Zumba in Bangkok – Not Your Normal Night of Dancing

From RCA to Silom there are many places to dance the night away. However, many people are using dance as a way to lose a few pounds so I decided to talk to Marshan Ruiz from ZumbaMarshan.com to talk about Zumba in Bangkok.

Richard: Tell us a little bit more about Zumba.

Marshan: Zumba is a dance based fitness class that originated in Colombia. It includes different rhythms from around the world such as salsa, cumbia, raggaeton and merengue.  In a 60 minute class you will learn 13 to 15 songs including a warm up and cool down. For each rhythm,  a number of the most common steps for that type of dance are simplified down into a form that is easy to follow and learn and the best part of it, you forget you’re even exercising.

Richard: Why is Zumba in Bangkok becoming more popular?

Marshan: For me Zumba is a more fun activity than standard fitness programs. It allows you to combine dance with a thorough workout. Dancing is an activity which allows people of many nationalities to come together, workout, have fun and socialize. The climate in Bangkok means people cant do as many outdoor activities so indoor activities like Zumba provide a great way to get fit without battling pollution, traffic and hot weather outside.

Richard: What are the benefits of doing Zumba?

Marshan: The benefits of Zumba are that its very good for burning calories, it gives a full body workout, can improve your coordination and will incresse your confidence.

Richard: How often should you join a class?

Marshan:  For someone who doesn’t do any regular exercise prior to starting Zumba, I would suggest no more than one time a week for the first month. After that someone should be able to safely move up to two times a week and then add 3 times if someone wants to build more cardiovascular strength and endurance.

Richard: Is it suitable for complete beginners?

Marshan: Of course!  Zumba is divided into 2 levels of dancing, high and low intensity.  For beginners they can do both by doing basic steps  and for more advanced dancers there are more variations and quicker dance moves to do.

Richard: Where can people find more information about the nearest Zumba class?

Marshan: To find Zumba classes in Bangkok, they can visit  Zumba.com and find their nearest location and see different classes and schedules.

Originally from the Philippines Marshan conducts classes in English and Thai and has students from many countries. After working as a professional dancer she decided to move to Bangkok and now runs classes on  Tuesday and Friday nights with plans for a Saturday class too. Her classes take place in central Bangkok – click here for more information.