Feb 3 & 5 Zumba Playlist!

Hola Amigas!

It was a tough call this week to select which program to use - I have an exam this week so I didn't want to put an effort into something I had to review so here's another one of my own choreographed "classics":

ZUMBA 6:

Let's Get It Started, Black-Eyed Peas (w/u)
Techno Cumbia - Selena (Cumbia)
Don't Stop the Music - Rihanna (Pop)
Rakata - Wisin & Yandel (Reggaeton)
Un Chin Chin - (Zumba ZIN)
Kiss - Prince (Mambo cha-cha)
Get Down - W-7 (Abs)
Estas Enamorada - Limi-T 21 (merengue)
Simarik - Tarkan (Bellydance)
Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera (pop)
Micaela - Sonora Carruseles (Salsa/Calypso)
No Te Pido Flores - Fanny Lu (latin pop)
Do it Well - J-LO (pop)
With You - Chris Brown (cool-down)*
Stickwitu - Pussycat Dolls *

*Not sure which cool down I'll pick...

**If you're new to Zumba you may not have heard about the proper footwear for an effective and safe dance experience. If your knees or ankles have been a bit bothersome since starting Zumba, it may be time to change your shoes, if you plan on attending Zumba for the long haul! It will a great investment - and that I have personal testimony to back that up. I will locate the article about Zumba shoes and will hand that out this week.

***Speaking about personal testimonies, if you've had a positive experience with Zumba meeting your fitness goals, will you share that with me, please?? Now that we're connected online, I will include a testimony each week that will help inspire us all :-)

SEE YA THIS WEEK!
Dancing forever,
Myra :-)

Welcome Zumba Troupe Dancers!!

Thanks for "partying" with me on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings!
I hope you enjoy a litle peek into the "other" areas and my life (because I'm too lazy to start a whole different blog...) and I hope to get to know each one of you better and become great "party buds"!

Here's the playlist for this week starting yesterday, January 27:

Zumba 2:

Rie Y Lora - Celia Cruz (warm-up)*
The Way She Moves - Zion/Akon (salsa)
La Negra Tinene Tumbao - Celia Cruz (Alison's Latin Disco!)
Cha Cha Slide - Mr. C (pop)
Whine Up - Kat DeLuna (Giddy yup!)
Hips Don't Lie (Bamboo Version) - Shakira (Afro-Carribean)
Zocalypso - Zumba Orginal Soundtrack (Calypso)
Sway - PussyCat Dolls (Tango)
Buttons - PussyCat Dolls (Bellydance)
Shh! - Zumba Orginal Soundtrack
La Copa De Lavida - Ricky Martin (Paso Doble)
Chihuahua - Countdown (Finale)
Macarena - Los del Rio (Finale/Cool Down)*
Me Love - Sean Kingston (cool down)*
The Tide is High - Blondie (cool down)*

*On some days, depending on my mood, I like to change the Warm-up and cool-down songs...just to give you a heads up :-)

Stay tuned for next week's playlist on Monday, Feb 2. If you ever have any questions about our songs or choreography, feel free to email me at marangi6@yahoo.com. If you have a FaceBook account - please feel free to search me, Myra Sarmiento Marangi, and we'll be friends. In case of family/personal conflict, I'll let you know when I will NOT be teaching at the YMCA or Dance Expressions.

Hope to see you Thursday or Saturday - Have a great week!!
Myra :-)

Bring on the Zumba, baby!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

I know it's been forever since I've posted anything, but so much has been going on since this semester started. I'm currently taking PSY 101 (BGSU wouldn't accept my credits from the last time I took it, 15 years ago) and SOC 220 - Cultural Diversity. Nina started a new preschool at the YMCA Enrichment Center and luckily she really enjoys it. Having her away for 5 days a week, 2 1/2 hours a day took an adjustment for her and I, but we're doing great. I now have ample time to study so I'm not such a stressball anymore, and the family is so grateful for that! I don't know how I pulled 2 B's last semester when I had only 5 hours a week to study. Also, I changed my major to Human Development/Family Studies and I think I found out what I want to be when I grow up...something in Family Crisis/Intervention or Family Education and Development. I'm so excited - I hope the job market is good in about 7years since it'll take me that long to finish!

A few weeks ago, Nina and I were *so* sick from the stomach flu and I don't think I've re-gained my scrappin' mojo since. I've been trying to be more proactive in life with other areas of my life, so that's a good thing. I do have a album project that I'm working on so I'll post that when it's done.

I'm not teaching as many Zumba classes this semester, which has been a VERY positive thing. My fibromyalgia has been flaring up lately and I've never caught up to speed since I took 2 weeks off during Christmas. Word of advice, don't take 2 weeks off unless you plan on at least walking for 20 minutes, every other day...do the minimum or you will die :-)

I will be posting what Zumba CD/choreography that I will be teaching each week so I just want to give a warm "WHAT'S UP" to my ladies at the Perrysburg YMCA and Dance Expressions studio. I have 10 routines - that's about 125 different songs in my mental rolodex (because I never write my dances down) so I'll be rotating those older dances until Spring Break (March 9)when I'll introduce new music and choreography. There are so many good songs from a latin pop star Fanny Lu that I just want to download her whole CD and make a dance up to each one! But seriously, I'm trying not to "re-invent the wheel" this semester and keep things very simple so that I can maintain a relative degree of sanity. I feel there's a majority out there that enjoy my "classics", so we're going to play them again and dance our hearts out!

So, Zumba ladies, watch for updates each Sunday to see what you'll be shakin' your thang to for the upcoming week.
See ya soon!

What A View!

We visited this magnificent tower in Chicago on the way home from our Thanksgiving trip. All I have to say is...I love that city! It's awesomely goregous at night - the view from the tower is so spectacular. I guess because I grew up in Reno and lived in Las Vegas, I'm drawn to the big city and always will be. The most amazing thing about Sears is that on a clear day, you can four states, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin. Amazing!
A first for this picture is that it's the only one where Kyra has EVER smiled while we were in a group pose. That took 6 long years!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

Well, it was the first Thanksgiving we traveled for...ever. We've always spend it at home, or at least in the same city. We spend our time with Aunt Ven, Uncle Tim, Nana, Grandma Joyce (Tim's mom), Jason, Ryan and Mindy in Effingham, IL. Thank goodness the gas prices agreed with our budget, we once filled up an empty tank for $27! It was a great blessing to have so much food, relaxation (they live in the woods) and most of all, to be surrounded by family. Besides eating our hearts out, we also visited Springfield, IL and went to the Abraham Lincoln Museum and learned more about that great President. The best part was on the way home, we were able to visit Chicago for a few hours and visited the Sears Tower; what a COOL place. I'll post a picture soon.

I did this LO while nursing (not literally) Kyra when was really sick with the flu last week; it was so awful, she even had to go to the hospital and get rehydrated. I felt so bad for her -in the middle of leaning over the bucket puking, Kyra said, "I WANNA LIVE!" I had to keep my laughter inside as I was right in the middle of the worst sickness in her life. It was also very sweet how she became so sentimental (while puking) and would tell me and Greg, "I love you, Mommy" and "I love you, Daddy." Kyra definitely has a sweet spirit and it certainly shone through - even in her darkest hour.

Momma Mia Inspired...

My first LO in weeks...my most favorite movie in the whole world right now is Momma Mia and I just choreographed "Dancing Queen" for my classes. I decided to do something with my studio picture and thus this LO was born. Here's the journaling:

"This is the picture that hangs on the 'Instructor's Wall' at Dance Expressions. My dream of teaching at a dance studio came true on September, 2008. It has been a great blessing to bring others to joy of Zumba dancing."