Zumba night

Last night I taught Zumba at Ramsey. Every time I teach, I get a different vibe from my class and I leave thinking how the class went or how I might have done better. The university calendar, the weather, and world events can all have a huge impact on how many students show up to class and how happy people are while they’re there. Last night, a few of my regulars weren’t there (maybe because of the election?) and there were a handful of new faces in the crowd.

 I love having new people in class but it is always hard to make them feel at ease when there are a lot of enthusiastic regulars in attendance, especially toward the end of the semester. The girls that are there every week are ready to go and the newbies are left thinking that they should know what they’re doing already. The thing is, no one has to know anything to get started. That’s the beauty of Zumba, in my opinion. That’s why it pulls in so many people. I give huge cues and make a big effort to show them exactly what to do. In comparison to free week, where 100% of the people are new and there are 130+ participants, these late semester newbies get lots more cuing and attention from me. I think there’s something mental about it though. They feel like everyone there must know what they’re doing. It’s so much easier for them to talk themselves in to being intimidated by the class.

This really strikes me as true in so many other areas of life. Your internal dialog and expectations can have an enormous impact on your performance. I try to really emphasize the “as long as you’re moving, you’re doing it right” speech, but it’s really hard to let someone else know they’re doing just fine without making them feel uncomfortable. I need to work on ways to improve the vibe in classes when folks just don’t seem to be feeling it as much as usual. Any ideas?

Last night, I also wore my Asics Gel Frantic 5’s instead of the Nike Free Id running shoes I have been using lately.

I should just never use my Asics for dance again. They kill me. I never realized how much they inhibit lateral movement until I started wearing lighter shoes. Basically, I need a shoe with good arch support, but a lot of upper flexibility, which is why I’ve been loving my Nike Free’s so much. 

I was hoping to run today, but my calves and ankles are so sore (in a bad way) from teaching yesterday that I may have to do some upper body weight training instead.