tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75433474883882536732024-02-21T15:40:37.573+00:00zumbafuerteventuranaïve Zumba instructor discovers the truthKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.comBlogger82125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-77613254381117527242023-05-15T19:00:00.007+01:002023-05-15T19:53:34.015+01:00M3x3<p> Weirdly mesmerising <i>M3x3</i> created in 1973 by <a href="http://www.analivia.com.br/" target="_blank" title="Web Site of Analivia Cordeiro">Analivia Cordeiro</a>, as seen at the exhibition <a href="http://caam.net/exposicion/analivia-cordeiro-corpografias/" target="_blank" title="Analivia Cordeiro 'Corpografías' @ CAAM"><i>Corpografías</i></a> in Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno (<a href="http://caam.net/" target="_blank" title="CAAM - Centro Atlántico de Arte Moderno">CAAM</a>), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. You may want to switch the sound off and look for a suitable soundtrack. </p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hZnn55oqPZ4" title="YouTube video player" width="400"></iframe></center>
<blockquote><p> <i>The computer processes the information using a Fortran IV language program. The output is instructions to coordinate the performance of the dancers and the video team to make the vídeo.</i> </p>
<p> <i>The relationship interpretation/programming presupposes both pre-determined and undetermined elements, stimulating the creativity of the dancers. We are not concerned with making an animation using real people. This research deals with the binomial freedom/planning that is present till now in our society.</i> </p></blockquote>
<center><a href="https://www.analivia.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/M3x3-Drawing-of-a-Scene-1973-1200x1251.jpg" target="_blank" title="Sketches of scene possibilities @ Web Site of Analivia Cordeiro"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://www.analivia.com.br/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/M3x3-Drawing-of-a-Scene-1973-768x801.jpg" width="192" /></a></center>
Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-21188633075066584392023-01-01T11:00:00.004+00:002023-01-01T11:01:32.004+00:00Tus Ojos Negros<p> <i>Tus Ojos Negros</i> by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063468973505" target="_blank" title="Tambor Hembra @ Facebook">Tambor Hembra</a>, a folklore group from Manizales, Colombia. </p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m2MkXJCfyfk" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-36276289905557502472022-03-25T22:00:00.002+00:002023-01-01T11:03:57.309+00:00Voy a Lo Que Voy<p> <i>Voy a Lo Que Voy</i> by <a href="http://www.somosmarujalimon.com/" target="_blank" title="Web Site of Maruja Limón">Maruja Limón</a>, from the Barcelona-based quintet’s brand new album <a href="https://amzn.to/3tG8QYO" target="_blank" title="Vidas @ Amazon.co.uk"><i>Vidas</i></a>. </p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DbDPUjDot5s" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-49323591668398252252022-02-11T10:00:00.012+00:002022-02-11T10:50:51.529+00:00Sister 2 Sister<p><i>Sister 2 Sister</i> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibeyi" target="_blank" title="Ibeyi in Wikipedia">Ibeyi</a>, from the Cuban-French duo forthcoming album <i>Spell 31</i>. </p>
<center><p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/t-tQz0T87UA" width="560"></iframe></p></center>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-34343949706128071682021-12-24T19:00:00.001+00:002021-12-24T19:24:10.572+00:00Gorditas<p> From MUCHAPEPPER, the new project of <a href="http://www.patax.es/" target="_blank" title="Web oficial de Patáx">Patáx</a> leader Jorge Perez: the fabulous <i>Gorditas</i> featuring <a href="http://www.facebook.com/peppersolana" target="_blank" title="Pepper Solana @ Facebook">Pepper Solana</a>! </p>
<center><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0WKBLw8GjrM" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-27161032713474327152015-10-10T01:25:00.001+01:002021-12-24T19:14:38.694+00:00CPDRC Dancing Inmates<p> Here’s one amazing dance routine performed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CPDRC_Dancing_Inmates" target="_blank" title="CPDRC Dancing Inmates in Wikipedia">CPDRC Dancing Inmates</a> (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cebu_City" target="_blank" title="Cebu City in Wikipedia">Cebu</a>, Philippines) as featured in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Fricke" target="_blank" title="Ron Fricke in Wikipedia">Ron Fricke</a>’s 2011 epic <a href="http://listenlearnread.blogspot.com/2015/10/samsara.html" target="_blank" title="Samsara @ Listen, Learn, Read"><i>Samsara</i></a>. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5JtssOT4T3o" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-12367541940028071542014-05-06T21:21:00.000+01:002015-10-10T01:02:28.531+01:00Returning is as easy as 1-2-3...<p> Just checked if <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-show-must-go-on.html" target="_blank" title="The show must go on @ this blog">they still list my non-existing classes</a> on Zumba website. Yes, they still are there. Can I delete them? The answer is still “nope”. </p>
<p> I’m logging in. (Yes I still can do it, I guess till the end of June.) That’s what I see: </p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA8pQIV7pwIS9QNeRrvFt3q70CMU-dFMWxGg4xUvRd7CAk4KyDuNbBt4g6DaJuIy7ufAQ7yyRoVr36488uZ9RsZauH_4eXCNlOv43jhyCEWKWWoVxSX5KFkMWEzEsox1se__L1xszptI/s1600/returning-is-as-easy-as-1-2-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank" title="Dear Instructor,
We are sorry that you have decided to cancel your membership and we miss you! We would love for you to come back as we have added new features and benefits. Remember, you have 1 year from your date of cancellation to rejoin ZIN™. To avoid losing your Zumba license when you Training expires, be sure to re-join.
Returning is as easy as 1-2-3...
Step 1: pay a $175.00 reinstatement fee
Step 2: rejoin ZIN and come back to the party
Step 3: take an easy, 45 minutes online refresher
Rejoin ZIN"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTA8pQIV7pwIS9QNeRrvFt3q70CMU-dFMWxGg4xUvRd7CAk4KyDuNbBt4g6DaJuIy7ufAQ7yyRoVr36488uZ9RsZauH_4eXCNlOv43jhyCEWKWWoVxSX5KFkMWEzEsox1se__L1xszptI/s1600/returning-is-as-easy-as-1-2-3.png" height="327" width="400" /></a></div>
<blockquote>
Dear Instructor,
<br />
<br />
We are sorry that you have decided to cancel your membership and we miss you! We would love for you to come back as we have added new features and benefits. Remember, you have 1 year from your date of cancellation to rejoin ZIN™. To avoid losing your Zumba license when you Training expires, be sure to re-join.
