Every decade seems to bring a new fitness craze for the weight-conscious masses. With the 1980s came aerobics, complete with leotards, grapevines and leg-warmers. The 1990s saw the advent of the step workout, reinforced with home video offerings by the likes of the singer Cher, which was a personal favourite.
And to open the 21st century we have had Zumba, a Latin-infused dance aerobics craze that is now practised in more than 75 countries, including the UAE, but about which I knew nothing before last week - aside from a few vague references by friends and colleagues.
Having spent the best part of three years boxing, I have all but mastered the art of rounding my shoulders and have lost a great deal of flexibility in the process.
So it was with more than a touch of trepidation that I headed, lycra-free, towards the clubhouse at Al Murooj Rotana, Dubai, on Wednesday evening, for my first taste of Zumba with Core Direction's instructor Lucy Melton.
"Don't be nervous, it's fun," the bubbly 23-year-old British dancer promised me before the class began. "The majority of the class is based around beginners and everyone at this class started quite recently. You don't need to be very co-ordinated. The steps are straightforward and it's quite repetitive so you'll pick it up."
I am told that Zumba was created by the celebrity fitness instructor "Beto" Perez, who forgot his music for an aerobics class he was taking in Colombia during the 1990s. He grabbed a tape from his rucksack containing a compilation of his favourite Latin salsa and merengue tunes and improvised his way through the class.
It proved such a hit that he added several routines and it has gone on to be a global success, with more than six million people participating in classes every week at more than 50,000 locations.
Core Direction has been running its Zumba class for about six months from its Dubai Marina location, where at least 15 participants, including two men, are put through their paces at one of three weekly sessions, according to Melton.
A fortnight ago it began two more classes - Mondays and Wednesdays - at Al Murooj Rotana residential complex, at the request of Dana Daher, a 35-year-old Canadian who lives at Al Murooj.
"I kept reading about the class online but I don't drive and so wanted something a bit closer," she said. "This is my sixth class and I'm really happy it's here. I like the music, it's fun and you feel like you're in a club dancing around."
Daher hates the gym but wanted to break out of the sedentary lifestyle that is all too easy to slip into in the UAE. On this occasion there were nine of us - all women of various ages, nationalities and sizes - in the modest, stark white residential hall. To my relief, there were no mirrors.
As the clock struck seven we each found a space on the tiled floor and Melton led us through a straight-forward aerobic warm-up to relatively recent dance tracks.
"I change the routines and the music every couple of weeks to keep it fresh for those who come regularly and to make it easier for newcomers to get involved," Melton explained.
Having been put through some relatively simple, albeit energetic, dance moves with lots of arm stretching and knee-bending designed to get all the major muscle groups working, we began to make our way through some basic salsa, tango and merengue moves, complete with dramatic arm movements.
Counting to four became surprisingly difficult at one part of the routine as I tried to negotiate a leg kick and mini-trot within a four-beat while trying not to look like an extra in Disney's Fantasia, but Melton laughed and told us that when in doubt we should throw our arms and just have fun.
Midway through we stopped and spent a track focusing on leg-strengthening, with a series of squats. I was warm and sweating by this point but as we giggled our way through the routine, sometimes messing up the timing but never particularly upset when we did, I never felt out of breath or as if I needed to stop.
This class is the perfect kick-start for anyone looking to start a healthier lifestyle who breaks out in a cold sweat at the thought of joining a gym. When 8pm arrived and the cool-down began, I was genuinely surprised at how fast the hour had gone and, as quickly as they arrived, everyone headed home again.
loatway@thenational.ae
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
