Skip to main content

Zumba Instructor Convention 2012


I know many of you want to know how my trip to Orlando went, so here I go...

The 2012 Zumba Instructor Convention officially kicked off on Thursday, August 9th 2012, but I was anxious to start my "ZUMBACATION", so I got right in on the action Wednesday, August 8th 2012! I started with some much needed shopping followed by a Master Class with the great Alejandro from China-Venezuela!

Thursday morning, I woke up early and waited in line for the Zumba Outlet Store to open...At 6:15 a.m. I was already sitting in line! I finally got in the store around 9:15 a.m.!!! I made my way to the official kick-off where I was lucky enough to hear some great people speak and some very inspirational stories. Already, I was feeling the Zumba Love! In the afternoon, I had my very first workshop, which was Brazilian Carnival! I LOVED IT!!!! I got to do some samba...more samba...and more samba! At night, we were invited to attend a "Party in Pink Fitness Concert". The venue was very big and very packed! At the very end, we were surprised with a special appearance from Daddy Yankee who was set to perform the next night! It was a great preview of what was yet to come! I'm not going to lie...we rushed towards the stage when we saw him come out! It was pretty adventurous, but fun! We later headed to our hotel lobby bar where the dancing just went on and on and on! Oh, what a first night it was! :) 

On Friday, I attended 2 workshops. The first session was Hip-Hop. I loved it because I got to learn some cool choreography. The second session was a Live Class with Beto. I had to get in line very quickly in order to get a great spot in the room. The ladies get crazy when Beto is around! Later that night, we were lucky enough to attend a Soldat Jahman and Daddy Yankee concert. It was so much fun! Most of all, I loved seeing my amazing friend and roommate Maria having a great time singing and dancing to an artist she really admired! The crazy girls running up on stage, trying to get to Daddy Yankee and Beto made the evening that much more entertaining too! But realistically, I felt bad for the man...Lucky for me, I got a picture with him in a more civilized manner after the concert! :)

On Saturday, I attended a Zumba Sentao training all day. I am now licensed to teach Zumba classes with a chair; however, I still have some studying to do before I try doing it! In the evening, we had a theme party planned. "Dancing through the decades" was the theme. I made my way to the 80's that night! The costumes all around were fun to see! :)

On Sunday, I started with a Reggaeton workshop. I needed to step out early however because some of my fellow instructors and I had to go get filmed for the Original Movements Contest we had entered. After that I attended an awesome African Dance workshop. In the evening, I got to spend some time relaxing and dancing just one last time with my roomie Uriah. :)

Thank you to my fabulous roommates Maria and Uriah! 
Thank you to my travel buddies Sheilah and Karen (and Kyle)! 
Thank you to my Original Movements team Zumba EH!
Thank you to everyone who made my first Convention so AMAZING! 

Zumba Love! :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

In a World Full of Noise, Let’s Show Understanding

“Not everyone processes uncertainty the same way, and that’s okay.” The past few days have been unexpected. What started as a normal Saturday - coaching at the gym, breakfast with a friend, catching up on work with the TV on in the background - quickly changed when I heard a loud “boom” coming from outside my apartment. At first, many of us in the community assumed it came from one of the many nearby construction sites. But, within the next few hours, the loud sounds came again and again, and word spread that these were missiles and drones being intercepted in the sky. I’ve always felt safe here in the UAE, and believe it or not, to a certain extent, I still do. Like many other residents here, I have a lot of trust in the country I’ve chosen to call home for over 11 years. I’ve seen it overcome challenges in the past, such as COVID and floods, and I’ve witnessed how much the leadership cares for the residents, particularly over the last few days.  That said, it’s no secret that I a...

Momentum Reset

"Momentum doesn’t just return; you rebuild it, one choice at a time." Before summer began, I was feeling a little low. The tipping point came when I found out my HYROX competition partner’s visa had been denied, meaning we wouldn’t be able to compete at the HYROX World Championships in Chicago. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t the end of the world, but I was still pretty bummed. I thrive when I have a goal, something to work toward, and for nearly two months, I’d been all-in. That training gave me momentum, purpose and energy. When that goal disappeared, so did my drive. Suddenly, my energy shifted in the wrong direction. I slipped into autopilot, stuck in the routine of daily life, work, and thought patterns that were becoming more and more negative. Social media didn’t help. It felt like everyone else was out there doing so much, and I had nothing exciting happening. I would catch myself comparing and as my thoughts spiraled, my body started responding, and not in a good way. Th...

Living Out a Dream

 “Have you ever stopped and thought: “Wow. I prayed for this. It’s here. It’s happening.”? I recently received a message from an  old student from my very first school in Canada. It was a simple note, but it sparked reflection in me about where I’ve come from and everything that’s happened over the last 15–20 years. At my age, I often look around and see many of the people ( my age ) settling down; getting married, having kids, buying homes ( A dream for many, especially women. ). And sometimes, I can’t help but  ask myself: what am I doing with my life? However, that message from my former student reminded me of something I often forget: I’ve already been living a dream. When I left my first teaching job in Canada, it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I absolutely loved my students, and together we had built a really special bond. But at that time, I had a dream to travel the world; to immerse myself in different cultures and to learn from people whose li...