Local Dancer Hopes to Spread Love for Zumba Throughout the Shore

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Pictured above, Zumba instructor Amy Robertson. Submitted photo.

By Adolphus Ames –

Shore local Amy Robertson is offering free Zumba classes in Indiantown Park beginning Tuesday, July 19. Zumba is a fitness program that combines aerobics with various dance styles. Classes are open to all levels of fitness and experience and can accommodate up to 50 people. 

Robertson, a native of Williamsburg, has always loved movement to music. “I started dancing as a kid,’’ she said. “I did ballet, jazz, and tap dancing when I was around 5 years old and Scottish dancing in elementary school. I’ve done Nia too. It’s a meditative form of dance similar to yoga and has a martial arts aspect to it.”

Robertson got involved in Zumba during her 20s. “I was living on the Oregon coast and my roommate and I decided to start a dance group,” she said. “We got together and performed Zumba and yoga with women in the local community.”

Her love for Zumba grew more when she attended a dance church in Asheville, N.C. “It was a nonverbal space for free form dance,” she said. “A group of us joined together outside and moved how we wanted to a music playlist. Dancing with other people became one of my greatest joys. Shortly afterwards, I went down to Charleston, S.C., and led my own free form dance camp called Dance Awake for one year.”

Zumba has physical and mental health benefits. Robertson, a breast cancer survivor, used dancing to help her throughout her radiation treatment. “It made my body feel so much better,” she said. “It’s therapeutic. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I put on some music and I start to dance. Immediately, I have a complete shift in energy and all the negativity that overwhelmed me disappears.” 

She also loves the sense of community Zumba dancing provides. “During dance classes, everyone comes together and the things that divide us fall away,” she said. “That sense of community is part of what has driven me to start my class. When I had cancer, I danced in Jacksonville and some of my classmates were women who had also fought or were fighting cancer. Being around people that had similar experiences made me feel like I wasn’t alone. I hope to spread that sense of comfort and community through Zumba here on the Shore.”

Those interested in attending the Zumba class should bring comfortable clothes and water to stay hydrated. Classes will be hosted from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m every Tuesday.

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