#kassmartin

[musingsofazumbamind]

Ten Adidas photos for my friend, Kass’s 10 year Zumba anniversary. If she isn’t wearing Zumbawear, it’s gotta be @adidas @kassmartin #kassmartin #zinversary #anniversary #adidas (at Country View Elementary) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bn9JHG4g2YL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1ta9xhaju3efh

[musingsofazumbamind]

13 days until #zincon2018 tip: Picture who you are most excited to see, the educator or dancer who most inspires you, and the session or training you are most excited to take. For me, I LIVE for the sheer joy and endless happy cry that is Day One. Opening session with Community Manager Gina Graziani and three sessions in two whole days with ZES Steve Boedt and ZES Kass Martin! Yes! Three sessions in two days... My favorite presenters, now my friends, have Motown, The Power of Me, and yes, Pro Skills. Again! 🤣 Their trainings have taught me the most over these 5 conventions and through almost 9 years of teaching. The excitement in seeing these three folks is what’s keeping me up at night. 😳🤣❤️ #zincontips #zincon #zumbaconvention #zins #zumba #zumbalove #zumbafitness #zumbainstructor #zincon2018 #steveboedt #kassmartin #ginagraziani #ameliazumba #ameliabedeliafitness #motown #powerofme #openingsession #zumbaaddict #proskills @zumbaconvention (at Hyatt Regency Orlando)

[musingsofazumbamind]

I can tag people in a picture. But these two are tagged in my heart. #kassmartin #steveboedt #dynamicduo #powerofconnection #zumbafitness #zumbafriends #zumba #zumbalove #smooch #nosleeptonight #myhusbandissopatient #myhusbandissoproud (at Melrose Park, Illinois)

[musingsofazumbamind]

Time to Play

A week ago I took a class that truly changed my perspective on how I teach. Or, at least, how I want to teach.

Some of you know Emily Engemann as one of the girls dancing in the crew for the Zumba Country DVD that just came out. Or maybe you recognize her from the stage behind Steve Boedt in the Motown session or one of the hot mamas at Crazy Country--the tall one with long legs and a mass of deep blond and honey waves of hair. Some of you may even know her as “Kass’s Sister”. I argue that last one is irrelevant. She’s a damn fine dancer, a bright, flowing sunflower in a corn field, and seriously, one of the best smilers I’ve ever met.

From the moment I stepped in the giant studio at Vasa Fitness I knew I was in for a special treat. I was immediately greeted with a hug, my name was passed on to about five other members, I even got hugs from strangers before the music even began. And then in the midst of the party, with the clarity and bass of the beats and the intoxicating feeling in the room, it hit me that I was in a Zumba(r) Fitness class. 

It didn’t occur to me I was heading to Zumba(r) and then wow, I found a party, I was in a party and then it hit me that this was Zumba(r).

Emily’s cues, welcoming nature, hot moves and balance of new and old songs were all on point. She giggled right along with us. Her warm up was fun right off the bat, her music blended seamlessly together in a whirl of heat, her “battle” song made everyone feel like equals. Everyone zigged on purpose when Emily zagged, and every time we turned to the four walls in a move, neighbors were purposely turning to each other and playing off of one another. And when it was all over I had to blink, reset myself back to reality, and I immediately felt a loss for the next hour I could have danced. 

My favorite quote has always been: “I follow my friend as far as the river bank. She is gone. And I am filled and overflowing with the things I did not say.” - Liu Shi-an

That’s exactly how I felt when that last song, that deep stretch, ended. I felt a fierce pouty-lipped and chin-quivering “but... but...” welling inside me. And it hit me right as soon as I got in the car that someday I will go back. And someday those same welcoming, lovely Utahns will hug me again and remember me because I would do the same if they were in my class. And that class will stick with me the most because it didn’t feel like I was in a class, it felt like we were all kids and we were out playing at recess.

