From Ricky Martin to Jennifer Lopez, the Latin craze has landed in Larkins Hall. The Buck-I-Robics class “Latin Rhythms” adds a fresh approach to fitness and has received a big response from students, with 100 participants on any given Wednesday night.
The instructor, Diana Ruggiero, a sophomore in Spanish, is a native of Argentina and lived in Brazil for two years. A student of dance since she was 5 years old, Ruggiero’s charisma and Latin charm set an ambiance for the class that was the major selling point for Vanessa Agnew, a junior in communications.
“The instructor is so fun,” Agnew said. “In the past, I admit wanting to punch the instructors who tell me to smile during my workout. Diana is so crazy and fun, and she brings this energy to everyone in the gym. The class is a lot of clapping, smiling and having a great time.”
The class is offered Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Larkins Hall, but students have shown an interest in having it more than just once a week. Ruggiero is pleased with the feedback and impact the class has made on the student body.
“Some dorms have requested me to make a video of the Latin Rhythms workout so they can have the class two more times per week,” Ruggiero said. “Other students have been changing their class schedules to be able to attend.”
Ruggiero spices up the standard aerobic workout of warm-up and cardiovascular with salsa and merengue dance moves. The music, she said, is the major source of motivation in a workout.
“I once taught an aerobics class to little girls and I played ‘Mambo Number Five’ by Lou Bega,” Ruggiero said. “They loved it. They were waving their arms in the air and moving their hips. The music makes all the difference.”
Ruggiero can’t help but demonstrate the dance herself as she reminisces. She takes time in choosing the right music to really get the participants to move and burn calories. Some of the music used in the class is sent to her from her family in Argentina.
“Latin music has a special beat that makes you move your whole body all together,” Ruggiero said. “Your abdominal muscles are always contracted. Plus it is so fun it makes you want to work out, so you don’t feel like you have to put out an effort.”
The Latin Rhythm routines include hip-swaying, expressive arm motioning and shaking your body to the beat. “Shaking it” is a major theme throughout the class and participants are encouraged to be sexy with the motions. For those with two left feet, Ruggiero assures that the class is for everyone.
“My steps are basic and easy to do,” Ruggiero said. “You don’t need to know how to dance, it is just to relax and have fun. A fitness class for everyone to workout, meet people and take away their inhibitions.”
Ruggiero also hopes to bring more interaction among participants to the program.
“I love to promote classes where you workout with a partner,” Ruggiero said. “Even though people in the class may not know each other, they are all in the room at the same time and for the same purpose. I want to bring to the American culture the closeness of my culture, the concept of the other. It’s OK to touch someone.”
Although partners are not required for the class, fellow aerobic participants are matched up and led in a routine together. If the steps get to be too much then Ruggiero uses the same answer for everything: shake it.
Latin dance moves incorporated into aerobics is not exclusive to Ohio State. Trend-setting cities such as New York are also using Latin beats to get in shape.
“I received a schedule from the Equinox Club, a health club in New York City, and a popular group fitness class that they are offering is called ‘The Brazilian Groove’ with the subheading, ‘The rhythm is gonna get you’,” said Kimberly Drummond, group fitness director at Lifetime Fitness at Easton Station. “It is really true. The Latin explosion is more than a trend. It is going to stick.”
Although Drummond said that Lifetime Fitness has not yet implemented a Latin fitness class, she still sees the Latin influence in other classes without the official Latin title.
“A lot of our instructors use Latin music and have really taken to the Latin rhythm,” Drummond said. “Latin music has such a good beat, is easy to dance to and it is associated with an elaborative atmosphere. It is easy for me to see why it would cross over to group fitness.”
Along with Latin Rhythms Liz Davis, director of fitness and head of the Buck-I-Robics program, hopes to see more classes in the future that will promote different ethnicities and reflect the diverse population at OSU.
“We are working on developing an African Rhythms program,” Davis said. “In the spring we will do an international fitness event as well, where I hope to bring a representation from many different cultures.”
