IT’S HOT, Latin, sexy and fun - and it’s arrived in Armidale. It’s called Zumba - and it’s a fitness class based on South American dance.

Zumba has been brought to Armidale by Inverell dance teacher Rolande Hooklyn, who held an initial class at the Ex-Services Club, with more sessions planned.

“Zumba has really taken off. I was recently up on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane and it’s so popular up there they run classes outside in the park,” Ms Hooklyn said.

“Zumba is essentially a fitness program based on Latin dance moves.

“The beauty of Zumba apart from the catchy music, is it gives you a total body workout, especially in your core area.”

Ms Hooklyn plans to run Zumba classes in tandem with Latin dance classes in Armidale. Zumba classes for kids called Zumbatonic, aimed at children 14 years and under, are also in the pipeline.

Ms Hooklyn said an unintended result of her Zumba classes in Inverell has been weight loss for many of the participants.

“I don’t claim Zumba to be a weight loss program, but I’ve a lot of people tell me they’ve lost a lot of weight as a result,” she said.

More importantly, she said the dance sessions were a chance for people to socialise.

“With the Latin dance classes I’m aiming to not only cater for couples who wish to learn to dance together but also I want to create a nice place where people who want to learn something new can make new friendships,” she said.