Participants gathered to sweat it out on the Fireside Room floor, moving to an energetic rhythm and Latin beats. Bakersfield College celebrated Latino history month with an upbeat Zumba session on Thursday, Oct. 9, from 3 to 4 p.m., organized by instructor Roxane Damiam.

Zumba is a high-energy dance-based-fitness that is a mix between Latin inspired dances, cardio, and international music like hip-hop and more and acts as a bridge for people worldwide to enjoy.

Damiam explained, she specifically chose Zumba because, “you meet new people, and it is like they become part of my family and that’s what I like about it.”

When asked what participants can expect, Damiam smiled and said, “I know they’re going to have fun, and I know hopefully they want to do it again.”

BC student, Guadalupe Rangel participated in the Zumba session and shared her perspective on the sessions contribution to Latino culture, she stated, “ we connected with a lot of Latin music here we did Cumbia, we did Bachata, some of our warm-ups, some of our unwinding just to cool off the rhythm and movements it all just kind connects back to the music.”

When asked about the overall atmosphere of the session Rangel responded with, “it was really good, it was energetic, we started off a little slow and then we kind of kicked it off and then ended with like a big pow!”

Rangel expressed her enthusiasm, saying she “really liked it, so I’m looking forward to other invites, but hopefully I stay connected with just any other Hispanic heritage events.”

Zumba dancing overall gave many the opportunity to celebrate Latino culture, get some exercise while being energetic and having fun as well as being able to connect with others and have a great time doing so.