8 Important Things Learned From Teaching My First Zumba Class

When one of my Zumba instructors heard that I was starting to teach, she put me on the spot in her class and invited me to teach Ella Me Copia. I was nervous and hesitant but went for it.

It was a glorious feeling on stage but I wasn't instructing. If anything I was just performing in front of the mirror. I never practiced verbal cues and was too frightened to speak or turn to face the many people in the class.

Afterwards I asked my instructor for feedback and that was the first thing she mentioned. My moves were right but I need to face the class and actually talk to them.

A few days later I taught my first Zumba class to a participant of one. I posted about the class on Facebook but there was no real interest except for my dear friend who doesn't do Zumba often. I guess location had something to do with it but never mind. I needed to practice in a studio and Grant took photos.

I hired a small studio in Camden for a 11am class on a Sunday. My biggest concern was that I was still rehearsing moves learnt the night before. I figured I'd just have to wing it but as a surprise thanks to Grant's encouragement, I discovered my "instructor's voice" within an hour of my first class.

Because my participant was a friend and a Zumba beginner, she made teaching much kinder for me. I spoke freely because there was natural dialogue when there are participants as opposed pretending you're talking to someone. 

I faced her the whole time and realised I really should know my mirror-left and rights. I was shy with the verbal cues for that reason. I got a few moves wrong, stayed on a few moves longer than I should and resorted to a grapevine when I got stuck. 

Overall I think the class went well considering I learnt things which never crossed my mind earlier. So what did I learn from teaching my first Zumba class?

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1) Hire a studio with enough head clearance... 

I didn't notice how low the ceiling was because I'm short. But my participant isn't and she could touch the ceiling with her fingertips. The ceiling height of the studio is 2.4 m and for a high energy class, you need a lot more head space.

2) ...and one that is easy to find. 

The location was close to a train station but because my studio was the smaller of two studios and had a separate entrance that was basically hidden, a friend missed my class. He did ask someone when he got to there but they had no idea about a second studio. If in doubt, send a map to your participants to show them how to exactly to find the place.

2) Don't say "do this".

Easy to say but irritating to hear. I didn't think about this until after the class. It's implied the participants should follow your moves and if they're not getting it, you have to explain your cues in another way.

3) Learn the choreography with the cues.

I know the moves well because I've been doing the routines for years but incorporating cues was a different story. I did a 5 minute cueing exercise at Zumba instructor training and I sucked. They say cue way before the move, do it quick and the signals must be consistent. They say to do visual cues in Zumba but I prefer a combination. Thankfully for me, cueing became second nature as I interacted with the class. Soon enough I was reeling off the cues by the 5th or 6th beat.

4) Know every part of the music.

Including all the "signals" to warn you of the next move or when there's a break from the routine. And know the choreography from any point of the song. 

5) Don't sing to the music.

I don't know why I did it and I promise I won't do it again. No one wants to hear me sing. 

6) Master THEIR left and rights.

What's your left is their right so you have to say the opposite side in your cues. And you have to recall it instantly as otherwise you will miss the time to cue. Mastering this makes verbal cueing easier and you'll also be able to seamlessly change from facing the class to facing the mirror behind you.

7) Always look at your participants.

In their faces the whole time because it's all about them. It's not about how hard you have to concentrate even if that's exactly what you're doing. In all photos it doesn't look like I'm watching my participant but I was most of the time. I do however recall looking away if I got stuck on something and that's a rookie mistake. The pros never do this.