#HispanicHeritageMonth | #30Men30Days | Alberto Perez
In 1999, Alberto Perez moved from his native Colombia to Miami, Florida "in search of the American Dream." Besides teaching aerobics classes, he promoted his own fitness and dance routines that were accompanied primarily by Latin music. Success however, was limited. That is until 2003 where with financial and technical assistance from Alberto Perlman he began to distribute his routines as DVDs. They gained momentum creating the following that today is known simply as “Zumba Fitness.” Now when you hear the words Zumba Fitness, you may roll your eyes, perhaps thinking it’s just another trend that will come and go. However, this Latin dance exercise class that incorporates reggaeton, merengue and salsa, has artists such as Don Omar, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee and Wyclef creating custom tracks for it. It has over 200 employees furthering its mission and it over 14 million followers in over 180 countries. Hard to call that a just a trend.
