abo…
Queen’s Zumba Story – Part 1
At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Queen became Virginia Tech’s first female Olympian. At 19 years old, she was the young…
Fitness Educator overcomes depression
In 2006, Ann Saldi’s twin boys were diagnosed with Autism just months before she auditioned to become a Zumba Education Specialist (ZES).…
Bailando para vencer la violencia
Jhonny Pico Hernadez es un oficial de la Policía Nacional de Colombia y también un instructor licenciado de Zumba® Un día, mientras Jhonn…
Rheumatoid Arthritis Doesn’t Rule My Life
Josette Tkacik began dancing before she could even walk. Later in life, she studied classical ballet with several notable compa…
A Doctor Finds Healing Through Dance
Stressed during his third year of finals in chiropractic school, Dr. Teddy Sim needed a break and discovered something that took all of h…
I was in an abusive relationship
Since the age of three, dancing was Cody’s life and where she truly felt at home. According to Cody, “there is no better place for me tha…
Pushing Through Parkinson’s Disease
Being a podiatrist, Beth Hochstein knew the usual routine of treating an ankle sprain; she found it a bit strange that her own ankle woul…
Men Only Zumba group!
“What if we put together a group of male instructors for charity?” Greg and Peggy Rojas asked. In 2013, that question was the beginning o…
Fell In Love With My Zumba Instructor!
Lily Bacho was an AFAA certified group fitness instructor teaching a variety of classes when she got the call to substitute a Zumba class…
Wedding Ready
A Marketing and Media Relations Manager for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Kate McGowan was originally brought into the Zumba family through…
Like father, like son
Anthony Romero always tried to be a happy, positive person, but suffering from various medical conditions including Psoriatic Arthritis o…
Dancing Helped War Veteran Surive After Combat
Angelica joined the United States Marine Corps in 2003. She was young, but she knew that service for her country was honorable and she be…