Fenton Zumba Studio Mixes Fitness, Fun

Colorful lights flash and loud music thumps as a crowd of women wave their hands while gyrating on a hardwood floor. No, this isn't a new dance club--it's Zfit Studio and these women are in the middle of a Thursday night exercise class.

Kate Montana opened in Fenton last January. In only six months, she has gathered a dedicated list of clients who join her to dance their way to greater fitness.

Zfit offers Zumba, a popular form of dance aerobics, yoga and tai chi. There’s also a once a week flirty “chair dance” class, which Montana admits is mostly a novelty offered for girlfriends looking for something fun to do together.

Montana, 33, has been a fitness instructor for six years and has a five year old son. “As a mother, I get how tough it can be to lose weight and keep it off,” she said.

Before opening Zfit Studio, she taught Aqua Power and Aqua Boot Camp at a local rec center. She said that she respected her former employer and didn’t try to actively recruit students at the gym, but that when she stopped teaching, her students tracked her down. She received many phone calls from former students wanting to know where she disappeared to and they’ve now joined her at Zfit Studio.

She decided to open a Zumba studio because “Zumba is just a lot of fun.” She said that this form of exercise is more like a dance party than a boring workout and it allows her to be more creative.

“I wanted a place that was welcoming, where there’s no judgment,” she said. She didn’t like the fact that at many gyms the aerobics studio draws stares from men in the weight room. Her Zfit Studio is completely private--in fact, it’s not even part of a fitness center, but tucked away inside an office building at 300 Biltmore Plaza.

Montana doesn’t charge a membership for her studio and instead operates on a punch card system. Clients can pay for their cards online or at the front desk. Fees are $8 for a single “walk in” class, $60 for a ten classes or $100 for a 20 classes. Cards are non-refundable and expire after 90 days. Clients can use their punch cards to attend any class offered during the week and come as often—or as infrequently—as they like.

On a Thursday evening, the studio is packed with 25 women of various shapes and sizes, young and…not so young. The studio doesn’t have its own locker room, so the women come already dressed out. Some change their shoes on a bench near the door to avoid bringing dirt on the dance floor.

Montana selects each song for the class as they go, fitting the workout to the mood of the room. Though Zumba is known for its Latin rhythms, the class also works out to Pink, Jennifer Lopez and Big & Rich’s saucy “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy.” When Montana announces Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman” the room groans, not because of the tune, but because of the intense routine that goes with this swing style song. Towards the end of the 60 minute class, Montana interjects more fun by dimming the lights and turning on colorful dance lights that play patterns on the ceiling.

Montana said that Zumba’s choreography doesn’t allow for the instructor just wander the class shouting “8 more!” It’s meant to be lead by example. So despite announcing to her class that she had just recovered from a nasty cold, Montana lead the entire hour long workout by dancing in front of her students. Everyone seems to know the routines and those that can’t keep up are encouraged to just keep moving. The Zumba class is more like a friendly dance party that leaves everyone sweating.

By the end of the class, Montana is just as wrung out as the rest of her students. She teaches six classes a week, but is able to offer 22 classes to her clients by hiring seven other instructors, some who only take one a class a week. Her husband TJ also pitches in by handing the studio’s website and marketing.

Zfit Studio also offers a once a week “Zumba Gold” class for beginners. The class is only 45 minutes and takes time to teach Zumba choreography and how to modify the moves for those not ready for the advanced class.