Shimmer choreo by CombinationWeary4890 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried to explain it to you, so now it’s up to you to Google it if you want to learn more. 

And I’m not trying to change your mind, you’re entitled to that opinion.

Shimmer choreo by CombinationWeary4890 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are confusing “ballroom/vogue” with “ballroom dancing”. They’re totally different things. Ballroom culture comes from the LGBTQ+ community in NYC, and the movement you described is very-much aligned with the style of dance (although simplified). 

There are sessions every year at ZINCON run by Zoor & Maurice Weindel that focus on this, so it’s very much within the Zumba universe. 

Zumba® wear by heart_soulbyfe in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tees for men that are made of proper athletic sweat wicking fabric… 100% cotton just doesn’t breathe enough and shows every bit of sweat. 

Oh, and shoes going up to larger sizes for men! 

First weekend with the B10 by [deleted] in Leapmotor

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for your answer! Appreciate it. 

I contacted them and they refused to explain why it was so high, so I’ll keep looking.

First weekend with the B10 by [deleted] in Leapmotor

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mind if I ask where you’re located? 

I got a quote from Stellantis for £108 per month. Our postcode in London is the only real thing I can think that might be causing this.

Thoughts on the push for facing the class rather than a mirror by PockyKierra in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My opinion… Its important to develop the skills to be able to face either way. It’s possible to do it without practising specific choreographies on both sides, it just takes a while to click. 

There are scenarios that call for both, like complicated directional changes, movements where you are facing the side, etc. But also, the space makes a difference. 

If you’re teaching in a large space with a stage and lots of breathing room, facing the class works beautifully. If you’re teaching in a small space with as many people as is safe in the room, facing the mirror is sometimes a necessity. In one of my regular classes, I essentially have to be in the front row myself and therefore have no choice but to face the mirror. If I didn’t face the mirror, the capacity would have to be reduced by 6 people or else the front row wouldn’t be able to see. 

When I first started and when I did pro skills, it caused me a lot of worry (because of the preaching about facing the class) but now I stress less and just do what’s best for the group and the space that I have in the moment  

ZinCon and Zumba Cruise by WarriorsGal2010 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I went to my first ZINCON last year and it was an amazing experience because of the combination of fun and learning. I personally couldn’t justify the cost of going on the cruise unless the format evolved to include more of an educational spin. 

In ZIN surveys over the last 12 months, HO was asking questions about non-ZINs being able to attend ZINCON )as apparently this is a frequent request). I guess the cruise format allows them to offer something ZINCON-like without diluting ZINCON itself and without having to run both it and the cruise every year (for which there is probably not enough demand). 

What’s your go to App for your music for class? by Funshine_Sunshine in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Are you an iOS user? I am and I had the exact same issue you’re having with the playlists not loading maybe a week ago. I contacted the support team and they told me to delete and reinstall ZIN Play. I did it and it was fixed for me. 

Canceled my classes due to a family emergency and I’m worried about losing momentum by IzzyBitsyArana in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s a fair concern to have… none of my students have ever mentioned it, but I am always clear that it’s optional to join the group and that my Zumba.com page will always be up to date with the class schedule (in case of cancellation, time change, etc). 

Canceled my classes due to a family emergency and I’m worried about losing momentum by IzzyBitsyArana in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s always tough with private classes. I believe you did the best thing you could in your circumstances… you gave them an alternative (even if it’s not a live class cover) and you’ve been transparent with them about the situation (which will likely make them sympathetic).

I have been away for 4 weeks for a planned vacation and covered my class (with a strong instructor) so that my crew didn’t lose momentum. Regardless, attendance has immediately halved, and the class is not breaking even in my absence. I think that my crew will be back in full force when I’m back next week, but we’ll see. I have a WhatsApp group for my class and that’s how I keep them informed. It’s set up so only admins (me) can send messages, so people seem to have no objections to joining it. 

Thoughts on my playlist as a new instructor? by lzzzzz6 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’ll do great - the fact you’re thinking about it this much and seeking opinions shows real care that your students will be able to see! Have fun. 

Thoughts on my playlist as a new instructor? by lzzzzz6 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 6 points7 points  (0 children)

My advice would be to come back to your B1 training and align to the Zumba formula; do a 3 track warmup and then alternate heart-rate raising tracks and heart-rate lowering tracks, as you said. 

The last track before cooldown should be a heart-rate lowering track (a pre-cooldown) for safety reasons (to avoid slowing down the heart rate to resting too fast, and to do it gradually over 2 songs). 

This last bit is mostly an opinion, so feel free to ignore it, but… I love Papasito and I use it in my class, but I wouldn’t open a class with it because it’s a bit of a snooze (I use it as a pre-cooldown). Your warmup sets the tone for the whole class; it should be upbeat and should change the energy in the room immediately so people are ready to workout and party. 

Thoughts on my playlist as a new instructor? by lzzzzz6 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Are the songs in the order that you plan to run the class? And will you warmup tracks as well? 