You know when you were a kid and your mom asked you what you did outside? And all you could tell her was that you “played”? That’s how it felt. I don’t have many details, I didn’t make a checklist in my head for what made her class feel as vibrant and whole and ecstatic like it did, but I walked away covered in salt and happy-tired and my cheeks hurt just like a day at the beach. Just like 1am at a sleepover.  Just like getting an extra recess at school.

The takeaway? Since then I’ve tried to really welcome people as they join my class. I’ve been learning and saying more names, making more eye contact, greeting smiles with smiles, greeting growls with smiles, giving the playlist an extra feel good oldie song. I’ve been giving the warm up more fitness, the salsas more sass, the reggaetons more pretend scowls. You never know if those differences are felt, but I know I feel better, and that is hopefully shining outward to my people. In other words, I hope you feel the fun from me, from the music and the moves, and then fun flows through you like recess.

[musingsofazumbamind]

Is this a  Zumba playlist?

I love to travel. I love taking others’ classes, offering my time at Zumbathons, taking Jam sessions and Master Classes from the best of the best. I’ve seen all the iterations of Zumba Fitness in most areas of Wisconsin, in Chicago, Illinois and Dubuque, Iowa, in Katy, Texas and Muncie, Indiana, and to the fullest in Orlando, Florida. The most memorable 60+ minute parties I’ve enjoyed in these 8 Zumba-filled years have always felt like True Zumba. 

But what is “True Zumba” and why do I hear that phrase more and more as being something we have lost, something we can’t find in our area, something instructors don’t really want to do? I mean, I disagree with the folks saying this, and I’ll tell you why, but I can respect their frustration.

When I was first licensed and up until a couple years ago, the general rule for building a class playlist was to estimate 70% of the music was Latin and world music and 30% was considered “other”. Each instructor chose mostly songs from the music we are given by the company and the other portion was whatever we wanted. People put those guidelines through their own filter and taught what they wanted, regardless of those guidelines, but when we reminisce we all feel like we kept that promise.

The current standard for our 16 songs is to balance, warm up and cool down excluded, a set of music honoring “no more than two of any rhythm with an emphasis on Latin and world music”. When you do the math, this isn’t all that different than what we used to do, but it feels like a big change to those of us #vintage instructors. 

The folks claiming that we need to advertise True Zumba for the die hards holding out with the 70/30 formula and give a label like Modern Zumba to those folks following the current guidelines are, at the very least, misguided. When Zumba Home Office made this fresh initiative they saw it as an opportunity. “Latin and world music” is such a broad term, really, that if you look at your 16 songs and don’t see at least 14 not in English I think you should give me a call. I am willing and able and so, so ready to mentor you in building this great PERFECT PLAYLIST. Well, maybe not perfect, but definitely true to the current B1 manual.

Pull out a recent playlist, or even better, pull out that list of maybes for next month. It doesn’t matter if you’re using the latest ZIN, the Mega Mix songs from that recent Jam, or if you are an iTunes fiend. This is not about where you’re finding songs, it’s more about the songs you are willing to find.

I encourage you to ask yourself the following questions in no particular order. These are formed from my years of experience teaching anywhere from 2 to 8 classes a week, from reading the Basics 1 training manual, from four years of Zumba Instructor Convention, being licensed in three formats and attending more classes from the Masters than I can count. This is based on a 16 song playlist -- maybe DJ Baddmixx hit you up with something hot for your warm up that lasts the whole first 12 minutes. That’s cool, treat that like it’s the first three songs.

1. Is the first song, the WARM UP not a full choreopalooza, full of fitness moves with lyrics that grab you-slash-no lyrics but super hypnotic beats? Right off the bat I want this class to feel different, something indescribable, with a first song that says, “this is how we roll”.

2. Do I have a salsa? It can be a salsa romantica, salsa dura, salsaton or salsa choke. My favorite salsa is the right salsa for me and it’s not about how smooth or bass heavy it is. I know I need at least one.

