Eman Haddad (above), owner and instructor of Eman’s Belly Dancing Studio in Duluth, Minn., steps aside and hands the reins over to Zumba instructor Chasity Lindquist every Monday and Wednesday evenings.
“Zumba has become too fast for me," Haddad said. "I am a belly dancer." After teaching Zumba for many years, Haddad has decided to hire a Zumba instructor to help her out.
Lindquist (pictured above) has an extensive background in dance and salsa, but she says that even with her background, her first time in Zumba she had felt “like a fish out of water.”
“I like to tell beginners two things," Lindquist said."First, not everyone will do the moves the same way. Second, you need to find your own flare and make each dance move your own. As long as you move left when I move left, we don’t run into each other, its all good... The funny thing is that people don’t realize they are getting a workout because they are so intent on getting the moves right.”
There are many new members to the classes and they are very well welcomed. “I try to speak to each member of the class individually to be sure they get what they want out of the class,” Haddad said.
Raegan Jaeger (above) got started at Eman’s Belly Dancing Studio through a friend from work. She mostly has done the belly dancing classes and this was her very first Zumba class. She says that she has enjoyed the Zumba class even though it is very different form the belly dancing. “It was weird at first, but it as fun to learn,” Jaeger said.
Kendra Jaeger (above), Raegan Jaeger’s sister, received her first month at Eman’s Belly Dancing Studio as a birthday gift from her sister. This is Kendra Jaeger’s second time at Zumba and she has a lot of the moves down already. “It was easy to pick up I think because I love to dance,” she said.
Haddad reminisces on the years she has taught Zumba in her studio. “I love giving women the confidence to keep their head up and smile. I see so much transformation in their bodies as well as how they build friendships, bonding over these classes here,” she said.
Eman’s Belly Dancing Studio offers a free first class to beginners as well as discounts on monthly rates for college students. They are located on Fourth Street and Fifth Avenue East.
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This article is apart of a larger project; Fitness of Duluth. A new article about a local fitness class will be posted each week. Where should Brittney go next? Comment below or tweet her @Brittney_Bloch