<br />
<br />
<center>
<b>Returning is as easy as 1-2-3...</b>
<br />
<br />
Step 1: pay a $175.00 reinstatement fee
<br />
<br />
Step 2: rejoin ZIN and come back to the party
<br />
<br />
Step 3: take an easy, 45 minutes online refresher</center>
</blockquote>
Easy-peasy. Wait a minute. Not that I wanted to rejoin. But it’s the first time I read about the reinstatement fee. It definitely was not mentioned in that parting email from Zumba when I cancelled my membership:
<blockquote> <i>Zumba Fitness is sad to see you leave ZIN. Remember that you can reactivate your membership instantly within the next 12 months – or anytime after that by taking another Basic Training.</i> </blockquote>
<p> So, dear ex-colleagues, if you think of taking a break, keep this in mind. </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-59073094321769888622013-07-26T23:23:00.001+01:002020-09-15T13:16:54.702+01:00You gotta move<p> A year ago, more or less, <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/2012/07/year-on-fuerteventura.html" target="_blank" title="A year on Fuerteventura @ this blog">I wrote</a>:
<blockquote>With or without Zumba, I’m here to stay.</blockquote>
Well I stayed one more year <i>with</i> Zumba, didn’t I. And in a week’s time, I’m going. How’s that? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Gotta_Move_%28song%29" target="_blank" title="You Gotta Move (song) in Wikipedia"><i>You Gotta Move</i></a>. </p>
<p> So... No regrets. It was a great experience. Thank you all who came to my classes. But for now, the shop is closed. I am looking forward to the new adventure. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJWZTcoKB98" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe></center>
Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-58757067388410574112013-07-03T17:00:00.000+01:002014-05-06T20:46:40.089+01:00The show must go on<p> My, the new Zumba website is a mess. </p>
<p> I told them I quit. They know that too. Yet my official profile still lists my classes as if nothing happened. I know, I should have removed them myself last week, but I forgot. Let’s do it now. </p>
<p> I’m logging in. That’s what I see: </p>
<p> <center>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVa2woqLhL-F19eWdIR-b0QR0YhAWT-s4iX6T-emK3VawN8eYGpcpIuSFoRGUw9ywaMxbYIkYHuNfcWOt3-gAmQsUR6lCyCj-G-_uxqnzj8hZlZ57BLgk4R_08_aWjrjVbwZ0Dc2RE9Y/s1005/Screenshot-Zumba.jpg" imageanchor="1" target="_blank" title="Dear Instructor,
We are sorry that you have decided to cancel your membership and we miss you! We would love for you to come back as we have added new features and benefits. Remember, you have 1 year from your date of cancellation to rejoin ZIN™. To avoid losing your Zumba license when you Training expires, be sure to re-join.
To re-join ZIN™, just click on the link below."><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYVa2woqLhL-F19eWdIR-b0QR0YhAWT-s4iX6T-emK3VawN8eYGpcpIuSFoRGUw9ywaMxbYIkYHuNfcWOt3-gAmQsUR6lCyCj-G-_uxqnzj8hZlZ57BLgk4R_08_aWjrjVbwZ0Dc2RE9Y/s400/Screenshot-Zumba.jpg" width="400" /></a></center> </p>
<blockquote><p> Dear Instructor, </p>
<p> We are sorry that you have decided to cancel your membership and we miss you! We would love for you to come back as we have added new features and benefits. Remember, you have 1 year from your date of cancellation to rejoin ZIN™. To avoid losing your Zumba license when you Training expires, be sure to re-join. </p>
<p> To re-join ZIN™, just click on the link below. </p></blockquote>
<p> No, I really just came here to remove my classes. </p>
<p> What? It doesn’t look like I have the ability to do it. Let’s check what <i>My Announcements</i> say. </p>
<center>
<b>MY ANNOUNCEMENTS</b></center>
<blockquote><p><b>We have good news!</b></p>
<p> As you know, your license to teach has now expired. </p>
<p> <b>So what is the good news?</b> </p>
<p> You can reinstate your license by taking another Basic 1 Instructor Training course, or simply by re-joining ZIN. You are now within your grace period to re-join ZIN and avoid starting over the complete Zumba instructor process. </p>
<p> To re-join ZIN using a credit/debit card just <a href="http://www.zumba.com/user/users/make_membership_payment" target="_blank" title="Renew My ZIN Membership @ Zumba.com">Click Here</a>. </p>
<p> If you do not have a credit/debit card, please <a href="http://www.zumba.com/support" target="_blank" title="Support @ Zumba.com">contact us</a> and we will be glad to help you. </p></blockquote>
<p> OK, that was not helpful. </p>
<p> Writing a letter to Support. Whoever created that interface, should be banned from web design forever. </p>
<blockquote>
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;"><i><p> Hello, </p>
<p> Last month, I cancelled my ZIN membership. Therefore, starting July 1st, I do not expect any classes to be listed on my profile. I do not want people to get misleading information. However, when I go to my website, I still can see the classes listed. When I log in to my Zumba account, I seem not to be able to edit the "classes" section any longer, so there is no way for me to remove them from the web. How can I do that? </p>
<p> Best regards, </p>
<p> Kirill </p></i></span></blockquote>
<p> This morning, I got the response. I keep the spelling intact. </p>
<blockquote><span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace;"><p>Dear Kirill, </p>
<p> Thank you for contacting Zumba Fitness. We are sorry that you left our ZIN family. </p>
<p> We are happy to assist you. Unfortunately you neither us cannot make changes to your website from our systems ones you cancel your ZIN membership. Please have in mind, that your name does not appear anymore under "Find an instructor", so it will be more difficult for people to enter your website. We apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing. </p>
<p> If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to contact us. </p></span></blockquote>
<p> Yes I have one more question. Have you heard of search engines? </p>
<p> Anyway, it seems that the <i>only</i> way to correct it is to re-join ZIN, which I have no intention to do yet. </p>
<p> On my good days, I tend to think that humankind is not intrinsically evil. Just dumb. </p>
Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-58691365802408991502013-06-30T00:00:00.000+01:002013-06-30T00:45:36.944+01:00ZIN 45th and the last<p> In case you forgot how Beto and Gina look like (a helpful hint: you saw them <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com.es/2013/05/vamo-a-baila-pero-no-este.html" target="_blank" title="Vamo a baila... pero no este @ this blog">last time</a>), they are back. And what they do is not getting any better. You can imagine how glad I am that this is the last ZIN volume I’ve suffered. </p>
<p> The audio track (I refuse to call it music) is awful. The choreo is... matching. With the singular exception of <i>Violint</i>, which at least is funny at times. As for Beto: it must be not that comfortable to dance with a hoody around his waist. Even if it were, it does not look nice. </p>
<p> <center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GAosYbVkkSI?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></center> </p>
<h3>ZIN 45 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>DJ Dale Play</i> — Electro-Latin — by Mara</li>
<li><i>Violint</i> — Oriental-Latin Fusion ◊</li>
<li><i>Tu Sabes que te Amo</i> — Salsaton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Bailando por Ahí</i> — Merengue Electrónico * ☙</li>
<li><i>La Escalera</i> — Electrolatin — by Natalia Betancurt feat. Estefano ☙</li>
<li><i>Tacatá</i> — Electrodance * ☙</li>
<li><i>I Came Here to Party</i> — Dance ◊</li>
<li><i>Bom Bom Bom</i> — Brazilian Funk ◊</li>
<li><i>Marioneta</i> — Cumbia ◊</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy Lyrics Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-36578308966091623232013-06-05T14:00:00.000+01:002013-06-05T20:26:00.209+01:00You will be missed<p> Dear friends, </p>
<p> Today I did something that I was thinking of doing (but kept postponing) for the last six months. I cancelled my ZIN membership. </p>
<p> The new Zumba website is not the easiest one to navigate. But this is how it’s done:
<ol>
<li> Log in with your instructor Username and Password at zumba.com. </li>
<li> Click on the “My ZIN Account” link of your ZIN Menu. </li>
<li> Select “To cancel your account, click here” link, located in the Payment Information section of the My Account Summary page. </li>
</ol>
It is rather straightforward. There are four steps to complete. During each of them, there is a possibility to cancel the whole process. Obviously, ZIN does not want to part with me (or, rather, my money).
