Cougar Chat

News: 7/2/26

Why will Jean be late on July 8?

As some of you know, in addition to loving Zumba, I am a serious fan of research, particularly research on aging and heath. I've been accepted to participate in a longitudinal study called "Study of Muscles, Movement, and Aging", being conducted by Wake Forest University Medical School in collaboration with two other sites in the US. It is a really interesting study of the muscles and health of Americans age 70 and over.

My very first meeting with them will be on Wednesday, July 8 from 9:30 to 1:00. I expect to be finished with their testing in plenty of time to teach y'all how to keep dancing, but things do go wrong sometimes, so I wanted to give you guys a heads-up and to ask you to stay for 20 minutes before giving up on me.

They are still looking for participants, particularly minorities, so if it sounds interesting to you, talk to me after class.

My apologies for any delay in class. I am looking forward to dancing with you as always.

Great News! We've been approved to add a second section of Aqua Zumba every week. Which days we'll be dancing is still being worked out but I believe both sections will begin at 2:00 pm.

One of them will be what I think of as Aqua Zumba Gentle. It is still geared toward beginners and those of us who like to take it easy while we're having fun. This is the same class I have been presenting since March 2025.

The second, new class is Aqua Zumba Exp. This is for more experienced dancers who are looking for a bit of a challenge when they dance.

Everyone is welcome to attend both classes or to focus on just one.

How will you know which class is right for you?

The Exp class will often have songs that are faster than those in the Gentle class.
The Exp class will use more kicks and jumps (new to us!) than the Gentle class.
The Exp class will use songs with more complicated patterns than we use in the Gentle class.

If you've never danced Aqua Zumba before, you might want to stick with the Gentle class to begin with. Water has some strange (but wonderful) effects on your body and how you move. Even elite Olympic athletes struggle a bit when they start moving in the water. This partly because the water has funny effects, but also because your muscles, even strong ones, are being used differently.

Once you get used to pushing the water out of your way and fighting off a tendency to float, you can give Exp a try.

News: 4/23/26

It's been a long wait, but things are changing in Aqua Zumba at the William G. White Family YMCA.

The Aqua Zumba Gentle class -- the one that has been meeting at 2:45 PM on Fridays -- will now start at 2:00 PM on Fridays, beginning on Friday, June 19.

The new Aqua Zumba Exp class will have its first meeting on Wednesday, June 17 at 2:00 PM.

You can read more about the new class below.

I'm really excited about offering more chances to help you make a splash.

As always, see me if you want to discuss this or if you have suggestions and feedback for me.

Keep dancing! Keep having fun!

News: 6/13/26

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