With his 15 Fiestas (parties) a week, Latin Native Antonio (Tony) Garreton is the talk of the Midcoast. For one hour, Garreton wants his students to forget everything going on around them and enjoy themselves.
He plays the stereo, and once the Latin rhythms begin, Antonio starts to swivel across the exercise room taking him back to his Latin roots. His knees swing side-to-side and his hips back and forth, salsa-style. With eyes flashing, his hands fly into the air, as if to say “Ay que rico!”
His enthusiasm is met with smiles from the students and they’re soon into the vibe and speaking Spanglish themselves. (Spanglish is blend of Spanish and English.) Not only is this “party” a physical workout, it’s a bit of a mental workout, too.
This isn’t a normal exercise class, this is “Zumba with Antonio,” a Latin-inspired cardio workout that is attracting a wide range of people and inspiring them to get healthy by dancing their way to fitness. Zumba is based on a small series of Latin steps. One can do as much or as little as one likes and still feel a benefit.
Antonio said, “We turned exercise into a party; Zumba broke some of the rules of fitness…It changes your life, your self-esteem and can help fight depression.” “And,” Garreton said, “you can jump in at any time. That’s one of the nice parts of this program.” Zumba is touted as the best party around.
While his primary job is as an interior designer, Garreton is finding Zumba instruction takes more and more of his time – teaching sometimes as many as 15 classes a week. But he loves every minute of it.
To learn more about Antonio’s classes or a Master Class with Beto Perez, creator of Zumba, please visit www.ZumbaME.com.
