Master Zumba Class May 22

-By Cary Shuman

editor@winthroptranscript.com

Natalie Bono Bayersdorfer competed in basketball, soccer, and cross country prior to graduating from Winthrop High School in 1996. She headed to Stonehill College where she was a member of a dance competition team and received her degree.

Bayersdorfer, 33, also danced in musical theater productions with the Winthrop Playmakers but her athletic focus is now entirely on advancing the fitness craze known as Zumba.

Zumba is an exercise routine with a fusion of Latin and international dancing rhythms and Bayersdorfer is giving Winthrop residents several opportunities to join the movement.

Bayersdorfer will be hosting a major fitness event, a master 90-minute class of Zumba, on Sunday, May 22 at 4 p.m. at the Winthrop Yacht Club. Tickets are $15 for food, dancing, and a workout.

“If you’ve never tried Zumba, this is the perfect event to do so,” said Bayersdorfer, daughter of Paul and Lorraine Bono of Winthrop. “Teachers from throughout New England will be coming to Winthrop to show their talents. It’s going to be a nice way of getting everybody together to dance and celebrate fitness.”

A certified Zumba instructor who has been involved in dancing since childhood, Bayersdorfer has taught group fitness classes since 1996.

But when did Bayersdorfer become enchanted with all things Zumba?

“I had a child [son Noah] in 2008 and I started taking Zumba and I lost over 65 pounds of baby weight and I then got licensed to teach Zumba because I believed in it so much,” said Bayersdorfer.

Bayersdorfer has brought Zumba to all parts of Winthrop. She teaches Zumba at Trudy Macero’s School of Performing Arts and Marie Hamilton’s RPM Fitness facility, and is participating in the current Shape-Up Showdown initiative.

Bayersdorfer hinted that there will be a “Zumba surprise” at the Sidewalk Sale in Winthrop Center at noon on May 14. A week later on May 21, Bayersdorfer will perform in a Zumba benefit at RPM Fitness at 10:30 a.m. and in a Winthrop School of Performing Arts recital at 7 p.m.

“There’s so much going on with Zumba in Winthrop that I want to share with people and have them come out and dance with us,” said Bayersdorfer.

Bayersdorfer highly recommends a Zumba class for people looking to shed some pounds.

“Zumba is basically an hour of dancing and you sweat and burn close to 800 calories and you don’t realize you’re working out,” said Bayersdorfer. “That’s the catch. It’s exercise in disguise.”