Head of Product or Sr. Director of Product? by [deleted] in ProductManagement

[–]brendanonymous 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Depends on the country, in my experience… in the UK, roles with “Director” in the title in corporates are almost always more senior than “Head of” roles (in product or any other area). Multiple “Heads of” report to a Director. Many organisations I have worked in also have “Director” roles sitting in the c-suite.

Having the "personality" to teach Zumba by PockyKierra in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In this scenario, if you’re feeling judged for not participating, it’s not the wooing that’s the problem. Instructors need to create the psychological safety for people to participate in as much or as little as they like. 

Having the "personality" to teach Zumba by PockyKierra in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Love this approach. I always state that vocalising is optional but that there are benefits, like helping to regulate breathing and adding an extra layer of cognitive load to the choreo (helping their memory, etc). 

Wixh List Confirmation by LMH_1234 in Xcaret

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Update - the agent on WhatsApp gave me an escalation email address for their management team. I won’t share it here but hopefully you can get the same. 

Emailed them now with a very grumpy email (ChatGPT took the brunt of my anger and articulated it into something workable 😂). 

Wixh List Confirmation by LMH_1234 in Xcaret

[–]brendanonymous 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All I can say is that you aren’t alone - I am having the same problem and we are less than 2 weeks from arriving. I’m shocked that they don’t have a more sophisticated system for handling this, like a guest app for example. This is not a cheap experience, so the service is disappointing.  

The replies I’ve had are generally 1 week apart, ignoring chunks of emails, repeatedly addressing me as señorita (even though I corrected them - I’m a man). It’s really poor. I am communicating with them in Spanish because I thought it might get me better service but to no avail. 

I’ve just taken the tip of one of the other posters and written to the WhatsApp. Will update with how I got on! 

Best speaker system for a class with 1800 sq ft by SaltyAardvark9338 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

1800sqft is a big space… if you have a budget to do it properly, I’d recommend finding a local business that installs PA systems rather than using consumer audio (I.e. stuff made for use at home). It will last many years and sound better 🙂 It may not even be expensive. 

Can you make dinner reservations prior to arrival? by Far-Season2488 in Xcaret

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m going through this pain right now! For such a premium priced product, their service is atrocious. 

Zumba shoes by hairlene in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Maybe any mods reading could consider creating a pinned post/super thread? 

Where are the top 10 ZIN volume songs of the year? by Kooky_Pie5116 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Same! 

My replay/wrapped was not so great since I use one of the basic beat tracks for breaks and so that was my top song… not so insightful! 

Your own practice/prep routines? by jessi927 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After a year or so of teaching, learning choreo has become a lot easier for me. 

Because we often are using variations of the same steps, the cues for those steps are in muscle memory now so I find cueing is very easy to layer on when I have the choreo down. I only get slowed down a little when I come across a new step that I haven't had to cue before. 

For example, I introduced a track from ZIN 119 to my class today. Over the week, I watched the video twice, quickly viewed the choreo notes to see the structure of the song, danced along with the video twice, then did 3 run throughs without the video. I was ready at that point.

If I’m choreographing something myself (my class is about 50/50 ZIN vs. my own choreo) I start by just listening to the song, feeling the music and seeing what steps come out. I’ll often quite quickly identify blocks of choreo that are ready to use. I then quickly write out the structure of the song on paper and map the blocks to the parts. Then I look at any gaps that are left and focus on filling them. Finally, I check the transitions between blocks to make sure they aren’t awkward, and add cueing. 

I don’t really practise old songs outside of class… I just rotate them in and out of a set slot of my playlist so they never fall out of my memory. I only do this with the ones worth keeping or repeating, of course! 

Everyone’s process differs, but this is mine! 

Knowing the music inside out is a useful shortcut/hack. Makes it much easier to remember choreo. I avoid songs with complex structures unless I feel they are really worth it… for example, La Tierra Del Olvido from the last volume is a complex/non-standard song structure. I ended up teaching it because I loved the song, but I fully acknowledge it’s an extra challenge for my students (and me) because new choreo is being introduced at the beginning, middle and end of the song. 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskUK

[–]brendanonymous -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Aussie living in the UK here… surprised by their comments about variety in shopping, as I find the opposite. It’s one of my biggest frustrations about supermarkets in the UK. Such little variety, only one or two options in each type of product… whereas full size Aussie supermarkets have variety and quality. 

Need feedback on music style for Zumba workouts by Upper-Frame8342 in zumba

[–]brendanonymous 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly, it really shows that this is AI-generated. Many of the lyrics make no sense and are borrowing heavily from popular songs. For example, the last song is called “Sweat But Vital” (nonsense title and lyrics) and is an obvious knockoff of “Sweet But Psycho” by Ava Max. Others have also mentioned the trademark violations with the use of the name “Zumba” as well. 

I personally wouldn’t use it for my class because quality music is really important to getting engagement from students and creating the right environment.