Hi Friends:
Happy Monday to you all! And look, it's still morning! I finished my holiday and thank-you cards this past weekend, and I feel like I'm finally catching up to where I should be this year. Time travel is possible!
I wanted to talk a little about how Zumba songs are choreographed, so that it might make it easier to learn new songs. Zumba songs are broken out, general, by intro-verse-chorus-verse-bridge-final chorus, in other words, the natural breaks of the song. If you hear a rhthym or key change, odds are the move is going to change.
I was also thinking about all the counting we do in Zumba, and I thought I should share it with you a couple of thoughts, because even if you feel like you can't dance, I'm sure you feel like you can count to eight.
Most of what we do comes in eight counts. I'm really crap at explaining things, but if you don't know, an eight count is just that: you count to eight over and over again at the same tempo, usually to a song. You can use this eight count to do a particular step (for example, a basic salsa step is 1-2-3-center-5-6-7-center), or for choreographing the song in general.
What this means for our class: mathematically, it usually breaks down in sets of two, four, or eight. We'll take four steps to the left, four steps to the right, and repeat that pattern four times. For example in the Bollywood/Indian song, we step forward with turn-the-lightbulb hands four times, then step back four times, and do that whole thing four times total before the chorus.
In addition, there is almost always symmetry in a move--if we do four on the left, we will do four on the right. I would never do 7 on one side and 16 on the other. Not only would it mess up the easy-math choreography style I have, it's also unsatisfactory on a more basic level. You might leave feeling lopsided. : )
Hopefully, this will help you, if you get a little lost, or if you want to make up your own songs--and if you do, you are free to teach us all!
Let me know if you have questions. Have a good week!
-meredith
Thursday, January 27, 2011
1/18: this week's word is "wobble"
Hi Friends:
So, I don't make up every dance we do. Sorry to dash your dreams about my super choreography skills.
"Wobble" is a new classic, a la the Electric Slide and the Macarena, and I'm happy to introduce it to you all, so that, should you be at a wedding and this jam comes on, you'll be soooo prepared to shake your thang.
This is my favorite example:
Practice practice practice, and I'll see you on Thursday.
Have a good one,
meredith
So, I don't make up every dance we do. Sorry to dash your dreams about my super choreography skills.
"Wobble" is a new classic, a la the Electric Slide and the Macarena, and I'm happy to introduce it to you all, so that, should you be at a wedding and this jam comes on, you'll be soooo prepared to shake your thang.
This is my favorite example:
Practice practice practice, and I'll see you on Thursday.
Have a good one,
meredith
1/10/11 post: Honesty
Aloha Friends:
Hope your Monday is going well. This Wednesday, I'm going to try the Zumba class At the Papakolea Rec Center, if anyone wants to join me. Although I don't know the instructor, I heard it's a really fun time. It's 6-7p.m. $3/class. I think it gets really crowded, so you might want to get there a little early.
Many places are $3/class now. I can't really afford that, but I wanted to be fair and comparable, which is why the passes are now $45/12. I hope you guys are enjoying my class, and I hope you are achieving the fitness goals you have set for yourself.
If you have any suggestions about the class, from choreography to intensity to song choice to--well, anything, feel free to email me. I always aim to try different things to appeal to you guys, and I am open to learning and growing as an instructor and as a person. I think that together we can make all kinds of awesome things happen.
Have a great week!
Take care,
meredith
Hope your Monday is going well. This Wednesday, I'm going to try the Zumba class At the Papakolea Rec Center, if anyone wants to join me. Although I don't know the instructor, I heard it's a really fun time. It's 6-7p.m. $3/class. I think it gets really crowded, so you might want to get there a little early.
Many places are $3/class now. I can't really afford that, but I wanted to be fair and comparable, which is why the passes are now $45/12. I hope you guys are enjoying my class, and I hope you are achieving the fitness goals you have set for yourself.
If you have any suggestions about the class, from choreography to intensity to song choice to--well, anything, feel free to email me. I always aim to try different things to appeal to you guys, and I am open to learning and growing as an instructor and as a person. I think that together we can make all kinds of awesome things happen.
Have a great week!
Take care,
meredith
1/4/2011: nothing like starting off the year...
LATE. Sigh.
Well, I guess the inspirational thought this week is that it's okay if you've broken your resolutions already. You can always try again.
Like how I forgot to send out the email yesterday: I could just give up and never send out the twice-weekly email ever again. It would be easier for me; it's always "easier" to do nothing than do something.
But then I imagine you guys, sitting at your computers, sighing a sad little sigh and wiping one tiny teardrop away as each Monday passes and--alas!--no awesome email from Meredith. I get a little choked up, just thinking about it. So... voila! Email from me today and hopefully always! Cheering throughout the village!
So if you've already broken your 2011 resolutions, it's okay. Habits, both good and bad, are made and reinforced over time. And you can always start over: from now I quit smoking, from now I eat vegan, from now I swear just a little bit less, from now I stop kicking over my neighbor's rubbish can... Whatever it is, you can restart. From Now.
