My life is filled with love and laughter thanks to the amazing people I get to hang out with. As well as being awesome moms, they’re creative, talented, generous, and fun! I thought you might like to meet them so I’ve asked them to come and give us a behind-the-scenes look at what they’re passionate about. I have to warn you though – creativity is contagious!
Kayse Boldt, Zumba Instructor extraordinaire, is my guest today. If you love to dance, Zumba is the class for you. No more dragging your feet to the gym!
Kayse, how did you get interested in Zumba? K: I first heard about Zumba fitness from my parents who were taking a class together. My mom bought me the set of DVDs that Christmas, and I loved it instantly. I love the idea of exercise that doesn’t seem like exercise, and I have always loved to dance, so it was a perfect fit for me. I never intended to teach Zumba classes, but my dad convinced me to take a training course with him in 2009, and after some thought I thought I would give it a try. I am glad that I did!
I’ve been to classes with your dad. He’s awesome, too! What does being an Instructor involve? K: To become licensed to teach Zumba, you need to take a Basic Steps Level 1 course. It is a full day course. I also took a group fitness certification to give me more of a background in the fitness field. After you take the Level 1 course you can join the Zumba Instructor’s Network (ZIN) for which you pay a monthly fee or you can teach for a year and then retake your training. The benefit of joining ZIN is that you get songs sent to you monthly (every other month choreography is included), you are eligible to take more trainings and specialty licenses and you can attend conferences that are held throughout the year.
How long does it take you to learn a new dance? K: It really depends on the song! Sometimes I get new music and feel immediately inspired and have the song ready for the next day. Other songs I can listen to for months before I actually use them in class. I would say that, on average, I listen to a song about 10-15 times before I “know it”. I usually work on the choreography as I listen to it.
I didn’t realize that you choreographed the dances! How do you decide which songs to put together for a 1 hour class? K: I usually start with a warm up song, then pick a song with simple movements for the first song. Our classes are to be made up of 70% international music and 30% instructor’s choice. So the majority of the songs I pick tend to have a latin beat (salsa, meringue, reggaeton, cumbia, flamenca) and then I try to pick songs that I think people might enjoy.
Do you have to wear certain clothing? K: I can wear whatever I feel comfortable in. Generally, I try to pick clothes that I think are fun. Nice, bright colours are always good!
Funniest moment? K: I would have to say that people copying my movements like wiping my forehead or waving at someone that I have seen come in the room always cracks me up. I forget that everyone is so accustomed to following my every move. I often wonder if I fell down if the whole class would follow me!
We would, and think it was part of the dance! You switch from an elegant Flamenco dancer to an Irish step to hip hop seamlessly and capture the essence of each dance with your posture and movement. Do you have any formal dance training? K: I do not have any formal dance training, just a love for music and movement. I feel free when I dance, like I could do anything.
What is your favourite thing about being a Zumba Instructor? K: I never knew how much I could love doing something. I love that I get to go to work and make people smile. I love that I can help people stay active and improve their health and well-being. I love that it is an outlet for my participants (and myself) to get rid of stress and worries. I especially love the relationships I have formed with the people in my classes. It is an amazing support system.
If someone is interested in becoming a Zumba Instructor, what advice would you give them? K: I think I would tell them that they should be prepared to put in a lot of hours if you want to do a good job. Also, teach because you love it. It sounds like a great thing to make money to teach fitness classes, but you can only teach so much before your body gets overworked.
You also balance a part-time job, being a mom, and cake decorating. How do you make it all work? K: Is it working?? Just kidding! I think I try to balance what is most important to me. Right now my focus is my kids since they are still young enough to need me around. As long as they are happy, then I can make it work. I won’t lie, there are days that I feel like I am being pulled in several directions, but that won’t last forever. I just try to enjoy every day and roll with the punches. Things have a way of working themselves out.
What song would be your theme song? K: I am not sure. I like songs that inspire me. My favourite song of the moment is Rather Be by Clean Bandit. It reminds me how much I love my family. I also like Roar by Katie Perry and Brave by Sara Bareilles. I have come through some tough times (haven’t we all!) and both songs remind me how strong I have become and how much I have grown as a person as I have gotten older.
What would you pick as a super power? K: I think there would be nothing more useful than being able to clone myself!
Haha. No more ‘I need to be in two places at once’ dilemmas. What is your favourite dessert? K: I would have to say a real New York style cheesecake from Junior’s in NYC. So decadent!
Kayse, thank you very much! I feel very lucky that I found your classes – they’re so much fun! Be active everyone. I’ll see you at Zumba. Linda
Linda O’Connor, author – New website!