Playlist from Wednesday, May 25th (Curves in Whiting, IN)

Same as last week! I am really digging this Curves class... the ladies are very enthusiastic, and one of them even told me after class that she couldn't stop smiling. I must be doing something right. :-)

Playlist from Tuesday, May 24th (Happy Body Wellness Center)

Tonight I had a class with 6 students... my largest ever at this facility! Starting this summer I will be teaching here on Saturday mornings as well, which is very exciting. The only downside is that it conflicts with Melody's classes (i.e., my "continuing education"). But I guess/hope this means we'll get together more often to practice!

1. C'Mon and Dance - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. Cumbia Arabe - Zumba Fitness - cumbia
3. She Bangs (Spanish version) - Ricky Martin - Latin pop
4. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
5. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
6. Calabria 2007 - Enur - merengue
7. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
8. Chori Chori - Aneela featuring Arash - bhangra/Indian
9. Tequila - The Champs - salsa
10. Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings - flamenco
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. Cumbia Pa' La Nena - Bachaco - cumbia
13. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
14. Jai Ho (from "Slumdog Millionaire") - Mumbai Dolls - bhangra/Indian (The class loves this one!)
15. Burbujas de Amor - Juan Luis Guerra - Latin

Playlist from Monday, May 23rd (Nichols Park)

This class was a "Zumba for the kitties." On the last Monday of each month (well, this was the second to last Monday, but the park is closed on Memorial Day), I donate my earnings beyond the $35 overhead costs to Hyde Park Cats. If you live in the area, this is an excellent way to support needy kitties, exercise, and have fun all at once!

1. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull - Latin/hip-hop
2. Cumbia Arabe - Zumba Fitness - cumbia (I picked this one up from my friend and "Zumba mentor" Melody's class)
3. Wavin' Flag - K'naan - pop/hip-hop
4. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
5. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira - Latin
6. Chori Chori - Aneela featuring Arash - bhangra/Indian
7. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo - cumbia
8. Tequila - The Champs - salsa
9. Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings - flamenco
10. Hella Decale - DJ Mam's featuring Doukali & Soldat Jahman - French reggaeton
11. Aguanile - Marc Anthony - salsa
12. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
13. Suddenly I See - KT Turnstall - pop (one of the first routines I choreographed myself)
14. Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte - calypso
15. 5 Letras - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
16. Bailar Pegados - Zumba Fitness - Latin

Playlist from Wednesday, May 18th (Curves in Whiting, IN)

This was my first experience teaching Zumba in the Circuit, and I loved it! (From now on I'll be doing two 30-minute classes back-to-back on Wednesdays from 5:30-6:40pm... and yes, the gym is in Indiana. Strangely, it's only 10 miles away from our place on the South Side of Chicago.) The ladies were very enthusiastic and open to trying new types of routines... though my husband was less enthusiastic about my having to play the "Zumba, Zumba" voice cue over and over again as I created the mix. :-) For those of you who are unfamiliar with how ZIC works, it is a 30-minute workout... participants alternate between floor/Zumba and machines every minute (as soon as they hear the voice cue). So my mix consisted of 14 two-minute song segments, as follows:

1. Que Te Mueve - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
3. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
4. Mi Alma Se Muere - Chosen Few featuring Pitbull - merengue/hip-hop
5. Chori Chori - Aneela featuring Arash - bhangra/Indian
6. Cumbia Pa' La Nena - Bachaco - cumbia
7. Calabria 2007 - Enur - merengue
8. Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte - calypso (I think this was their favorite)
9. Snake Charmer - Panjabi MC - bhangra/Indian
10. 5 Letras - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
13. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
14. Zumba Lluvia - Zumba Fitness - cool-down

Playlist from Tuesday, May 17th (Happy Body Wellness Center)

I'm so sad that I need to cancel class this Thursday (and the two Thursdays after that) because I had a blast teaching! (Alas, colloquium speakers, conferences, and weddings back-to-back will do that.) This group really likes the bhangra/Indian routines, so there will be more of those to come.

