Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Instructor Betty Chadran leads a Zumba aerobics class at the Wightman Community Center in Squirrel Hill Sunday. Zumba uses Latin dance themes to create a workout that alternates fast and slow rhythms. Click photo for larger image.

If you like to dance, and need to exercise, Zumba may be for you.

Zumba is a Spanish slang word that means to "move fast and have fun." Zumba was created in the mid-1990s by Alberto Perez, a Colombian dancer and choreographer, when he had to improvise after he forgot to bring his normal music tapes to an exercise class he taught.

Mr. Perez moved to Miami in 1999. Since then Zumba mania has swept south Florida and the world. It's the most popular exercise routine in Latin America. It's growing rapidly in the United States, but is new to Pittsburgh.

In Miami Sunday, Zumba enthusiasts tried to break the world record for the largest number of people to take part in an aerobics workout. That record was set in the Philippines Feb. 16, 2003, when more than 48,000 people exercised simultaneously in Manila's Luneta Park. (The Filipino exercisers were practicing a Chinese form of aerobics called Falun Dafa.)

"A sea of people danced along 23 blocks of Southwest Eighth Street and in front of 24 stages pumping Latin and Caribbean rhythms," the Miami Herald reported.

It won't be known whether a new world's record has been set until all the signatures gathered at the event have been counted, but the odds are good. A crowd estimated at upward of a million people took part in the annual Calle Ocho (Eighth Street) festival this year, of which the Zumba workout was a part.

Three hours before the festivities in Miami kicked off, 17 women gathered in the gym at the Wightman School in Squirrel Hill for a Zumba class.

"I deliberately made this a single gender class," said its organizer, Ed Lipsman. "I didn't want to have guys in the back checking out the girls."

Bob Donaldson, Post-Gazette Rebecca Bowman learns the moves in Zumba aerobics. Click photo for larger image.

"I love it. It's fun. It's more like dancing than working out," said Rebecca Bowman, 35, of Forest Hills.

"It makes you forget you're working out," agreed Lorraine Marnet, 31, who lives in Regent Square.

Convenience was the chief reason why Nancy Cunningham, 64, of Edgewood signed up for the Zumba class.

"I needed a Sunday exercise class. This fits the bill," she said.

The instructor was Betty Chadran, 41, a physical therapist who lives in Wexford. Zumba is the first aerobics class Ms. Chadran has taught, but the workout is comparable to other aerobics classes she's taken, Ms. Chadran said.

"I'm sweating just as much as if I were at a spinning class," she said.

All the exercises are performed standing up. The workout begins with stretching to Latin beats. Then the tempo is increased and the arm and leg movements become more faster and more vigorous.

"We utilize the principles of fitness interval training and resistance training to maximize caloric output, fat burning, and total body toning," says Mr. Perez in his promotional materials.

It's possible to burn up to 800 calories in an hour of Zumba, but only if the dancer is very, very active.

The seven-week session that began Sunday at the Wightman School, 5604 Solway St., is the second Mr. Lipsman has sponsored. The cost for each seven-week session is $56. For more information, contact Mr. Lipsman at 412-521-6329.

The Body Bar, 9365 McKnight Road, began offering Zumba classes in December. Classes currently are offered Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Thursdays at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. For more information, contact the Body Bar at 412-364-8500.

Club 4 Life in Monroeville began offering Zumba classes last month. The classes meet Mondays at 11:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., and on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact Club 4 Life at 412-856-3930.

Club 1 in Shadyside offers Zumba classes on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. For more information, call 412-362-4806. The Club 1 at Waterworks offers Zumba classes Wednesdays and Saturdays. For more information, contact 412-782-4800.

Three area YMCAs offer Zumba classes. For more information, contact the Penn Hills YMCA at 412-795-2600; the Plum YMCA at 724-367-4667, or the New Kensington YMCA at 724-335-9191.

If your health club doesn't offer a Zumba class, it may soon. The Penn Hills YMCA is offering an all-day workshop April 22 for those who wish to become certified as Zumba instructors.