pregnant, they still do it, and I teach them how.” Magda was amazed by a blind client who ended up learning the moves and dancing to her favorite song. “I adapt to where they are. It’s not a competition. I start very slow to teach them the very basics. I remove a lot of moves that I teach other classes because some of the women here have never done exercise. So, I adapt to them a lot. I go over a routine.” When she introduces a new rhythm, “I take my time, so they don’t feel frustrated, they feel accomplished.” She shares that Zumba is a way to forget about their problems for an hour and be happy. It takes trust, and trust comes slowly. Sometimes participants will stand there and watch the first, second, third, even fourth class, and finally think, why not give it a try? And then they are dedicated. With sessions every Friday for an hour, the classes are anything but mundane: “In Zumba, we do a lot of things,
silly things, because this is going to give you confidence.” The Miami company Zumba.com donates Zumba clothing to MHFV. Magda gives them out as incentives, and it really works. If they stay for the whole hour, they get a Zumba bracelet. If they stay for five classes, they get a Zumba shirt. “For these women, it means the world to them.” Some ladies come with only sandals, or they have no shoes. So, three times a year, Magda has a donation drive, to make sure her participants have the right exercise clothes. She sees how clients transform, with such well-rounded care at MHFV: “It’s like a whole community trying to help these women have a better life. It takes a village.”
Magda Olvera: Zumba Instructor
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