1. C'Mon and Dance - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings - flamenco
3. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
4. Calabria 2007 - Enur - merengue
5. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
6. Mawa Sillah - Zumba Fitness - African/Arabian
7. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
8. 5 Letras - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
9. Cumbia Pa' La Nena - Bachaco - cumbia
10. Tequila - The Champs - salsa
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. Jai Ho (from "Slumdog Millionaire") - Mumbai Dolls - bhangra/Indian
13. Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte - calypso
14. Snake Charmer - Panjabi MC - bhangra/Indian
15. Zumba Lluvia - Zumba Fitness - cool-down

Playlist from Monday, May 16th (Nichols Park)

I really liked this playlist... not only the music (which I clearly must like!), but also the intensity level of the workout. I've been trying hard to strike a good balance between high-impact and low-impact routines so that my students and I get lots of exercise, yet don't feel as if we've killed ourselves in the process. Students, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I finally succeeded. :-)

1. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull - Latin
2. Snake Charmer - Panjabi MC - bhangra/Indian
3. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo - cumbia
4. Mawa Sillah - Zumba Fitness - African/Arabian
5. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
6. La Pantera Mambo ("Pink Panther" theme) - La-33 - salsa
7. Wiggle Wiggle - Fulanito - merengue
8. La Luz Del Flow - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
9. Hella Decale - DJ Mam's Featuring Doukali & Soldat Jahman - reggaeton
10. Tequila - The Champs - salsa
11. Ritmo Caliente - Banda Zarape - quebradita
12. Bamboleo - Gypsy Kings - flamenco
13. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira - Latin
14. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
15. Burbujas de Amor - Juan Luis Guerra - Latin

Playlist from Tuesday, May 10th and Thursday, May 12th (Happy Body Wellness Center)

I rarely duplicate playlists, but I will this week because the one student who attended Tuesday's class is out of town. Today I was amused to discover that the lyrics to song #5 ("Calabria 2007") are actually in English! I had assumed they were in Portuguese because to me, they sounded "kind of like Spanish but not quite." The singer, Enur, is Danish yet apparently has a heavy Jamaican accent. I guess I was way off!

1. C'Mon and Dance* - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. Snake Charmer - Panjabi MC - bhangra/Indian
3. La Pantera Mambo ("Pink Panther" theme) - La-33 - salsa
4. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
5. Calabria 2007 - Enur - merengue
6. Mawa Sillah - Zumba Fitness - African/Arabian
7. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
8. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira
9. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo - cumbia/reggaeton
10. 5 Letras - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
13. Zumba Lluvia - Zumba Fitness - cool-down

* Very old-school Zumba... it's from the Zumba Fitness Original Soundtrack released in 2004!

Playlist from Monday, May 9th (Nichols Park)

Because this class was held the day after Mother's Day, I waived the $5 fee for all moms. I'd do the same for dads on Father's Day, but I have yet to see a male student in any of my classes!

The swing number ("Don't Let Me Down") - which I debuted at Happy Body Wellness Center last week - seemed especially popular, so I will definitely continue to include that in future playlists.

1. I Like It - Enrique Iglesias featuring Pitbull - Latin/hip-hop
2. Wavin' Flag - K'naan - hip-hop
3. Dejala Que Baile - Charlie Cruz & Angel y Khriz - salsa/reggaeton
4. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
5. Drop It On Me - Ricky Martin - Latin/reggaeton
6. Mawa Sillah - Zumba Fitness - African/Arabian
7. Aguanile - Mark Anthony - salsa
8. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo - reggaeton/cumbia
9. A La Nena Le Gusta - Zumba Fitness - merengue
10. Mami - A.B. Quintanilla III y los Kumbia All Starz - cumbia
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. Jai Ho (from "Slumdog Millionaire") - Mumbai Dolls - bhangra/Indian
13. Ritmo Caliente - Banda Zarape - quebradita
14. Do You Dig It - Zumba Fitness - cha-cha
15. Zumba Lluvia - Zumba Fitness - cool-down

Playlist from Thursday, May 5th (Happy Body Wellness)

Sorry so late! This was a fun playlist with lots of new songs mixed in with the old... I plan to include at least two of them in tonight's class at Nichols Park.

