BELLA VISTA -- Zumba teacher Dina Lombardo says her students often tell her that a 50-minute exercise class goes by too fast -- she tells them that's because Zumba is fun.
She teaches four classes a week, two at Metfield on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and two at Branchwood in the early evening on Monday and Wednesday. She added the evening class because she heard from several people who wanted to participate but were working during the day.
Zumba began as a dance/exercise class using Latin music and many traditional dances like the Cha Cha and the Meringue. For her classes, Lombardo likes to use a variety of popular music from different eras as well as a little Latin music. Her students represent a variety of ages and backgrounds.
"Students are surprised at how much fun they have," she said. "You're exercising and burning a lot of calories, but you're just dancing."
"It's a great cardio work out," student Susan Wagner said. She also does the "Boom" class with teacher Lucy Quarti regularly.
"They are great teachers," she said. "That's what keeps me coming back."
Lombardo spends a couple of hours a month choreographing new songs. She likes to have one or two new songs each month, and she often starts with a YouTube video of another Zumba class using the same music. Then she tweaks the moves to make each song her own.
Lombardo took Zumba classes for years when she lived in California. After moving to Bella Vista two years ago, she heard that the Property Owners Association needed a Zumba teacher, so she decided to get her certification. She ended up taking the certification class online since there wasn't an in-person class close by. Her years as a student helped her along and she was soon teaching for the association.
She encourages her students to work at their own pace. While she is usually in front leading the class, she doesn't mind if her students don't follow all her steps. She wants them to do as much as they can.
"It's fun, but it's not a lot of impact," student Karen McAuley said. "Everyone is friendly."
"If they're having a good time and they want to come back, that's the important thing," Lombardo said. "Whatever you can do, do. Just keep moving."