NOWADAYS, physical fitness enthusiasts and health advocates in Bacolod City converge in malls, dance studios or parks to "party" and dance to the music that comes from the following dance styles: cumbia, salsa, merengue, mambo, flamenco, chachacha, reggaeton, soca, samba, tango and hiphop.

This latest dance craze also involves martial arts and aerobic elements and is approximated to have converted 14 million people in over 140,000 locations across more than 185 countries in the world.

It's called Zumba, and Bacolod is gearing up for its own ZumBacolod!

Zumba is a dance fitness program borne out of aerobics improvisation. In the 1990s, Columbian dancer and choreographer Alberto "Beto" Perez forgot his tape of aerobics music for a class he was teaching. He foraged traditional salsa and merengue music from his car and improvised a class using this non-traditional music.

In 2001, Beto moved to USA and teamed up with Alberto Periman and Alberto Aghion in producing a demo reel, and the concept was discovered and licensed by a company called Fitness Quest that created a direct marketing campaign and a line of home videos.

The three of them have since turned the Zumba program into a global movement as the largest branded dance-fitness program in the world.

Zumba sessions are typically about an hour long and are taught by licensed instructors. The exercise includes fast and slow movements as well as resistance training.

There are types of classes for different levels of age and exertion. Zumba Gold is specifically designed for the needs of the elderly. Zumba Gold-Toning is a toning class for older participants with goals of improving muscle strength, posture, mobility and coordination. Zumba Step tones and strengthens the legs through Zumba routines and step aerobics.

Zumba Toners do their workouts with toning sticks. It targets the abs, thighs, arms and other muscles throughout the body. Aqua Zumba is done in a shallow water of a swimming pool. It combines the same dance movements in a Zumba fitness class with those used in aqua fitness classes.

Zumba in the circuit usually last 30 minutes and uses strength exercises in various stations in timed intervals. ZumbaKids is designed for children between the ages 4 and 12. ZumbaSentao is a chair workout that uses body weight to strengthen and tone the body.

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Gearing up for ZumBacolod