<center><b>YOU WILL BE MISSED</b></center>
<blockquote><p> Dear Kirill, </p>
<p> We are very sorry to hear that you no longer wish to be a part of ZIN. Because it is our mission to make ZIN Members successful, we would like to share some suggestions before you make your final decision. </p>
<p> It seems like we never have enough time to get everything done. You are not alone. But consider the fact that teaching helps you commit to a workout routine that benefits you and those around you! Even one weekly class is a perfect way to leave the stress behind. </p>
<p> And by taking advantage of the multiple income-generating opportunities, you can increase your profit. You can do this by re-selling Zumbawear<sup>®</sup> purchased at a discount rate, or by joining the Zumbawear<sup>®</sup> Wholesale Program for an even larger profit margin. </p>
</blockquote>
Well the last passage contains something that I actively <i>dislike</i> in Zumba, so it was unlikely to stop me. “Even larger profit margin”? You got to be joking.</p>
<p> Interestingly, they ask you to choose <i>one</i> (and only one) reason for leaving and at least <i>two</i> things that I find useful about ZIN membership (apart from the music and choreo). Fair enough. It’s important to be more positive than negative. Anyway, I already forgot what were those two things I ticked. </p>
<p> My license is valid till the end of the month. After that, don’t even ask me about Zumba classes.
<blockquote> By cancelling your membership, you forfeit the rights granted under the ZIN Membership and License Agreement. Your classes will no longer be posted on zumba.com. You must immediately cease use of the Zumba trademarks, copyrights, logos and other Zumba marketing materials. You may not post promotional Zumba videos online, make commercial use of Zumba Fitness’ original music, or maintain a domain name containing the word Zumba. </blockquote>
As I <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-secret-of-zumba.html" target="_blank" title="The secret of Zumba @ this blog">mentioned before</a>, Zumba Fitness did <i>not</i> invent the word “zumba”. Therefore, their claims on domain names containing this word are groundless. Not that I am going to use their trademarks etc. But I plan to keep this blog where it is. Just as a memento. </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-13328816289491666052013-05-23T11:30:00.000+01:002017-03-03T11:32:16.100+00:00MegaMixed bag<p> OK I have to admit it: MegaMix 35 is not <i>all</i> bad. Reggae-merengue <a href="http://youtu.be/SJs1j_2LO2Q" target="_blank" title="Watch 'Estoy Enamorao' @ YouTube"><i>Estoy Enamorao</i></a> by Colombian Grupo BIP could have been perfect if not for annoying voice distortion. But... Zumbified <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Luftballons" target="_blank" title="99 Luftballons in Wikipedia"><i>99 Luftballons</i></a>? Seriously? </p>
<p> The best track is <a href="http://youtu.be/o2aEd52nsAM" target="_blank" title="Watch 'Banjaara' @ YouTube"><i>Banjaara</i></a> from the 2012 Bollywood blockbuster <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ek_Tha_Tiger" target="_blank" title="Ek Tha Tiger in Wikipedia"><i>Ek Tha Tiger</i></a>. </p>
<p><center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7QF7z76ehyo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<h3>MegaMix 35 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Estoy Enamorao</i> — Merengue — by Bip</li>
<li><i>Mambo Lives</i> — Mambo *</li>
<li><i>No te Veo</i> (Remix) — Reggaeton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Tu no te Sabe Mover</i> — Dembow — by Eduar2 El Romologo ☙</li>
<li><i>99 Luftballons</i> — New Wave *</li>
<li><i>Como Le Gusta a tu Cuerpo</i> — Vallenato *</li>
<li><i>Me, Myself, and Music</i> — Club / Dance — by Dahrio Wonder</li>
<li><i>Banjaara</i> — Hindi Pop — by Sukhwinder Singh</li>
<li><i>Si tú Quieres</i> — Techno Merengue — by Fortuna & Fuego</li>
<li><i>Promise</i> — Bachata *</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy Lyrics Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-80131348951421056352013-05-01T21:00:00.000+01:002013-05-01T21:18:10.411+01:00Vamo a baila... pero no este<p> After the brilliant <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com.es/2013/02/ill-say-it-anyway.html" target="_blank" title="I’ll say it anyway @ this blog">ZIN 43</a>, this one is a let-down. Watching Beto (in pyjamas) and Gina (in some sort of Elastigirl outfit) live in Dublin, I feel nothing but respect... for Tanya. A true artist knows when to stop. </p>
<p> The music, apart from <i>El Gato Boogaloo</i> by Sonora Carruseles and <i>Llora Llora</i> which is a cover of Oscar D’León’s <a href="http://saffronwaldenlessons.blogspot.com/2011/07/la-cancion-de-la-semana-275.html" target="_blank" title="La canción de la semana #275 @ Saffron Walden Lessons"><i>Llorarás</i></a>, is forgettable. Both live and one-on-one versions of <i>In the Summertime</i> are actually rather funny, in a <i>Muppet Show</i>-ey way. <i>It’s Oh So Quiet</i> is embarrassingly bad. And I am still not sure that three different instructors for one-on-one is such a good idea. </p>
<p><center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZbiEHNza3rI?rel=0" width="420"></iframe></center></p>
<h3>ZIN 44 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Meto Mano</i> — Merengue — by Amarfis ☙</li>
<li><i>El Gato Boogaloo</i> — Salsa — by Sonora Carruseles</li>
