Zumba at Poplar Union

One of the most popular classes at Poplar Union is the Zumba class. We caught up with the teacher, Talia, to learn more about her class and why it’s so popular.

How did you get started with Zumba?

I qualified in 2015 as a Zumba teacher. I’ve always been into fitness, going to the gym, dancing with friends. My background is Latin, which led me to Zumba. Zumba is like a party, people love dancing, they don’t realise they’re doing a workout.

What are the benefits of Zumba?

In the UK, I feel there’s high levels of stress. Zumba helps release bad energy and stress. People come here to relax. They like the music, even though they may not understand Spanish. When you come and dance, you feel more positive. Also, you can lose 700-1000 calories per class, as long as you are doing the steps properly and push yourself.

What do you like most about running the class?

I like meeting new people and seeing people smiling and happy. People ask me for the music and when they miss a class or are on holidays, they listen to the music and that helps them relax too. I like how they want to be involved in Latin culture. Also, the integration of cultures, there are so many people from different backgrounds coming together. Some people from other backgrounds may not have done much dancing before and in the beginning, they are lost with the steps, but they kept coming and now they have got it. It’s great to see.

Sabina, Nipa and Vicky work at Lincoln Hall Pre-school and come to Zumba every Monday evening. We chatted to them about why they enjoy coming to the class.

We love coming to Zumba. We learnt about Talia’s class online and also through friends. Some of us have been coming for over a year. It’s a fun workout, we get some sweat and adrenaline going, and we feel really good after. After a long day at work, it’s a great way to release stress. We encourage each other to come after work, which also helps to motivate us. It’s a very social class. We’ve met new people in the local area and we also feel comfortable as it’s currently all women. We would love more classes during the week.

 

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