And listen--cheering throughout the village for you!
See you Thursday (free Zumba tell all your friends),
meredith
Well, I guess the inspirational thought this week is that it's okay if you've broken your resolutions already. You can always try again.
Like how I forgot to send out the email yesterday: I could just give up and never send out the twice-weekly email ever again. It would be easier for me; it's always "easier" to do nothing than do something.
But then I imagine you guys, sitting at your computers, sighing a sad little sigh and wiping one tiny teardrop away as each Monday passes and--alas!--no awesome email from Meredith. I get a little choked up, just thinking about it. So... voila! Email from me today and hopefully always! Cheering throughout the village!
So if you've already broken your 2011 resolutions, it's okay. Habits, both good and bad, are made and reinforced over time. And you can always start over: from now I quit smoking, from now I eat vegan, from now I swear just a little bit less, from now I stop kicking over my neighbor's rubbish can... Whatever it is, you can restart. From Now.
And listen--cheering throughout the village for you!
See you Thursday (free Zumba tell all your friends),
meredith
12/27 post: Possible
Hi Pals:
Hope you had a great Christmas! Mine was a whirlwind of eating, toys, cleaning, and driving—and holiday cheer, of course.
The word of the week (and hopefully this feeds into your New Year’s resolution-making) is: possible. And here’s a video to entertain you:
The ballerina is impressive and amazing… NOW. I bet at one time, she couldn’t even stand on one foot. I know this is the Chinese National Ballet, and they take kids from, like, birth, so her “clumsiness” probably coincided with her learning to walk the first time around. However, my point is that everyone starts somewhere and achievement is infinite—it’s just the pace that varies.
I bet if you practiced a little bit, every day, one day you too would be able to stand on toe shoes and touch your shin to your nose. Sure, you might be 90. But just think of what a hit you would be at parties at the senior center.
I hope your week (and beyond!) is filled with achieving the impossible!
Take care,
Meredith
Hope you had a great Christmas! Mine was a whirlwind of eating, toys, cleaning, and driving—and holiday cheer, of course.
The word of the week (and hopefully this feeds into your New Year’s resolution-making) is: possible. And here’s a video to entertain you:
The ballerina is impressive and amazing… NOW. I bet at one time, she couldn’t even stand on one foot. I know this is the Chinese National Ballet, and they take kids from, like, birth, so her “clumsiness” probably coincided with her learning to walk the first time around. However, my point is that everyone starts somewhere and achievement is infinite—it’s just the pace that varies.
I bet if you practiced a little bit, every day, one day you too would be able to stand on toe shoes and touch your shin to your nose. Sure, you might be 90. But just think of what a hit you would be at parties at the senior center.
I hope your week (and beyond!) is filled with achieving the impossible!
Take care,
Meredith
12/14 post
Hi Friends:
I was sick yesterday, and now have to catch up on five million email, so I have no note this week. How sad! However, if you have a favorite quote or website or song or word of wisdom, send it to me and in Wednesday's email, I'll send what I've received.
mahalo!
Getting blessings and giving blessings,
meredith
ps. Winner:
“You get what you think about, whether you want it or not.”
I was sick yesterday, and now have to catch up on five million email, so I have no note this week. How sad! However, if you have a favorite quote or website or song or word of wisdom, send it to me and in Wednesday's email, I'll send what I've received.
mahalo!
Getting blessings and giving blessings,
meredith
ps. Winner:
“You get what you think about, whether you want it or not.”
6 Dec 2010 post: $ v. imagination
Hi Friends:
So, unless you've been living under a log, without a television, Internet connection, friends, family, or newspaper, you know that it's the holiday season. And unless you've been been under this log for the past few years and not just since Thanksgiving, you also know that it's (still) a recession. Holiday season + recession = panic for gift giving.
While money comes in everyone's size, when you're cash poor, you have to do a little bit more thinking to make the gifts you give more meaningful and appreciated. Here are a couple of websites that might help you if you've got more time and creativity than money:
jibjab.com: make personalized online cards and videos for people.
xtranormal.com: make animated (often unintentionally hilarious) movies for people.
I hope you have good gift making, buying, giving, and getting!
See you Thursday,
meredith
So, unless you've been living under a log, without a television, Internet connection, friends, family, or newspaper, you know that it's the holiday season. And unless you've been been under this log for the past few years and not just since Thanksgiving, you also know that it's (still) a recession. Holiday season + recession = panic for gift giving.
While money comes in everyone's size, when you're cash poor, you have to do a little bit more thinking to make the gifts you give more meaningful and appreciated. Here are a couple of websites that might help you if you've got more time and creativity than money:
jibjab.com: make personalized online cards and videos for people.
xtranormal.com: make animated (often unintentionally hilarious) movies for people.
I hope you have good gift making, buying, giving, and getting!
See you Thursday,
meredith
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