Kansas City—It is 6 p.m. on a Tuesday evening and inside the El Centro Argentine gymnasium at 1333 South 27th Street, 40 moms and daughters are moving to the beat. As Della Muzquiz, vice president of children and youth development for El Centro, describes, there’s “a whole lotta hip shakin’ goin’ on!”

Unlike the hit television show Dancing with the Stars, there are no sophisticated moves and elaborate costumes. But the infectious rhythms of Latin dance music guide the class through a heart-pumping, one-hour aerobic workout.
 
Zumba, the dance exercise craze that has swept across the country, is alive and well in the heart of Kansas City.
 
A Columbian word meaning to move fast and have fun, the Zumba dancers here are living up to the name. The workout incorporates a variety of Latin dance styles and music, including cumbia, merengue, salsa, reggaeton, mambo, rumba, flamenco and calypso. A Miami-based dancer and choreographer are credited with creating the routine that now has people moving all over the world.

The exercise program combines fitness interval and resistance training to increase caloric output, burn fat and tone the entire body. By mixing easy-to-follow dance steps with body sculpting techniques, the class becomes a fun and addictive way to achieve fitness goals.

How is a popular Latin dance class an important step to a healthier Kansas? In minority communities across our state, a confluence of negative factors works together to impede the health of thousands. Both health disparities and lack of access to quality health care are significant challenges for minority populations.

The Sunflower Foundation has funded numerous projects that are designed to reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. Many health disparities are attributed to diet and physical activity. Working to address both issues is exactly the reason why the Sunflower Foundation provided the start up money for El Centro to implement the Zumba classes, and now hundreds across Kansas City sign up to dance and be healthy.

Founded in 1976, El Centro’s mission is to create and sustain educational, social and economic opportunities for families. Each year the group conducts a survey of newly arrived immigrants in the community. In 2004, the results revealed some behaviors in health that were not being adequately addressed, including obesity among Hispanic youth, diabetes and high blood pressure. Out of 612 Latinos surveyed, 40 percent cited their level of health as fair or poor.

According to Muzquiz, many of the respondents do not seek medical care due to low incomes and lack of medical insurance.

“What came out of the survey was the need to educate families about prevention for hypertension and diabetes,” says Muzquiz. “And we wanted to do this through exercise classes and nutrition information.”

The Healthy Behaviors and Prevention Grant from the Sunflower Foundation was a perfect fit. The Zumba exercise classes were an immediate success. “We had to immediately add more classes,” Muzquiz says.

El Centro also publishes a bilingual cookbook, “Our People, Our Foods”. The cookbook features 25 authentic family recipes modified to be healthier. Each recipe includes a nutritional chart and suggestions for ways to substitute ingredients while enjoying the same flavors and quality.
 

One of the keys to success for El Centro throughout all their programs is the focus on the entire family. “We’re not just trying to teach moms to cook healthier, we want the whole family involved,” says Muzquiz.

Looking around the Zumba dance class, mothers and daughters dance together, and family members from age nine to 60 are getting in the groove.

Muzquiz is optimistic about the program. “We are seeing individuals make changes through exercise and nutrition to better their lives. That’s the difference.”