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Smooth your hair, adjust your tie, or calibrate in a way that is appealing! 😉 Welcome back friends from everywhere; especially the US, Canada, Russia, India, Lithuania, Serbia, France, Germany, and Bangladesh! 😉

My neighbor, Pam, in Santa Maria, CA kept talking about Zumba’s angel, who was coaching very special classes of Zumba. Pam was referring to Angela Naylor; one  of the most popular Zumba Superstars instructors in the Central Coast.  

So many classes of Zumba I attended, so in my mind, it went like a bit of doubt: “Well, there is many good Zumba instructors; most probably, she will be like the others I have already seen”. One of the places where I regularly went to, was the YMCA in Santa Maria, CA. The place embraced Zumba classes and other various activities as well.  

It had that enormous aerobics room, where we used to have Zumba. Mirrors covered two sides of the room, the third side was in glass overlooking the main street, and the last side walls with an entrance in the middle.

The entrance had that short corridor which was decorated by pictures of instructors all the way up that side wall. Among those pictures was Angela’s picture!    

Angela Naylor was truly like an angel, as my neighbor described her. When I saw Angela for the first time, I understood what Pam meant. Angela reminded me of Julia Roberts in many ways. She was so delicate, with agile figure,  a soft voice, and  gentle looks. She was truly talented, highly active, restless, and creative.

I attended Angela’s classes for approximately over three years.  She was super professional, punctuate on time, dressed in fitness outfits all the time.

She was proud of being a Zumba instructor, and acted as good example for others all the time. She communicated nonverbal and appreciated a person who could pick up subtle cues and hints rather than having to make everything explicit. She was known to be  tenaciously loyal, supportive of those she cared about, compassionate, and sympathetic. One of the traits which draws people to Angela is her gentleness and her non-judgmental acceptance for others.

Angela was successful in dealing with others; everyone loved her, for being kind passionate, laughing, appreciating, giving her time generously to them. She was one of my favorite Zumba instructors. She was reliable, pretty classy,  and sensitive  in all of her interaction with her group. She had both genders: men and women in her class, which was a phenomenon coz other instructors had less number of males or none in their classes.

Angela was fast, and full of energy. She used to choose her songs very carefully, in order to satisfy the needs of her students, who seemed to be coming from different background, and may be different ethnicities as well. One time we would be dancing salsa, other times merengue, or Italian Cha Cha, etc. She was full of fun, especially when she made those voices with music like “Aww” ,”Eew”, “Aiy”, or others. She had a special sincere smile, coming from the heart.

She is a professional certified Zumba instructor, who is on the top of almost all new  Zumba songs and melodies. She is always eager to attend the big events of Zumba. She used to travel to other cities to attend  the annual occasions Zumba held for its instructors. I like her zest and talk about Zumba events.

After moving to San Francisco, and the Bay Area, I continued to keep in touch with Angela, and to follow-up with her activities online via FB. She became a dear friend indeed. Lately, I asked her if she liked to participate with us in a project for fitness awareness, and she gladly agreed, and she was among the first ones, to reply to the questionnaire that we sent her.

Sure I love to share her answers with all of you, to learn more about one of the best Zumba instructors: Angela Naylor

1- How long have you been teaching Zumba?
    Five years.

2- Why Zumba? What did you do before being a Zumba Instructor?
    I’ve always loved dancing, so it’s a perfect way to get cardio exercise. Before    teaching Zumba, I was a stay at home mom. Before that, I worked as an imaging specialist for a magazine publisher and as a graphic designer.

3- Do you  have a dance element and a fitness element equally  in your class?

    Yes, I try to incorporate dance along with fitness elements.

4- What keeps you going on with your classes?

     I enjoy it. I love my students. I hope my classes encourage others to lead healthier lives.

5- What attracts your students more? Why?

    The fun factor. I think Zumba introduces some people to exercise, who normally might avoid the gym.

6- What  range of ages do you have in your classes?

    High school students and 85-year-old!

7 What difficulties do you have being a Zumba instructor?

    Teaching multiple classes per day can be exhausting. Proper hydration and nutrition is critical. Sometimes, we still   teach, even with a cold or  flu or injury, if we cannot find an instructor to fill in.

8-  Which Zumba do you prefer? Why?

      Zumba.

9-  How many Zumba classes do you teach per week?

      Six Zumba and four classes in other formats.

10- How many studios or health centers, or others do you work with?

      Two.

11-  Is it a rewarding career? How?

       It is rewarding in that it helps others reduce stress, have fun, and is a healthy activity. It’s awesome when  students  tell you, “I’ve lost 20+lbs since I started taking your Zumba class.”  It’s inspiring to me to see the physical and emotional transformation of my students.

12-  Do you introduce the steps to your students?

       I just do them and lead with nonverbal and some verbal cueing.

13- What do you least enjoy about Zumba? Why?

      Teaching when I’m under the weather.

14-  How do you keep things interesting for your students?

       New songs and choreography. Inviting students to Zumbathons and Zumba events.

I hope that my friends in the Central Coast still enjoy Angela’s Zumba classes, and for those who didn’t have a chance to see Angela yet, try to join one of her classes, and I guarantee you, all the fun that you can get in Wonderland; Oops, I meant 1ZumbaLand.

Until we chat again, remember, if you are among 7000 SuperStars, pls email us your photos to maintain your pages. Thank you, enjoy our topics, with our hugs and kisses ❤