Flashback Friday 90's Zumba Party

On Friday, March 7 the Redlands Dance With Purpose Studio was filled with upbeat music from the 90s, that had every community member in the building breaking a sweat during one of Nicole Forbes monthly Zumba parties. The Dance With Purpose Studio is a music studio located in Redlands that offers Zumba, Ripped classes and dance classes for youth. Dance With Purpose's motto is “to motivate individuals to take fitness to the next level, while inspiring you to love yourself from the inside out and allowing the greatness within you to shine. It’s not just about burning calories, it’s about making a healthy lifestyle change in a safe, comfortable environment.” This sentiment is exactly what the Back to the 90s Zumba party manifested. The dancers gathered in groups inside of the vibrantly decorated studio in bright tank-tops, baggy overalls, scrunchy socks and neon spandex leggings. Before the party really got started, all the ladies lined up to take pictures in front of the retro background of Michael Jackson, Spice Girls, N’Sync and Britney Spears. Owner of Dance With Purpose Studio, Nicole Forbes, made a point to get all the ladies even more pumped up for the rest of the night. As soon as the music started everyone migrated to the floor under a canopy of flashing colorful lights and mirrors. Forbes and her other instructors began leading the ladies in the high-energy dance moves. Hits from the 90s blasted through the speakers: ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, ‘Good Vibrations’, ‘This is How We Do It’, ‘Bye Bye Bye’, ‘Suavemente’ and more. All the ladies were laughing, swinging their hips and most of all having a great time. Kathy Erickson, who has been a member for two months, shared “Nicole is so inspirational and supportive; coming here is my release.” Many of the women in attendance have participated in Zumba since the early 2000s when Zumba DVDs first hit the market. Veronica Anagnostakis, a year-long Zumba enthusiast, explained how comfortable she feels doing Zumba, “There are no mistakes in Zumba, just unexpected solos.” Also in attendance was Nicole’s husband, Donny Forbes, who also enjoys Zumba. “I used to come to all of [her] classes, it really is great and a fun form of fitness”, says Forbes. Dance With Purpose currently has over 60 members and offers classes every day of the week. Owner Nicole Forbes’ passion for Zumba began when she dropped over 60 pounds teaching classes regularly. She too shares that she was intimidated by the fact that she didn’t know any Latin dances or rhythms, which is why she encourages everyone to participate.“This is a safe place where everyone can feel free, have fun and lose weight without worrying about people looking at them or dancing perfect.”