<li><i>Love Shack</i> — Pop Rock *</li>
<li><i>Vamo a Baila</i> — Calypso / Soca ◊</li>
<li><i>Gimme Five</i> — Batucada / Bachata ◊</li>
<li><i>Llora Llora</i> — Salsaton *</li>
<li><i>In the Summertime</i> — Dancehall *</li>
<li><i>Ritmo Chido y Sabroso</i> — Quebradita / Rock & Roll ◊</li>
<li><i>It’s Oh So Quiet</i> — Jazz</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy Lyrics Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-83365236484594726172013-04-01T00:00:00.000+01:002013-04-01T10:29:50.657+01:00¡Adiós, Posterous!<p> As I said <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/2013/03/posterous-is-closing-down.html" target="_blank" title="Posterous is closing down @ this blog">before</a>, Posterous is closing down end of this month. So this is probably my last post there. </p>
<p> But it’s not the end of the blog — not yet, at least. The new address is </p>
<center><span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace; font-size: x-large;"><a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" title="zumbafuerteventura: naïve Zumba instructor discovers the truth @ Blogger"><b>zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com</b></a></span></center>
<p> (are you surprised?) and you’ll find all the old and, hopefully, some new posts there. </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-42330147508836776992013-03-27T20:00:00.001+00:002020-09-15T13:23:34.551+01:00MegaMix 34<p> ZIN MegaMix 34 is full of covers, none of which is better (or significantly worse) than a corresponding original. Among them, <i>¿Por qué les Mientes?</i> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_El_Bambino" target="_blank" title="Tito El Bambino in Wikipedia">Tito “El Bambino” El Patrón</a>, <i>Mambo Yo Yo</i> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ricardo_Lemvo" target="_blank" title="Ricardo Lemvo in Wikipedia">Ricardo Lemvo</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ain%27t_Nobody" target="_blank" title="Ain't Nobody in Wikipedia"><i>Ain’t Nobody</i></a> by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawk_Wolinski" target="_blank" title="Hawk Wolinski in Wikipedia">Hawk Wolinski</a> — or, rather, a cover of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Wilson_%28musician%29" target="_blank" title="Alex Wilson (musician) in Wikipedia">Alex Wilson</a>’s salsa version of <i>Ain’t Nobody</i>. The warm-up (?) track <i>The Reckoning</i>, featuring the keyboard sounds last popular in the 1980s, is far too long (by Zumba standards) and repetitive (even by Zumba standards). If you want to incorporate some Latin electronica in your Zumba routine, you’d better check the quality stuff from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novalima" target="_blank" title="Novalima in Wikipedia">Novalima</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bajofondo" target="_blank" title="Bajofondo in Wikipedia">Bajofondo</a>. I am not a big fan of reggaeton, but <i>Rykitona</i> by K.L.C. Clave Cubana is good. </p>
<p> <h3>MegaMix 34 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>The Reckoning</i> — Electronic / Dance — by Salda</li>
<li><i>Yo No Soy un Monstruo</i> — Merengue Electrónico * ☙</li>
<li><i>Ain’t Nobody</i> — Salsa *</li>
<li><i>Siguelo</i> — Reggaeton Pop * ☙</li>
<li><i>Fiesta en América</i> — Latin Pop *</li>
<li><i>¿Por qué les Mientes?</i> — Cumbia *</li>
<li><i>Rykitona</i> — Reggaeton — by K.L.C. Clave Cubana ☙</li>
<li><i>Mambo Yo Yo</i> — Mambo *</li>
<li><i>Eto eh pa Tuguere</i> — Merengue * ☙</li>
<li><i>Baracundera</i> — Brazilian Ragga / Cooldown ◊</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy Lyrics </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-42422394767936833792013-03-16T23:00:00.000+00:002019-02-09T12:48:57.741+00:00The secret of Zumba<p style="text-align: right;"><i>First published 16 March 2013 @</i> <a href="http://soloalgunaspalabras.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/the-secret-of-zumba/" title="the secret of zumba @ sólo algunas palabras" target="_blank">sólo algunas palabras</a> </p>
<p> There is no doubt that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zumba" target="_blank" title="Zumba in Wikipedia">Zumba Fitness</a> owes its success in significant part to its name. The <a href="http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/2012/2/16/zumba_on_the_move_in_the.htm" target="_blank" title="Zumba on the Move in the Fitness World">story goes</a> that the company’s co-founders Alberto “Beto” Perez, Alberto Aghion and Alberto Perlman, aka “three Albertos”, were deliberately trying to find a name which rhymes with “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumba" target="_blank" title="Rumba in Wikipedia">rumba</a>”:
<blockquote> Their first stumbling block came when they went to trademark Rumbacize, a play off <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazzercise" target="_blank" title="Jazzercise in Wikipedia">Jazzercise</a> and rumba, which means to party in Spanish. They discovered Rumbacize had been covertly registered by the owner of a fitness club where Perez taught classes. So the three Albertos went to a Houston’s restaurant in North Miami Beach and brainstormed.
<br />
“Bumba. Cumba. We said everything trying to find something that rhymed with Rumba,” Perlman recalled. “Wumba. That sounded like something for pregnancy.”
<br />
They were getting nervous. Nothing sounded right.
