fp Turks and Caicos

The Bowen Dance Academy is bringing a new and fun fitness challenge to children with the Zumba Fitness Kidz Dance Party Mini-Marathon.

The event will be held at the Graceway Sports Centre on Feb. 3 from 4:30-6 p.m.

This exciting dance-a-thon will not only coach kids to stay fit and healthy, but it will also show them that fitness can be fun.

Spreading like wildfire, Zumba (pronounced ZOOM-bah) has an ever-growing international fan base and debuted last year at local gym The Athletic Club.

Zumba is a dance fitness program that uses interval cardiovascular and resistance training to maximize caloric burning, fat burning and total body toning, all set to a Latin beat in an effort to make exercise fun.

The fitness program was discovered “accidentally” by dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez in Colombia during the 1990s. He forgot his usual music tapes for his weekly aerobics class. His only choice was to use the salsa and merengue tapes he had in his backpack and improvised the entire class on the spot.

Touted as the biggest fitness trend, Zumba is being taught at more than 90,000 locations in 110 countries with more than 10 million people attending Zumba classes every week.

Students from Grade 2 and up are welcome. Snacks and drinks are included. Entry fees are $10 to Bowen Dance Academy students and $15 for non-students.

All participants are asked to bring a $3 donation which will be donated to the to the OOH Uterine Cancer Alternative Therapy Fund.