A Gateway Fitness Center recreation aide is in a festive mood while dancing to various music genres in front of her students, who try to mimic her moves during Zumba class.
Zumba, or exercising in a party-like atmosphere, was the creation of Alberto “Beto” Perez in Colombia in 1986. The fun was what attracted Nadia Winge, Zumba instructor, to the workout when she moved to the United States from Russia in 2010.
“I didn’t know Zumba existed,” Winge said about her first Zumba experience. “I went to my first class, fell in love with it and have been enjoying the class since then.”
Winge turned her passion into a profession when she received her Zumba teaching certification license in November 2015 and began teaching classes in December.
Winge instructs Zumba at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday at the Gateway Fitness Center here.
The class encompasses rhythmic beats of Zumba – salsa, reggaeton, cumbia and merengue – along with other music styles.
“Zumba makes me super excited and hyper,” Winge said. “I express my energy, and my students sense it.”
Winge gives energetic instruction by facing her students instead of having her back toward them so her students can easily duplicate her moves.
“I like to bond with them,” she explained. “I like to have fun with them and give them some time to pick up the routines. Zumba has that fun factor which I like.”
While the class has been offered for almost two months, Winge’s exuberance has struck a chord with some students.
Kay St. Don and Lynne Coakley have attended Winge’s class since its inception after taking Zumba at other fitness centers here.
“She has a great personality and is outgoing,” said St. Don, widowed military spouse. “She makes you feel welcome.”
“Winge is accommodating,” echoed retired Air Force Tech. Sgt. Coakley. “She emphasizes safety because she knows we are not going to move as fast or as hard as other individuals. She makes sure we move at our own pace and we stay hydrated and safe.”
Winge preaches safety as the No. 1 priority to students of all different levels.
“I always tell them they can work out at their own level,” she said. “They can modify their steps if they can’t keep up with the routines. The students know their body and I always tell them that if something hurts don’t do it because I don’t want them to get hurt. I want them to have fun.”
The class is free and open to individuals who possess a Department of Defense identification card.
For more information, call 671-1348 or 671-2565.