<br />
“Then we got to Zumba,” Perlman said. “That’s it. We were excited.” </blockquote>
A nice story, that. They had to go all way down the alphabet until the last letter did the trick. The Zumba Fitness’ <a href="http://www.zumba.com/trademark/" target="_blank" title="ZUMBA® TRADEMARK USAGE GUIDE">Trademark Usage Guide</a> goes as far as to claim that
<blockquote> THE WORD ZUMBA<sup>®</sup> DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING
<br />
The word ZUMBA<sup>®</sup> was coined by our company, and is an arbitrary or fanciful word we selected as the original brand name that identifies Zumba Fitness’ dance fitness programs and related products. </blockquote>
But did three Albertos really coin a new word? Of course not. They should have been well aware that there is a word <a href="http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/zumba" target="_blank" title="zumba in Collins Spanish-English Dictionary"><i>zumba</i></a> in Spanish. As a noun, it means “teasing”, “bashing”, or “beating”; <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/zumba#Verb" target="_blank" title="zumba: Spanish verb in Wiktionary"><i>zumba</i></a> is also a form of the verb <a href="http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/spanish-english/zumbar" target="_blank" title="zumbar in Collins Spanish-English Dictionary"><i>zumbar</i></a> “to buzz”, “to hit”, “to tease”, “to nick”, or, surprise surprise, “to have sex”. Curiously enough, Zumba Fitness LLC <a href="http://assets.zumba.com/www-zumba-com/en-us/discounts_and_resources/wk/Welcome--English.pdf" target="_blank" title="Welcome to the ZUMBA family @ zumba.com">urges us</a> to never use the word “Zumba” as a noun or verb, only as an adjective. This is an absurd demand as it goes contrary to the already established usage. (“Are you going to Zumba?”, “Let’s Zumba” etc.)</p>
<p>But <i>why</i> is “Zumba” such a good name? I think the secret is that (a) it is short and (b) it is easy to pronounce. In particular, the sounds in “Zumba” are organised this way:</p>
<center>⊏⊔⊓⊏⊔</center>
<p>(where ⊏ stands for a consonant, ⊔ a vowel, and ⊓ a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_consonant" target="_blank" title="Nasal consonant in Wikipedia">nasal consonant</a>). This pattern pervades the names of music and/or dance styles such as <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banda_music" target="_blank" title="Banda music in Wikipedia">banda</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomba" target="_blank" title="Bomba in Wikipedia">bomba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Changa_%28music%29" target="_blank" title="Changa (music) in Wikipedia">changa</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conga_%28music%29" target="_blank" title="Conga (music) in Wikipedia">conga</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbia" target="_blank" title="Cumbia in Wikipedia">cumbia</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danza" target="_blank" title="Danza in Wikipedia">danza</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganga_%28music%29" target="_blank" title="Ganga (music) in Wikipedia">ganga</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_funky" target="_blank" title="UK funky in Wikipedia">funky</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land%C3%B3_%28music%29" target="_blank" title="Landó (music) in Wikipedia">landó</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limbo_%28dance%29" target="_blank" title="Limbo (dance) in Wikipedia">limbo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lundu_%28dance%29" target="_blank" title="Lundu (dance) in Wikipedia">lundu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mambo" target="_blank" title="Mambo in Wikipedia">mambo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mento" target="_blank" title="Mento in Wikipedia">mento</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta" target="_blank" title="Punta in Wikipedia">punta</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punto_guajiro" target="_blank" title="Punto guajiro in Wikipedia">punto</a>, rumba, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba" target="_blank" title="Samba in Wikipedia">samba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semba" target="_blank" title="Semba in Wikipedia">semba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songo_music" target="_blank" title="Songo music in Wikipedia">songo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tambu_%28musical_genre%29" target="_blank" title="Tambu (musical genre) in Wikipedia">tambu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tango" target="_blank" title="Tango in Wikipedia">tango</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timba" target="_blank" title="Timba in Wikipedia">timba</a>, <a href="http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumba_francesa" target="_blank" title="Tumba francesa en Wikipedia">tumba</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zamba_%28artform%29" target="_blank" title="Zamba in Wikipedia">zamba</a>, to name a few. So it is exotic and in the same time vaguely familiar. It has a <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/jaunty" target="_blank" title="jaunty in Wiktionary">jaunty</a> feel about it. It sounds like a name of a cute animated creature: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bambi" target="_blank" title="Bambi in Wikipedia">Bambi</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dumbo" target="_blank" title="Dumbo in Wikipedia">Dumbo</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simba" target="_blank" title="Simba in Wikipedia">Simba</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pingu" target="_blank" title="Pingu in Wikipedia">Pingu</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rango_%282011_film%29" target="_blank" title="Rango (2011 film) in Wikipedia">Rango</a>... </p>
<p>It is more important to be easily pronounceable than exotic. There is no need to travel far: we are literally surrounded by ⊏⊔⊓⊏⊔ words and names. Many languages, including English, favour them. There’s bound to be a neighbour called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_%28given_name%29" target="_blank" title="Cindy (given name) in Wikipedia">Cindy</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandy_%28name%29" target="_blank" title="Sandy (name) in Wikipedia">Sandy</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy" target="_blank" title="Mandy in Wikipedia">Mandy</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy" target="_blank" title="Randy in Wikipedia">Randy</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendy" target="_blank" title="Wendy in Wikipedia">Wendy</a> or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monty" target="_blank" title="Monty in Wikipedia">Monty</a>. They eat <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candy" target="_blank" title="Candy in Wikipedia">candy</a> or drink <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shandy" target="_blank" title="Shandy in Wikipedia">shandy</a>. It’s <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/windy" target="_blank" title="windy in Wiktionary">windy</a> today, it’s <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Sunday" target="_blank" title="Sunday in Wiktionary">Sunday</a> tomorrow. We like these words so much that we join them together in <a href="http://soloalgunaspalabras.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/oxy1294687673/" target="_blank" title="raggle-taggle and friends @ sólo algunas palabras">reduplications</a>: hanky-panky, mingle-mangle, mumbo-jumbo, namby-pamby. It does not mean that if we like the name we have to like what the name stands for. (We may love <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda" target="_blank" title="Giant panda in Wikipedia">pandas</a> but hate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamba" target="_blank" title="Mamba in Wikipedia">mambas</a>.) The reverse, however, is not true: the good cannot be given repelling name. (Even if <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Wonka" target="_blank" title="Willy Wonka in Wikipedia">Willy Wonka</a> and his Oompa-Loompas annoy us, there is no way we’ll fall in love with Vermicious Knids.) “<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/fancy" target="_blank" title="fancy in Wiktionary">Fancy</a> going to Zumba tonight?” You can’t say “no” to that. Wanna try <a href="http://www.bokwafitness.com/" target="_blank" title="Bokwa Fitness">Bokwa</a>? Not so sure. What about <a href="http://style.lifegoesstrong.com/article/how-get-fit-quick-piloxing-combines-boxing-exercise-pilates" target="_blank" title="How to Get Fit Quick: Piloxing Combines Boxing Exercise with Pilates @ LifeGoesStrong">Piloxing</a>? Definitely not, it’s a horrible word.</p>
