Signal Mountain will be the first area in the Southeast and the fourth city in the country to offer a class in Zumbini, a program recently launched by Zumba for newborns to 4-year-olds and their caregivers, said instructor Dee Bass. She will be leading the new local group.
“It’s more than just a ‘mommy and me’ class,” she said. “This is taken to the next level.”
The class will be offered free at Bachman Community Center Thursdays in April from 10-10:45 a.m. A 10-week program will be offered starting in May for $150.
Participants in the child-focused development class will be introduced to a world full of movement, music and dance, said Bass.
“This class uses the power of music to enhance the bond between parent and child, stimulate learning and to inspire dance and movement,” she said.
Attendees will be dancing to music, reading books and singing as they exercise.
“Zumba’s philosophy for adults is fitness hidden in dance,” said Bass, who taught Zumba for two years before undergoing Zumbini training. “Their philosophy for kids is learning hidden in play.”
Kids will learn repetitive dances they can remember and practice at home with the Zumbini CD they are given to take with them, she said. Participants will also learn about shapes and colors and sing songs about eating breakfast and brushing teeth.
“It’s definitely a wonderful bonding experience for children and their caregivers,” said Bass. “It’s exercise for both the mom and the child, which is definitely a good thing.”