Commitment to ZUMBA

I was recently approached and offered a job at a local dance studio teaching Latin dancing.  The catch:  I would have to sign a non-competition agreement and stop teaching ZUMBA, or any dancing, at other facilities.

I was honored, but I declined the offer.  I love dancing.  I love teaching.  I miss both.  If I had never found ZUMBA, I would have taken that opportunity immediately.  However, I've made a commitment to myself and to ZUMBA.  I'm sticking to it.

I had to weigh a few things.  First of all, ZUMBA provides me with a free gym membership.  As much as I enjoy a dance studio, my workout options are limited to dancing only.  Secondly, ZUMBA is recognized pretty much everywhere now.  I've worked at major fitness clubs now in Lexington and San Francisco.  It's easy to contact those clubs, and it's easy to track my popularity.  Saying that I was an instructor at a small, local studio that nobody has heard about doesn't hold the same weight.  Third, my typical class size for ZUMBA is 50+.  That's 50+ people that I'm actively help reach their fitness goals.  No matter how popular my dance class might be, 50+ wouldn't even fit in the studio. 

So, though I thoroughly support local businesses, I do not support fitness employers that don't let you work at more than one facility.  They have to recognize that they just don't pay enough and that we instructors don't really enjoy monotony.  I've held salsa classes in the living rooms of friends' houses, so of course I'd like to teach it.  Maybe another opportunity will come around.

Happy Dancing,
~RoB