ZUMBA SESSION IS PART WORKOUT, PART CONCERT

Tewauna Raymundo leads a Zumba class MISS T. FITNESS AND PRODUCTIONS PHOTO

Tewauna Raymundo leads a Zumba class MISS T. FITNESS AND PRODUCTIONS PHOTO

It’s an exercise-class-meets-concert at The Republik May 1 for Zumba Master Class: Watatah.

The group exercise session will feature the standard Zumba workout led by various local instructors — but instead of tunes playing over the speakers, students will be treated to a live performance by musician Watatah.

“The vibe that we’re going for is a concert experience,” explains Tewauna Raymundo, who hosts the class through her exercise event-planning company Miss T. Fitness and Productions. “Even though it’s a Zumba class, it’s different because we have an artist singing live — and he also does the moves himself.”

Raymundo explains that Watatah is something of a Zumba community celebrity — his music has appeared on various Zumba-centric compilations and he makes the rounds at Zumba conventions.

Raymundo has been practicing Zumba since 2011, when a friend invited her to a class. She was initially skeptical, but she found that it was an effective, challenging workout that was more enjoyable than going to gym. She became an instructor, she explains, as a way to inspire others to be active.

“If you’re not exercising, I am not going to say you’re wrong, but you should be doing something,” she says with a laugh. “And there are some people who are afraid to go and work out by themselves and they do a lot better in a group setting.”

Raymundo runs Miss T. Fitness and Productions as a side gig to her day job as a civilian systems administrator for the Navy. Her classes usually attract people who already are into Zumba, but she sees this class/concert hybrid as an opportunity to reach a wider audience.

“It’s about the joy of putting on a great show and allowing everybody to have a lot of fun,” she says. “This is a chance to try and give them a little bit of that spice of what we as instructors get to enjoy when we go to a (Zumba) convention.”

Tickets for Zumba Master Class: Watatah cost $30, with a $5 increase the day of the event. VIP tickets — which include early entrance, a swag bag, and a meet-and-greet with Watatah — cost $40. Doors open at 4:45 p.m. for general admission, or 3:30 for VIP. The event begins at 5:30. For more information, visit jointherepublik.com, or find Zumba Fitness w/ Tewauna Raymundo on Face-book, or email Raymundo at mstfitness@hotmail.com.