What is Zumba anyway? It’s getting your groove on to lively Latin tunes by incorporating simple dance moves into a fun cardio workout.
This phenomenon actually started as a mistake by Colombian fitness trainer Alberto “Beto” Perez. One day in the mid-90s, Beto forgot to bring his regular aerobics-style music tape to the group exercise class he was teaching. So he raced back to his car and scrounged up a cassette tape (yep, a cassette tape, lol!) of Latin dance music. As the lively beats of Merengue and Rumba played out, Beto used dance moves he learned in Salsa clubs and from choreographing local artists, leading his students through a fun series of dance steps – and “Rumbacize” was born.
It was an instant hit, and quickly became the most popular class at his gym. In 1999, Beto moved to Miami and brought Rumbacize with him. It caught on there as well and, with the help of a pair of entrepreneurs, Beto re-branded his class and transformed it into the global franchise that is Zumba fitness today.
But you don’t need a gym to get your Zumba on, you can do it at home with this awesome playlist! Beto Perez himself put together his top 10 songs for a Latin weekend celebration. Simply download the free Spotify software and subscribe to our Spotify playlist, press play, and pretend you’re taking a class and grooving with the man responsible for this fun fitness craze!
- “Vive Y Baila” — Max Pizzolante, Beto Perez
- “Sígueme Y Te Sigo” — Daddy Yankee
- “La Gozadera” — Gente De Zona, Marc Anthony
- “Ay Vamos” — J. Balvin
- “Uptown Funk” — Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars
- “El Tiki” — Maluma
- “Love Never Felt So Good” — Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake
- “Tú Me Quemas” — Chino y Nacho, Gente De Zona, Los Cadillacs
- “Plakito” — Yandel, El General Gadiel, Farruko
- “Atrevete” — Grupo Bip
