Jam sessions are led by licensed Zumba® jammers, and during each three hour session, five songs are broken down by the jammer, and practiced with the partipants. After attending the session, we have new choreography that we can use in our classes right away. For this particular session, participants were lucky enough to have three jammers: Cristiane Machado from Gainesville, Bianca Ayala from South Florida, and Hugo Garrido from Minnesota.
I create most of my own choreography for my Zumba® classes. I've been doing Zumba® for so long, that when I hear a song, I envision dance moves to the rhythm without even thinking. A lot of the moves I come up with are very repetitive. I am always interested in learning new styles, and seeing how other instructors choreograph songs. Every instructor comes from a different background, and it's fun to see how individual instructors put their own dance moves to music. I love to get fresh ideas from other people to help make my classes better.
Bianca broke down a Soca and a Bollywood for us first. They were both super high intensity, and got my heart rate sky high! The choreography was simple to learn, and I am positive I will be using both her songs this week in my classes. I use Soca and Bollywood rhythms often, but Bianca has different signature moves to go with each one, and I'm excited to introduce her style to my classes.
Hugo went next with a beautiful Cumbia and a fun Cha-Cha. The Cumbia I was able to pick up right away, but the Cha-Cha will take a little practice. One of the reasons I love attending choreography jam sessions is that the instructors often use rhthyms that I am not all that comfortable with, and it forces me to learn and practice. I seldom use Cha-Chas in my classes, so I am really looking forward to challenging myself with this one.
Cristiane taught us a Samba last. I already currently use the song we broke down, but we had a mini-Samba lesson, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The Samba is one of the hardest rhythms for Americans to catch onto, and most certainly a great work out! I was more than happy to practice and get some pointers for teaching this rhythm to my students. I would love to use more Samba in my classes.
This jam session was the seventh one I have attended. Not only do I get to experience the various styles of choreography the jammers have to offer, I also get to network with other instructors. One of the women I met at the HOT HULA fitness® workshop I attended last month was there, and I was able to practice a little Polynesian dancing on our break. I love going to these jam sessions. I always learn a great deal that helps me improve my instructing skills. I am looking forward to another jam next month!
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