3. Do I have a reggaeton? Of course I do, I LOVES ME SOME REGGAETON. It doesn’t matter if it’s from the Caribbean or from France. I know I need at least one. Wait, I have a moombahton, is that the same as a reggaeton? (No, it shouldn’t be. If you need help breaking down the difference between all the -tons, call or email the Jammers in your area and bust out a bottle of wine and get to werk.)

4. Do I have a merengue? Sure. Easy. Everyone needs a rhythm you march to a 1 - 2 beat, add a 6-count step and end with a Beto 7. I know I need at least one.

5. Do I have a cumbia? Wait. I don’t think I have a cumbia but I know they are important! I have a cumbiaton... does that count? (Yes.) I know I need at least one.

6. Do I have a song from the popular culture of my country? If I live in Venezuela and don’t include a Chino y Nacho song I know people might not come back. It doesn’t have to be current or Top 40, I know I got that country song from Kass Martin at convention... Yes, I’ll do that. I’ll do that because songs you can sing along to, songs that are recognizable, are comforting like the smell of cookies in the oven.

7. Do I have at least one song that gives me, yeah, maybe my family too, but definitely me, all The Feels? This isn’t necessarily in English, I know I have “They Don’t Really Care About Us” with Steve Boedt’s choreo but maybe those lyrics are too heavy for right now. I have “Cuando Nos Volvamos a Encontrar” by Carlos Vives, “Quiereme” by Johnny Sky and “”Yo No Se Manana” (no acento con mi computadora) by Luis Enrique. Ok, I’m golden. Bring on the goosebumps.

8. Have I got the cues to go along with these moves? Have I got the moves to go with the lyrics? (I said “manos arriba, people!”) Have I walked through the energy or emotion of each song or am I faking it when I get there? (If the answer is no, walk away from this blog immediately and go practice.)

9.  Let’s say I have 2 Latin pop warm ups, 1 pop stretch. That leaves 13 songs. I stayed heavy on my B1 rhythms and picked 2 for each of my main four rhythms. I have 5 songs left to choose. (Math is hard.) Of those 5 songs, are any pop? Nope, I might not want to do that. Of those 5 that are left, am I choosing songs that Beto would love if Beto himself were in the room?

10. Reflecting on the whole playlist, do I have any outliers that totally kill the happy buzz in the playlist? Wait, what, I do?!??! I have to drop it like it’s hot. I am here to bring the party, bring energy and vitality and love and passion and heart and I cannot for any reason remind people they are exhausted and almost didn’t come tonight.

And after sleeping on this feel good blog post (I hope it’s a feel good post) I woke up with one more idea, one that is key to every memorable party.

11. Is my last song a message to my people? Does it have an indescribable feeling, does it give goose bumps by the dozens, does it make my people walk away with banners raised and shouting from the rooftops with inspiration? Note: I offered a Michael Jackson tribute playlist this week, which meant at least half the songs gave people goose bumps. But the last song left them crying, reminiscing, high-fiving their neighbors and hugging me before they left. In my Pro Skills training (the 2nd time) we talked about how that last song is most likely in your home language so the majority of the people in the room can *really listen* to the words.

Now you’re ready to connect, to honor the program, to do what you set out to do all those years or months or days ago when you knew you wanted to be an instructor. If at any point you feel like you can’t wrap your brain around this playlist thing, find me on instagram, Facebook, Twitter, email at [email protected] or stop by my classes and we’ll get some iced tea as soon as the happy sweaty pictures cease. 

True Zumba, if there is such a thing, encompasses these ten questions. It has more words in other languages than in English. It changes shape and intensity and emotion with every turn. It includes cues that are clear and make sense. And always, ALWAYS, it leaves people happier when they leave than when they came in because it lifts them out of chaos and finds them a new community.

Best wishes, 

Amelia Bedelia

(I’m handwriting this and sending this to Beto. Feel free to disagree with me but I know he won’t. I’m not going to kick you off the team if this makes you mad--these are my ramblings and meant for reflection. Remember that I am starting with the “Man in the Mirror.”)