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<p> A <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/handy" target="_blank" title="handy in Wiktionary">handy</a> property of a good name is its ability to form nicely sounding <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compound_%28linguistics%29" target="_blank" title="Compound (linguistics) in Wikipedia">compounds</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portmanteau" target="_blank" title="Portmanteau in Wikipedia">portmanteaux</a>. I would argue that the conditions (a) and (b) are necessary although not sufficient. It comes as no surprise that ⊏⊔⊓⊏⊔ words are good at that. Examples include <a href="http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamborama" target="_blank" title="Mamborama dans Wikipédia">Mamborama</a> (“mambo” + “panorama”), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sambadrome" target="_blank" title="Sambadrome in Wikipedia">Sambadrome</a> (“samba” + “<a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/-drome" target="_blank" title="-drome in Wiktionary">-drome</a>”), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanghetto" target="_blank" title="Tanghetto in Wikipedia">Tanghetto</a> (“tango” + “ghetto”), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodanza" target="_blank" title="Biodanza in Wikipedia">Biodanza</a> (this one is <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/kinda" target="_blank" title="kinda in Wiktionary">kinda</a> obvious)... Here Zumba is doing well too: Zumbatomic, Aqua Zumba, Zumbathon, even Zumba Green (a colour which I call “toxic yellow”). Now imagine what would happen if they still were called Rumbacize.</p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-22444922561319641062013-03-02T18:07:00.000+00:002013-03-02T18:07:47.883+00:00Posterous is closing down<p>Oh dear. I’ve always had bad feelings about that <a href="http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/03/12/twitter-has-acquired-shortform-blogging-company-posterous/" target="_blank" title="Twitter has acquired shortform blogging company Posterous, Spaces will remain up and running for now - by Matthew Panzarino on 12 Mar 2012">takeover by Twitter</a>. And look what was <a href="http://blog.posterous.com/thanks-from-posterous" target="_blank" title="Posterous will turn off on April 30 @ Posterous">published on Posterous blog on 15 February 2013</a>:</p>
<blockquote><h3>Posterous will turn off on April 30</h3>
<p>Posterous launched in 2008. Our mission was to make it easier to share photos and connect with your social networks. Since joining Twitter almost one year ago, we’ve been able to continue that journey, building features to help you discover and share what’s happening in the world – on an even larger scale.</p>
<p>On April 30th, we will turn off posterous.com and our mobile apps in order to focus 100% of our efforts on Twitter. This means that as of April 30, Posterous Spaces will no longer be available either to view or to edit.</p>
<p>Right now and over the next couple months until April 30th, you can download all of your Posterous Spaces including your photos, videos, and documents.</p> </blockquote>
So that’s what I am doing. Watch this space, I’ll post the new blog location soon.Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-16148490484688292402013-02-23T21:30:00.000+00:002013-02-23T21:30:00.835+00:00I’ll say it anyway<p>It’s been a while since I enjoyed Zumba’s audiovisual offerings that much. The live-in-Prague class with Donna Giffen and Walter Diaz is good! Their dancing styles are very different and, as with other ZIN double acts, the synchronisation at times is far from perfect. But, for the most part, their choreo is a pleasure to watch. And it is funny (not just <strike>fun</strike> <strike>blast</strike> <strike>sizzlin’</strike> insert your favourite Zumba cliché here). And where their routines get too complicated or, on the contrary, too repetitive, there Maria Browning picks it up in one-on-one class.</p>
<p>The music... is not bad either. Except for <i>Zumba Loco</i>, but one could guess that much from the title. (Why did they use it as a soundtrack for <a href="http://youtu.be/_5GPtGhwmo8" target="_blank" title="ZIN™ 43... SNEAK PEEK @ YouTube">ZIN 43 Sneak Peek</a>, is anyone’s guess.) I don’t really like synthpop but I have to applaud the Zumba’s take on A-ha’s hit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_on_Me" target="_blank" title="Take on Me in Wikipedia"><i>Take on Me</i></a> — brassy chorus replacing the annoying synth riff of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914" target="_blank" title="a-ha - Take On Me (Official Video) @ YouTube">original</a>, and especially the accelerating samba coda. A thumb or two up.</p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_5GPtGhwmo8" width="420"></iframe></div>
<h3>
Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Tu Boca</i> — Merengue ◊</li>
<li><i>Salsa Choke</i> — Salsa ◊</li>
<li><i>Shant</i> — Bhangra ◊</li>
<li><i>Arremangala Arrempujala</i> — Punta * ☙</li>
<li><i>Take on Me</i> — Batucada / Samba *</li>
<li><i>Quemando Bota</i> — Banda Tribal ◊</li>
<li><i>Zumba Loco</i> — Hip-Hop / Dance ◊</li>
<li><i>Mueve la Pompa</i> — Electro Soca *</li>
<li><i>Llamado de Emergencia</i> — Reggaeton *</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-21554282841639821742013-01-29T21:21:00.001+00:002013-01-29T21:21:36.901+00:00ZIN 42 and MegaMix 33<p> In the latest ZIN Newsletter (naturally, <i>not</i> available to general public), it is said that Beto cites ZIN 42 as his favorite ZIN Volume. Really? I can’t believe he meant it. What is there to listen to? <i>Del Puente Pa’ alla</i> is good (even though I still prefer the Grupo Niche version), but the rest? <i>Rumba en Moscú</i>? <i>Sexy and I Know It</i>? Yuck, yuck, yuck three times.</p>
<p>The live class was filmed at the 2012 Zumba Instructor Convention. That could explain... no, it can’t explain anything.</p>
<p>The camerawork is worse than usual, which is already bad enough. There is supposedly stellar (by Zumba standards) crew dancing around Beto but some of them keep disappearing from the frame. I spied one half of ZumbaTwinz and some other people that looked familiar. I liked what the girl with crimson-red hair (sorry don’t know her name) did on <i>Inténtalo</i>. Also, there were some funny steps in the aforementioned <i>Del Puente Pa’ alla</i>, I have to try those. The rest is disposale. And where on earth did Beto find those pants? I couldn’t find the official ZIN 42 sneak peek to illustrate this, maybe they were too embarrassed to release it.</p>
<p>By comparison, MegaMix 33 sounds like a good compilation. My favourite tracks are <i>Medellín Feria de Flores</i> and a cover of Huey Dunbar’s bachata <i>Yo si me Enamoré</i>.</p>
<h3>
ZIN 42 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Pa’ que lo Bailen Bien</i> — Cumbiaton ◊</li>
<li><i>Del Puente Pa’ alla</i> — Salsa *</li>
<li><i>Rumba en Moscú</i> — Russian Folk ◊</li>
<li><i>Inténtalo (Me Prende)</i> — Tribal * ☙</li>
<li><i>Fiesta Buena</i> — Latin Hip-Hop / Dance — by DJ Mam’s teat. Soldat Jahman & Luis Guisao</li>
<li><i>Corazoncito Bonito</i> — Bachata / Merengue ◊</li>
<li><i>Move Ya Body</i> — Hip-Hop * ☙</li>
<li><i>Give It Up</i> — Champeta / Soca ◊</li>
<li><i>Sexy and I Know It</i> — Electro House * ☙</li>
</ol>
<h3>
MegaMix 33 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>La Maldad</i> — Merengue * ☙</li>
<li><i>Medellín Feria de Flores</i> — Salsa *</li>
<li><i>Ella Anda Sola</i> — Reggaeton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Segura Na Cintura</i> — Axé ◊</li>
<li><i>Show You How To Love</i> — Dance (a cappella) — by Pentatonix</li>
<li><i>Dame la Ola</i> — Reggaeton Electrónico * ☙</li>
<li><i>Yo si me Enamoré</i> — Bachata *</li>
<li><i>La Morena</i> — Kuduro — by Vic J feat. Montano</li>
<li><i>Me Enteré</i> — Reggaeton Pop *</li>
<li><i>Dekole</i> — Caribbean Soca Beat — by J Perry (feat. Shabba & Izolan)</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-85132830045897440812012-11-27T23:57:00.001+00:002015-09-08T12:21:18.688+01:00How do you sing “®”?<p>The unusual thing about ZIN MegaMix 32 is... absence of any salsa, merengue and cumbia (which, some of you may recall, are three of the four styles they teach at the Zumba<sup><small>®</small></sup> Basic 1 course). Six out of eleven tracks are “Zumba Fitness originals” of varying quality. (Actually I quite liked <i>Africanisima</i>: it is so different from what Zumba normally sells.)
