ClarinetFest® 2023 in Review

ClarinetFest® 2023 Day 5

Wellness Class – Zumba Class with Aileen Razey

by Joanna Wiltshire

“There’s no Mozart concerto on this playlist!” Dr. Aileen Razey exclaimed while leading an 8 am Zumba class on Sunday in Salon B at the Marriott. Zumba is a dance workout based on dances from South America, such as flamenco and salsa, and Razey has been teaching it for about 10 years. Before getting started, the class, donned in their shorts, sneakers and tank tops, pushed all the chairs away from the front of the room to make sure they had enough room to dance! Throughout the class, Razey gave both non-verbal and verbal cues to teach the dances and encouraged all to give exclamatory “wooos!” whenever they felt the urge.

Despite being quite early on the last day of ClarinetFest®, there were 12 eager participants that were ready to get their dance on. The workout consisted of 1 warmup song, 4 songs of work, and 1 cooldown song. Razey was extremely enthusiastic and encouraging throughout, while also reminding everyone to grab some water between songs as it was many of the participants’ first workout at higher altitude. The participants varied in age range, but Zumba seems to be the great equalizer in fitness. Razey offered more dynamic movements for those that wanted to progress but made sure all knew that it was optional and that staying where they currently were was absolutely fine. One song highlight was a remixed version of “Macarena,” which included the legendary chorus and refrain of “hey Macarena!” Everyone was more than happy to boldly sing that part. Razey cleverly included the original choreography of the line dance in the workout.

Overall, the environment was extremely welcoming and fun! There was a beautiful, “come as you are” vibe present in the room and the participant enthusiasm can be best summed up with this quote: “So, 1 hour class next year?”