Zumba instructor Malia Durbano leads a class recently at the La Plata Senior Center. Durbano approached the Senior Center with the idea four years ago, and now her twice-weekly classes are well attended by a group of diehard regulars. Adherents cite everything from weight loss and health to the social benefits of Zumba./Photo by Jennaye Derge

Zumba adds zest

Senior Center program offers fun, fitness and friends

by Stew Mosberg
 

With close to 70 percent of seniors in the Four Corners living in rural areas, access to medical or support services presents a unique challenge. Fortunately, La Plata County Senior Services (LPCSS) is here to help.

The organization, which is a program of La Plata County’s Human Services Department, is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people 60 years and older. One of the organization’s tasks is running the Durango Senior Center (2424 Main Ave.) which, in addition to county funds, subsists on money from federal, state and local entities, including the City of Durango and the United Way.

The funding helps pay for a number of programs and services, from help with chores to resources on aging and disability, to transportation. The Center also offers healthy, low-cost lunches and exercise and well-being classes such as nutrition, Tai Chi, chair yoga and Zumba.

That’s right – the cardio craze moving and shaking its way across the country is not just for the young, but the young at heart.

Malia Durbano – a certified “Zumba Gold” teacher who was one of Durango’s first Zumba instructors – approached the Senior Center four years ago with the idea of offering Zumba classes as a way to improve health and add fun to senior’s lives. Senior Services Executive Director Sheila Casey immediately saw the value and gave the go ahead. Today, Durbano said her 45-minute Tuesday

and Friday morning classes draw about a dozen ladies (and the occasional guy), ranging from their late 60s to an 80- and 81-year-old who come regularly and “love it.”

“Many report health benefits and feel it when they miss class,” Durbano said.

For the uninitiated, Zumba combines Latin and international music with dance, alternating fast and slow rhythms and resistance training. According to one regular attendee at the center, Barbara Bush (yes, her real name), Zumba is a lot like a modern version of Jazzercise.

Zumba was founded in the 1990s by three South Americans all coincidently named Alberto: Alberto Perlman, Alberto Aghion and Alberto “Beto” Perez. Today, according to Perlman, there are an estimated 4 million enthusiasts with 25,000 instructors worldwide. Even the renowned Mayo Clinic lauds Zumba’s fitness merits.

One recent Tuesday morning, eight women dressed in comfortable clothing – and the all-important nonfriction shoes – gathered at the Senior Center. At the front of the room, Durbano conveyed her customary, infectious enthusiasm. The sessions keep all body parts moving – sometimes all at once – and Durbano sees to it that participants have a few moments between routines to swig from water bottles or stand in front of the fans for a cool down.                

She begins each session slowly with swaying music and gradually ramps it up. The women stand far enough apart to allow for high steps, kicks and swinging arms. An eclectic range of music, from Latin rhythm and funk to Jimmy Buffet and Garth Brooks, get their hearts pumping. The sound equipment allows Durbano to slow down or speed up the music depending to how hard the steps are or what tempo the students are up for.

And while regulars may make it look effortless, Zumba does take some practice. Durbano says most first-timers jump in and do the best they can, gradually getting the steps. However, some extra instruction is always available. “If I see they are having trouble, I stay after class and show them the moves – slowly,” she said.  

Classes are $3 per session, but first-timers get a free trial, albeit they almost always return. It is important to note that men are welcome, and it is not unusual to see them stepping, swinging and swaying along.

The Senior Center hopes to attract younger seniors to the program, but for now, there are all levels of ability and conditioning.

Durbano and her class recently held their first demonstration at the center during the regular lunch hour. They moved through four songs: “Calendar Girl,” “Proud Mary,” “Mambo-Salsa” and “Neon Moon.” Durbano also threw in “Caldonia,” a swing tune, because “it’s so fun!”

Several of the adherents say Zumba has helped them with everything from better health to weight loss to making new friends. Cheryl Foley has been at it twice a week for more than two years and encourages others to join in. “If you keep coming it gets easier,” she promised. “I am much stronger now, and it is so good for my oxygen intake.”

Peggy Filmore, a former high school basketball player, enthused over the chance to be fit again. “Malia is a wonderful teacher,” she said.

Cheryl Blackwell also works out at home, but says she likes the camaraderie of the Zumba classes at the Senior Center.

In short, if it sounds like fun, it is.