And, apparently, it’s not enough just to put “Zumba” in every song, it must come together with registered trademark symbol. Hence the title <i>Zumba</i><sup><small>®</small></sup> <i>Battleship</i>, the yuckiest song of the compilation.</p>
<h3>MegaMix 32 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Calor</i> — Warm Up *</li>
<li><i>Sueña Desierto Es Carnaval</i> — Latin Pop ◊</li>
<li><i>Toma Reggaeton</i> — Reggaeton ◊ ☙</li>
<li><i>El Tucanazo</i> — Quebradita *</li>
<li><i>Desengonçado</i> — Axé — by Cecéu Muniz</li>
<li><i>Go</i> — Ragga Caribbean ◊</li>
<li><i>Africanisima</i> — African Dance ◊</li>
<li><i>Zumba</i><sup><small>®</small></sup> <i>Battleship</i> — Dance / Hip-Hop ◊</li>
<li><i>Luxor Baladna</i> — Belly Dance — by Movses Panossian</li>
<li><i>Ojos Negros</i> — Middle Eastern Pop ◊</li>
<li><i>Seasons of Love</i> — Musical Theater *</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-26537500302660456252012-10-31T23:24:00.000+00:002012-10-31T23:24:32.235+00:00What are we gonna do with it?<p> In the unlikely event that you are following this blog, you could have noticed that I am not a big fan of Zumba-ing double acts. Now imagine how happy I was receiving ZIN 41 and watching another live class. With another double act. Mind you, in some respects it’s very different from Tanya and Gina, Lindsey and Kass, or Zumbatwinz for that matter. Most importantly, Betsy Dopico totally out-dances her co-presenter Ricardo Marmitte. One-on-one class with Donna Giffen is all right. I quite like her way of building up the routine, it is just that the music, once again, fails to inspire.</p>
<p> No bhangra, flamenco or samba. Doesn’t matter, I gave up on the music from ZIN long time ago. But... as funny as it sounds, my favourite choreo on the DVD is the one for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_That_We_Found_Love" target="_blank" title="Now That We Found Love in Wikipedia"><i>Now That We Found Love</i></a>, a cover of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNEgUPKxk7A" target="_blank" title="Watch 'Heavy D & The Boyz - Now That We Found Love ft. Aaron Hall' @ YouTube">most ridiculous cover</a> I ever heard. </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CQoAyREtpUk" width="420"></iframe></div>
<h3>Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Mueve ese Eskeleto</i> — Electro Merengue — by Fulanito ☙</li>
<li><i>Pretenciosa</i> — Salsa ◊</li>
<li><i>Me Gustan Todas</i> — Techno Cumbia * ☙</li>
<li><i>Pose</i> — Reggaeton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Now That We Found Love</i> — Disco Rap *</li>
<li><i>Mereketengue</i> — Pasito Duranguense ◊</li>
<li><i>Bem Vindos</i> — Funk ◊</li>
<li><i>Taca Taca</i> — Merengue / Calypso *</li>
<li><i>Como un Angel</i> — Reggaeton Pop — by Zulayka ☙</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-10268074761978216162012-10-25T20:30:00.001+01:002013-07-02T02:17:06.593+01:00One year on<p> You know what, I just realised that I did <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.posterous.com/my-first-real-class" target="_blank" title="My first real class @ this blog">my first real Zumba class</a> exactly one year ago. Time for a progress report? </p>
<p> Well, there’s not much to report. My morning class on Tuesday and Thursday was all but dead for weeks — only one student was attending and then not always. So I decided to stop the morning classes in the Botanical Park for a while. The only class still running is the Wednesday evening at FuerteFusión. Sometimes I have two students, once I had eight students (all hip scarves were in use!) but most often I have four people there. I can’t say this keeps me extremely busy, but at least it’s a weekly event I look forward to — something the morning classes ceased to be long time ago. </p>
<p> One <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">rainy</span> <span style="text-decoration: line-through;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">sunny</span></span> rainy (yes sometimes it rains even here) day I was sitting and contemplating whether it was the time to close the shop and concentrate on something else. Ironically, it was exactly when my <a href="http://www.facebook.com/masquezumba" target="_blank" title="Más que Zumba @ Facebook">Facebook page</a> accumulated 100 “likes”. To help me to celebrate this momentous achievement, Facebook presented me with €30 publicity voucher, which I can spend to promote my page so it could get even more “likes”. Oh bother. I would prefer just €30 in cash. It turns out that <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/103748816383197/" target="_blank" title="How do I activate the coupon code I just received? @ Facebook Help Centre">in order to redeem the said voucher</a>, I have to give Facebook my credit card details. Thanks but no thanks, I’m fine. </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-13378202724890778332012-10-07T20:15:00.000+01:002015-09-08T12:22:29.810+01:00I prefer Gangnam Style<p>The latest ZIN offering is, as per usual, not especially good, not especially bad, not especially fresh. All standard Zumba fare except maybe covers of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chic_%28band%29" target="_blank" title="Chic (band) in Wikipedia">Chic</a>’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_Freak" target="_blank" title="Le Freak in Wikipedia"><i>Le Freak</i></a> (which was big in 1978 and ever since) and Rihanna’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_Found_Love" target="_blank" title="We Found Love in Wikipedia"><i>We Found Love</i></a> (which by now everybody should be thoroughly sick of).</p>
<p>Forget Zumba for a moment (or longer). This weekend (better late than never), I discovered <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangnam_Style" target="_blank" title="Gangnam Style in Wikipedia"><i>Gangnam Style</i></a> by Korean rapper <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psy_%28rapper%29" target="_blank" title="Psy (rapper) in Wikipedia">Psy</a> — apparently, the most “liked” video on YouTube. And I can see why.</p>