1. Que Te Mueve - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. Jai Ho (from "Slumdog Millionaire") - Mumbai Dolls - bhangra/Indian
3. She Bangs (Spanish version) - Ricky Martin - Latin
4. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
5. Mawa Sillah - Zumba Fitness - African/Arabian (the ladies especially liked this one)
6. Chori Chori - Punjabi MC - bhangra/Indian
7. Calabria - Enur - merengue
8. Proud Mary - Ike & Tina Turner - cha-cha/R&B (I love hearing all the "Oh no!" reactions when the music slows down and students know the fast part is coming :-))
9. Danza Kuduro - Don Omar & Lucenzo - cumbia
10. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
11. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing
12. El Matador - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs - samba
13. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
14. Aromuzak - Zumba Fitness - cool-down

Playlist from Tuesday, May 3rd (Happy Body Wellness)

If you are part of the over-40 population and would like to try out a lower-impact version of Zumba, this is the class for you! Happy Body Wellness is a small and very welcoming facility that offers other exercise classes (e.g., yoga, pilates), massage, and acupuncture in addition to Zumba. I love teaching there because I can give my students more individual attention (indeed, sometimes - like last night - the class consists of one student and myself!) and become acquainted with them personally (the lady who came to class yesterday has a daughter who graduated Stanford in 1999, and I was class of '03 - small world!).

1. Que Te Mueve - Zumba Fitness - merengue/salsa
2. Snake Charmer - Panjabi MC - Indian/bhangra
3. La Pantera Mambo (aka "Pink Panther Theme Song") - La-33 - salsa
4. Chori Chori - Aneela feat. Arash - Indian/bhangra
5. Tu Bomboncito - Zumba Fitness - flamenco
6. Para No Verte Mas - Zumba Fitness - samba
7. Don't Let Me Down - Zumba Fitness - swing (new routine!)
8. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira - Latin
9. Jump in the Line - Harry Belafonte - calypso
10. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
11. Jai Ho (from Slumdog Millionaire) - Mumbai Dolls - Indian/bhangra
12. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
13. Burbujas de Amor - Juan Luis Guerra - Latin

Playlist from Monday, May 2nd (Nichols Park)

For me, nothing cures a "case of the Mondays" faster than an evening Zumba class. And discovering Cafe 53, the quaint new gelato place on 53rd and Kenwood, didn't hurt either! I just might have to make it a regular stop on my way home. :-)

Thanks, everyone, for a fun and energetic hour! And special thanks to Kasey for requesting Song #2... keep those requests coming.

1. Ma Ya Hi (aka "Numa Numa Dance") - Dan Balan - pop
2. Wavin' Flag - K'naan - hip-hop
3. Chori Chori - Aneela featuring Arash - Indian/bhangra
4. Para No Verte Mas -Zumba Fitness - samba
5. Baila Pa Emociona - Zumba Fitness - calypso
6. 5 Letras - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
7. Asereje - Las Ketchup - salsa
8. Mi Alma Se Muere - Chosen Few - merengue/hip-hop
9. Waka Waka (This Time for Africa) - Shakira - Latin
10. I Need to Know - Mark Anthony - cha-cha
11. Ritmo Caliente - Banda Zarape - quebradita (a fancy name for "Mexican hat dance")
12. Jai Ho (from Slumdog Millionaire) - Mumbai Dolls - Indian/bhangra
13. La Luz Del Flow - Zumba Fitness - reggaeton
14. Jump in the Line* - Harry Belafonte - calypso
15. Burbujas de Amor - Juan Luis Guerra - Latin

* This song was not on the original playlist. I had planned to do something much higher-impact between Songs #8 and #9, but because Song #8 nearly killed me, I figured I would save it for next week and swap in Harry Belafonte (which I'd classify as "medium impact") instead!