Partying with Zumba creator Beto Perez

The Zumba craze in the Philippines just got crazier with the arrival of Mr. Zumba himself—Alberto "Beto" Perez, the Colombian dancer who created the world-famous workout.

Zumba is a fitness program with dance and aerobic elements. It also involves martial arts moves, squats, lunges and, other aerobic techniques. The routine is performed with accompanying music, usually Latin.

At the press briefing in Makati on Friday, host Regine Tolentino—herself a licensed Zumba fitness instructor—noted that Zumba is very popular because it is for everybody; “walang pinipili,” as there is an appropriate program for every age and health condition.

How Zumba was created

At the press conference, Perez talked about how Zumba came to be. He revealed his hesitation about being called the “creator” of Zumba because “there is only One Creator: God.”

Growing up in humble circumstances to a single mother, Perez was already working at age 14 to support his family.

He developed Zumba by accident in the 1990s. At the time, he was a step aerobics instructor and a dance scholar at one of the best academies in his hometown of Cali, Colombia.

Once, Perez forgot to bring his traditional aerobics music. He opted to use his personal salsa and merengue tapes from his backpack instead—and his first Zumba class was born.

Although he eventually became a successful trainer and choreographer in his homeland, Perez wanted more. He wanted to make it big in the US.

He sold all his belongs and moved to Miami to pursue the American Dream even though he did not know a word of English.

He quickly ran out of money and even had to sleep in a park for two nights. However, he soon overcame this initial period of hardship.

He became a health club instructor and his dance fitness classes soon became the most popular at the gym.

Soon, he found business partners—Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion—who were willing to help him promote his signature fitness routine.

At the time, there was no name yet for the dance fitness workout he created. He called it “Rhumba” in Colombia, but the people in the US had a hard time pronouncing it.

They thought of different names—Conga, Tonga, and so on—until one of his partners suggested "Sumba." Then, Perez said, "Let’s make it Zumba with a Z, because I love Zorro."

Different kinds of Zumba

There are several kinds of Zumba class, each tailored for different age groups or athletic level.

The program for the youngest set, zero to three years old, is called Zumbini and is designed to help the little ones wiggle, sing and learn together.

On the other end of the age spectrum, ZUmba Gold is geared towards older adults "who want to focus on muscle conditioning and light weight activity," says the Zumba site.

Other variations include Zumba Toning (which includes light weights to add resistance), Aqua Zumba (aquatic therapy), and Zumba Sentao (a high-intensity workout that involves a chair "as your dance partner," described as a way to challenge your muscles without the use of weights.

Like Forrest Gump

On Mother’s Day, Perez led a Zumba fitness party at the Circuit in Makati.

He said he feels like Forrest Gump when it comes to Zumba's success. Forrest, who wore braces on his legs as a boy, eventually became a runner. He initially ran on his own, then suddenly a large group of people was running along with him. Perez said that just like Forrest Gump, he did Zumba on his own—then suddenly everybody followed. — BM, GMA News