Zumba Makes Students “Shake It Off”

Students participate in a Zumba class

Photo provided by Molly McElroy

On Wednesday, Feb. 25 in Lenfest Lobby, students participated in the Resident Assistant-organized program titled “Shake It Off”, a Zumba workout session.

The Zumba workout was instructed by Erin from the Central Presbyterian Church of Chambersburg. Laughter filled the dance floor as the students danced to a variety of music genres, from African to Pop to Latin.

RA Nicole Melanson ‘15 said the RAs wanted to come up with a health and fitness program for the months of February and March. She also wanted to get people involved in something other than going to the gym.

When asked about how she thought the event turned out she responded, “It was a lot more successful than I had expected it to be. We had at least 50 people there which was really good. I was expecting maybe 20 or 30, so it went really well.”

For Melanson, the best part was the salsa dancing.

“I liked the salsa dancing. I think she put the most effort into making that funny because it was one of the harder dances.” Melanson also remarked that the instructor was really upbeat and worked well with the group.

For Emily Sullivan ‘18, “Shake It Off” was a way for her to get out of her dorm room.

“I’m living in a single this year so it’s nice to branch out. It’s hard to find motivation to go to the gym by myself, so this was a good way to get out and do that with my friends and get some exercise.”

When asked if she could see herself doing Zumba on a regular basis, Sullivan responded, “Yes, actually. It would be really neat if the college had weekly Zumba classes.”

Molly McElroy ‘17 thought “Shake It Off” was better than workouts she has done before.

“It was more fun, and people were all engaged. It was really fun music and everyone was having a good time.” McElroy also thought the dance moves were kind of hard but fun once you got into it. “All you had to do was keep moving and just wiggle something and you were doing well.”

Lauren Hampton ’17 also enjoyed herself. She came to “Shake It Off” because she did Zumba in high school and wanted to check it out. She had a lot of fun and sees this as something she could enjoy on a regular basis. When asked if she was comfortable dancing in front of others, she responded, “Maybe just a little bit nervous but not enough to stop me, so no.”

Hampton said she would recommend Zumba to a friend because it is a fun and great way to get moving.

After Zumba, the students enjoyed refreshments including smoothies, fruits and vegetables while watching two video presentations by McElroy entitled, “I am who I am” and “Beautiful Me” which promotes positive body image.