"I want Zumba to reach every tier-II, tier-III city in India," says Sucheta Pal

She is someone who is like a firecracker when she hits the dance floor and have you shimmying and shaking to Latin-International beats like there is no tomorrow. She is someone who is an inspiration for many health freaks and has taken over the fitness world by storm with her moves. Sucheta Pal, India’s only Zumba Education Specialist, AFAA Certified Group Fitness Instructor and International Masala Bhangra Workout Ambassador (US), reveals her Zumba Fitness plans for India in a tête-à-tête with freelance journalist Anika Sharma.

1. What is Zumba? How different is it from regular aerobics, yoga, pilates and other fitness forms?

Zumba is a dance-inspired fitness form, which has taken over the world by storm because of its easy-to-follow, simple and fun moves. For that one hour of Zumba session, you are lost in a world of international music and the instructor will take you on a tour of the world through the medium of dance. It never feels like a workout, but as if the party has reached your door-step.

Sucheta Pal, Zumba Education Specialist

2. Are there different types of Zumba, and what are the differences?

Zumba has several specialties to cater to every age group and various fitness goals. We have Zumbatomic to encourage healthy activity in kids to Zumba Gold to improve mobility among the active older adults, to Aqua Zumba, which is a low-impact workout and ideal for your body due to the cushioning of water and suitable for people with joint pain, arthritis or back issues to Zumba Sentao, Toning and Core for the hardcore fitness enthusiasts who want to take fitness to a completely different level. 

3. What were you doing for a living before becoming a Zumba Education Specialist (ZES)?

Hard to believe but I hold a Bachelors of Electrical and Electronics Engineering and worked as an IT professional and business analyst for the Tatas, Macquarie and Merryl Lynch as my clients. It was a huge career shift for me five years back when I quit my corporate life and took to full-time professional dance training. A tough life as I started late but gave everything I had. I moved into the fitness world three years back when I shifted base to the US, and I am now an AFAA (Aerobics and Fitness Association of America) certified group fitness trainer.

4. From an electrical engineer to a Zumba Education Specialist (ZES), how has the journey been so far?

It has been a roller-coaster ride with several ups and downs. The ups are what I cherish and the downs give me more strength each time. I wouldn’t trade this life for anything else. It has been a difficult decision of my life and I am now living the dream of making my passion into my profession and vice versa.

5. How long have you been instructing?

I am going to complete three years of being a Zumba Instructor in August, 2013. And I have been a ZES for a year now.

6. How different is Zumba Education Specialist (ZES) from Zumba Jammer?

A Zumba Education Specialist (ZES) educates and is the only person appointed by the Zumba Home Office (US) who can license instructors to become Zumba Instructors. They train the trainers.

On the other hand, a Zumba Jammer is a creative individual who creates choreography and can hold a Jam session of three hours to teach five new choreos to ZIN (Zumba Instructor Network).

7. Why exactly Zumba is healthy? Do you think this dance-fitness program can benefit the Indian society at large?

Firstly, it is a task to hit the gym and once we are motivated to reach there, after a while, it becomes monotonous and boring. Also, if you get space to run on a treadmill you are more stressed as your mind has more time to think of your days issues, and not to forget, there is a long queue behind to take your space.

However, on the other hand, Zumba is a complete mind-body workout. You are working on your entire body and toning up. You can modify the steps to make them high-intensity or low-intensity, and your mind enjoys the music completely blocking out any stressful thoughts. So far, there is no trend of fitness in India but Zumba is actually creating it.

8. As a ZES, what is your goal for Zumba? Do you have any Zumba Fitness plan(s) for India?

Zumba is big in the metros, but the goal is to make it reachable to every tier-II and tier-III city for every Indian to benefit from this fitness form. As an educator, my goal is to churn out quality instructors and motivate them to perform better and create a solid support system for them to grow.

9. A study conducted by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) reveals that Zumba workout helps burn an average of 9.5 calories per minute. According to you, how many calories can a person burn in an hour with Zumba?

A person can burn between 500-800 calories or even more depending on the intensity of the class.

10. Is Zumba for all age types?

Yes. It has various specialties for people of all age types, shapes and sizes.

11. Is Zumba merely a brand, a passion, a community, or is it really catching up as a fitness form around the world?

Zumba Fitness as an LLC, a company and a brand is going strong for the last 12 years, and it is here to stay. At present, it is practiced in 150 countries with a weekly reach of two million participants worldwide. The Zumba Game is currently on XBOX, WII and PS3. Grammy Award-winning artists such as Pitbull, Don Omar, Wyclef, and Daddy Yankee create exclusive music for us as it’s the next big music platform. In 2012, Inc. Magazine rated Zumba Fitness as the number one company with its CEO Alberto Perlman being the top-five CEOs to look out for in 2013. The reason for Zumba’s growth is due to its strong community of instructors and the passion of the company and its people to build it for the people.

12. How do you see the future of Zumba in India? What challenges do you face while teaching Zumba classes in India?

At present, Zumba in India is in a baby stage but it is going to spread like wild fire in 2013. The only challenge we face now is the growing number of illegal instructors who are misusing the name of Zumba. I would request all participants to check if their instructor is licensed by searching their name on www.zumba.com.

13. Your fitness mantra?

There is no shortcut to good health, but at least make it fun.

14. What message do you want to give to your readers, your followers, or Zumba enthusiasts?

Once someone has experienced Zumba, it’s addictive and gives you an electrifying joy. I can’t explain as you should experience it to feel it. So go and find a class nearest to you from the official website: www.zumba.com, and enter the world of health, fitness and awesome fun.