I sorely needed an excuse to go to the island-paradise of Bali. For starters, I haven’t been to Indonesia…and Bali is the place to be, for sure! So when my friend Emilie, a licensed Zumba instructor, invited me to join her for the Bali Fitness Weekend, I said ‘go!’ without hesitation.
Holiday plus a fitness weekend where all you do is exercise wasn’t such a bad idea. In fact, it’s like hitting two birds with one stone! 🙂
A little background: I really enjoyed going to Zumba classes this year. As I’ve found out in indoor cycling, working out with a group is the way to go for me, not doing it solo on the treadmill. The Bali Fitness Weekend really fired me up since this is where I got to know the latest trends in Zumba and saw the Zumba superstars up close. There were also lots of parties, trying out the finest local food, and of course absorbing all the positive vibe and energy of Bali.
Their sunset was really one-of-a-kind. It changed into wonderful shades of red, orange and pink! There’s nothing like witnessing it on the beach or the rooftop bar….
It was even more surreal dancing Zumba on the beach with the Bali sunset as the background. This was during the Oct. 29 Pink Party to benefit patients of breast cancer.
The dancer, choreographer and Zumba presenter Francesca Maria proved to be a real dynamo. She was my girl crush the moment she swayed and swung those hips…yay! This Italian, who teaches in New York City, is famous for her Zumba song ‘Dale Dale.’
Anyway, pardon the audio on my phone, lol. Though the Bali Fitness Weekend 2015 was attended by Zumba instructors from all over Asia and Australia, it wasn’t so intimidating for mere enthusiasts like me since the presenters taught it in such a fun way. For example, they made analogies so you can relate to the dance steps better. The Mexican trainer Maria Teresa Stone was another person I admired.
This video is just the warm-up to her master class…
As a participant, you can’t help but feel the energy with each class and it’s really nice to talk with people from other countries and make new friends. This was our Aqua Zumba session or zumba in the swimming pool of Hard Rock Hotel Bali. It’s a low-impact exercise actually and all one has to do is follow the movements of the teacher in front. It’s a must-do if you haven’t done it before since it’s really FUN!
The Zumba Sentao or zumba using chairs was also rockin’!
My photo op with the Venezuelan choreographer Alejandro Angulo, the creator of Salsation, the hottest dance workout to hit Asia these days.
If the song ‘Uptown Funk’ rings a bell to you, then it’s Alejandro doing those moves. I swear his Salsation workshop, exclusive to the Bali Fitness Weekend, could have made a dancer out of your two left feet, haha.That’s how engaging he made it.
The fitness weekend had other portions too like morning yoga with Amanda Jane Williams, learning Bollywood Beats with Rohit Saud, another masterclass with ZES (Zumba Education Specialist Carolina Arias) and zumba presentations from each country. If one was truly & passionately following the sessions, it was easy to lose 2000 calories per day in there 🙂
… and yet through it all, there were parties lined up by the indefatigable organizer Jason every night. I missed the ones at Ku De Ta and Double 6 Seminyak since I chose to shop in Kuta, but we found time to dress up and get zonked for the Halloween Party in Hard Rock Bali.
Overall, the Bali Fitness Weekend was a blast! It was the best $200 I spent on an activity. Can’t wait again for next year….(and hopefully, prices don’t increase)….yahooo! 😛
For more information, check out www.balifitnessweekend.com
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