5:40 a.m. "READY TO PARTY YOURSELF INTO SHAPE?!" The sounds of Zumba songs blare from my iPhone. I reach for my bright yellow headband, and I place it around my head. Now the day can begin! I remove the covers in quick, rhythmic kicks to the sounds of my newest Zumba playlist: I have over 50 saved! The Salsa Travel move gets me around the apartment in preparation for the day. Even while eating my breakfast, I can accomplish the Merengue March. Driving proves tricky, but luckily I have downloaded all the Zumba greats into my iPhone, such as "Dance, Dance, Dance," "This Is Tha Song," and "Zumba Waka Waka." With each new song, I visualize my flawless routines. I see myself on the aerobics floor, stomping, swaying, belly dancing, and overall just getting really funky with each song. Every woman behind me envies my rhythm, my style, and my grace. My arrival at work, though, breaks my dream-like vision. I pop in my headphones and Samba Lunge into the building. While keeping my lunges in correct form does prove difficult up the stairs, I, of course, perform marvelously. In fact, I feel so confident that I decide to do the Cumbia Candle Step all the way down the third floor hallway; after all, few people arrive by this time. Once into my classroom, I can get more serious. Here, I have space to Booty Circle as I prepare the handouts for the day. Here, I can Diamond Step my way over to the hole puncher, and use the Salsa Back move to return to my original place behind my desk. Here, I have a huge dance floor, a captive audience, and a place in the spotlight . Each day, my audience willingly surrounds me in a circle, snapping and clapping in response to each of my routines--especially my clever segues. To mix up my routine as I leave work, I wait until most of the staff exits, so that I can Belly Dance Hip Shimmy my way out to the parking lot. This helps me to loosen up as the time for the official Zumba class at the gym draws nearer. Upon arriving home, I have about one and a half hours to stretch and warm up before heading to the gym. I hook up the iPhone to my Bose stereo, which really gives me the chance to rock out. To warm up, I prepare for anything the evening's instructor might throw at the class. I make sure to cover Cuban Salsa, Cumbia Funk, Basic Reggaeton, Basic Samba, Basic Quebradita, and Basic Calypso. In an enthusiastically energized state, I head to the gym to secure my place in the front row. After all, someone with my level of intensity cannot afford to allow anyone in front of me to ruin my flow.
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| Front and center, purple shirt, gray pants, headband. Picture from the gym's website. |

Zumba Waka Waka.
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