On Oct. 2, Professor Rivera-Rideau and the Suzy Newhouse Center co-hosted a book release event for her latest book, “Fitness Fiesta!: Selling Latinx Culture Through Zumba.” The book release was an opportunity for staff, students and guests to engage in a discussion about Rivera-Rideau’s book, as well as her complicated but mostly loving relationship with Zumba. Rivera-Rideau admits that discussions about her Zumba obsession are not unusual for her.

“As a Latin music scholar, a lot of people are shocked that I like to do Zumba because the music is corny and seems very inauthentic,”Rivera-Rideau said.

The idea for this book stemmed from a conversation she had with another Latinx studies scholar, Professor Juan Flores, where she conveyed that she wished someone had written a book about Zumba. Flores was a former professor of Latinx studies at New York University, and one of Rivera-Rideau’s mentors.

“The topic of Zumba fitness came up [in a discussion], and Juan teased me about my love [for the] classes. I mentioned to him how I was waiting for someone to write about all the contradictions in Zumba fitness … [He responded], ‘Why don’t you write it?’” writes Rivera-Rideau in the acknowledgements in her book. 

When Rivera-Rideau initially began writing, she struggled to immerse herself within the community because she lived in rural Appalachia in Virginia at the time. However, once she started working at Wellesley College, it was easier to write about the fitness program because Boston and New England are a part of “a vibrant Zumba world.” For many Zumba enthusiasts it provides a space to do high-intensity dancing without feeling like they are working out, and for the Queer and trans community, the space can serve as a place of affirmation.  

Rivera-Rideau explained during the event that despite Zumba promoting itself as a space for love and cultural appreciation, it subverts this outward messaging behind a licensing system that prevents many people from legally being able to enjoy this fitness program. With the required fees and conventions, many instructors cannot rely on Zumba instructing as their main source of income. For many instructors, legal or not, they do lessons for the “sense of freedom” and culture. Rivera-Rideau said she quickly noticed the irony in this motivation. 

“I think one of the things that makes Zumba tricky is that it is supposed to be a positive space. It is supposed to be a place that promotes cultural appreciation. All the people I was talking to were motivated a lot more by the idea that they were spreading cultural knowledge to the world, than by making money,” Rivera-Rideau said. 

In 2005, the Zumba Fitness, LLC organized a fundraiser to support recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. While this event strengthened the evidence of the company’s dedication to the Zumba community and their commitment to their stated mission of “spreading love,” some controversial decisions made by the Zumba Fitness, LLC prompted skepticism about whether their message and values truly embody the spirit of love. Specifically, Zumba markets itself as a place for freedom and letting oneself go, but this message can inadvertently reinforce racist misconceptions about Latinx culture. 

“Many of my [interviewees] would say ‘Anything goes in Zumba and you can do anything for an hour. It is so amazing you can act in all kinds of ways, you could never act elsewhere’ … [but] what they really mean by that is you can be sexy and … that is, you can do body rolls and shake your butt … [So, you can do this] because it is Latin and the stereotype of Latinos is that we are party-loving animals, we love to dance and have no morals,”  Rivera-Rideau said. 

Rivera-Rideau hopes her book will encourage people to have healthy, critical discussions about Zumba while respecting the existing communities that find connection and benefit from the activity. To support her goal, she chose to forgo the short readings typical for a book release and to instead educate attendees about the complex world of Zumba. Zumba is more than just dancing; it represents an intricate web consisting of a company facing ethical concerns from the public and a strong, loving community. 

Image credit: Duke University Press

Contact the editors responsible for this story: Phoebe Rebhorn and Diya Khanna