<p><center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9bZkp7q19f0" width="420"></iframe></center></p>
<h3>MegaMix 31 Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>We Found Love</i> — ElectroPop / Warm Up *</li>
<li><i>El Lapicero</i> — Merengue — by Raul Acosta & Manikkomio ☙</li>
<li><i>Al Son De Los Cueros</i> — Salsa — by Sonora Carruseles</li>
<li><i>La Cumbia Tribalera</i> — Tribal * ☙</li>
<li><i>Ahora Es</i> — Reggaeton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Agachadita</i> — Cumbia * ☙</li>
<li><i>Danca Da Cordinha</i> — Samba / Axé *</li>
<li><i>Le Freak</i> — Disco *</li>
<li><i>Trikitrikitran</i> — Rumba Flamenca — by Mayka</li>
<li><i>Las Cosas Pequeñas</i> — Bachata *</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-40134970413518159342012-09-01T19:28:00.000+01:002012-09-01T19:29:01.693+01:00Getting nasty?<p> A live class <i>without</i> Beto, Tanya or Gina: now that sounds like a good idea. Long overdue, I say. But the implementation? A class with Lindsey Taylor and Kass Martin on ZIN 40: it is just like the <a href="http://zumbafuerteventura.blogspot.com/2012/04/zin-37.html" title="Now this is what I call ZIN 37 @ this blog" target="_blank">class with Tanya and Gina</a>. Except without Tanya and Gina. </p>
<p> What’s the point of having two instructors anyway? Even though each of them quite obviously can dance, poor synchronisation makes the whole show appear messy. When Beto dances together with two/four/more other instructors... well, they may be not that well synchronised either, but at least you know who to look at for “master” routine. Here it is just not the case. (Can we have a class with Zumbatwinz next time?) And another thing: the students surely are not supposed to repeat <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NmwQ462F3_s" target="_blank" title="ZIN™ 40... SNEAK PEEK @ YouTube">that floor body wave</a>. What’s this showing off for? </p>
<p> In One-on-One, Michael Thomas shows some interesting moves, but somehow none of his routines makes a convincing whole. The only song/choreo from this DVD I would like to try is <i>Coisa Brasileira</i> from the live class. That’s 1—0 Two Ladies vs One Guy. </p>
<p> A new feature: now songs with “spicy lyrics” are indicated with a little chilli pepper icon. So that you know. </p>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="236" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NmwQ462F3_s" width="420"></iframe></div>
<h3>
Song List</h3>
<ol>
<li><i>Me Va Quema el Celular</i> — Merengue * ☙</li>
<li><i>Vamos Pa’ La Pista</i> — Salsa ◊</li>
<li><i>La Suavecita</i> — Cumbia / Reggaeton * ☙</li>
<li><i>Fuera de Control</i> — Reggaeton — by K.L.C. Clave Cubana ☙</li>
<li><i>Maria</i> — Rumba Flamenca ◊</li>
<li><i>Getting Nasty</i> — Techno Dance — by KCB ft. Lady Lauryn ☙</li>
<li><i>Coisa Brasileira</i> — Axé / Capoeira ◊</li>
<li><i>Ponte los Tenis</i> — Electro Merengue ◊</li>
<li><i>Come On Eileen</i> — Ska Punk * ☙</li>
</ol>
* Covers
<br />
◊ Zumba Fitness originals
<br />
☙ Spicy LyricsKirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7543347488388253673.post-22946401459425376262012-08-28T19:50:00.000+01:002012-08-28T20:02:48.031+01:00Home ☼ ☼ ☼ home<h3><i>Home Still Home</i></h3>
<p> To live in Fuerteventura and go on holidays to Britain, rather than the other way round — that feels weird. Good too. England was nice, most of the time. Scotland was beautiful. The weather was pleasing. The prices... well that was a bit of shock. Even so, it was great to be there and see friends. I even managed to play a <a href="http://listenlearnread.blogspot.com.es/2012/07/wandlebury-family-picnic-concert.html" target="_blank" title="Wandlebury Family Picnic Concert @ Listen, Learn, Read">gig with Arco Iris</a>. Better still, to come back home. </p>
<h3><i>Home Sleep Home</i></h3>
<p> Finally, sleeping in my own bedroom. The days are hot, but after dark it is nicer outside. Maybe should consider sleeping on the sunroof — after I’ve done with cleaning, that is. </p>
<h3><i>Home Sweep Home</i></h3>
<p> After a month away, the patio, terrace and sunroof are covered in a thick layer of Martian dust. The surfaces in the house... are covered in a thinner layer of the same dust. I keep on sweeping. </p>
<h3><i>Home Swim Home</i></h3>
<p> As I just said, England was mostly nice. The visit to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells-next-the-Sea" target="_blank" title="Wells-next-the-Sea in Wikipedia">Wells-next-the-Sea</a> was an exception. The weather was good, even hot by English standard, so it looked like everybody decided to go there on that particular Saturday. In a nutshell: long and slow drive; no decent parking; inefficient staff in a café (and nothing spectacular in terms of food); incredibly crowded beach, without swimmable sea. That served as a reminder why did we move to Fuerte in the first place. Needless to say, the next morning after the return we cycled to the beach for a dip. Bliss. </p>
<h3><i>Home Slim Home</i></h3>
<p> After all this driving around Britain (that is, sitting in a car for a good part of a day), I’m back to walking, cycling, swimming and, you may have guessed, Zumba-ing. And no more full English breakfast for me till next year. </p>
<p> Actually, I almost went para zumbar in London. There are hundreds of Zumba instructors there, but in search for a “local” class (that is, something within a walkable distance from the place in North London where we were staying) I came across one free class that was held in a church. The only problem was... it turned out to be “ladies only”. What a disappointment. </p>
<h3><i>Home Sweat Home</i></h3>
<p> My, it is hot outside. So, following the suggestion from my student, I moved the morning classes from 10:00 to 9:00. <i>Nine o’clock!</i> That really <i>is</i> early for me, but today’s class has proved it was the right decision. I think by 11 we would be “well done” (as opposed to more usual “medium rare”). Nevertheless, as I just realised, this is exactly what I said to my students: “Well done everybody”. </p>Kirillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719435019715182189noreply@blogger.com0