Want to Zumba? If you haven't heard of the new dance that is becoming popular across the United States, the question might make you stop mid-step in your foxtrot.

But if you haven't been to the Elkin Recreation Center yet, or at least heard the mix of Latin and '80s music blasting from the gym while driving by the Rec Center in the evening, then you're not too far behind the trend.

Even when an aerobics coach first recommended Zumba to Tabitha Sellers as a “pole dancing” class, Sellers found herself believing the joke and, not to mention, slightly intrigued.

Sellers nevertheless made it to her first Zumba class in March 2009 – weighing 180 pounds.

To see Sellers now – slim, toned and full of energy – as she leads her own Zumba class is nothing short of remarkable. For 60 minutes, Sellers exists in a state of constant motion, twisting, shaking, jumping, bouncing and gliding across the gym floor and encouraging her class to follow in step all the while.

For Sellers, Zumba has been, in all senses of the phrase, a “life-changing experience.” But most importantly, according to Sellers, the transformation has been fun.

She now hopes to use the new dance craze to help others in the same way it has helped her – spreading and sharing the love of Zumba in the process.

“Fun is what it's all about,” said Sellers. “I told the class that if you're not here to party, join the aerobics class.”

Encouraging her class to join the party is what Sellers enjoys most in her job. After sweating it out in a non-stop hour-long dance session, Sellers stays to chat and share a laugh with several of her students as they all catch their breath. On more than one occasion while describing their workout routine, she refers the class as “her people.”

When Sellers began teaching Zumba in Elkin last October, “her people” were few and far between. Beginning with only eight students in a small dance studio at the Rec Center, Sellers recalls how her class grew exponentially each week.

“There were eight people when I began teaching. The second week there were 12, and then 24 in the third week. By the fourth week, people were waiting outside of the Rec Center,” said Sellers.

After only one month, Sellers explains that she had to begin back-to-back classes because her students were forced to arrive an hour early just to find a spot inside the studio.

Before much longer, Sellers's Zumba classes had outgrown their modest studio space. The next logical move was to move into the only room at the Elkin Rec Center large enough to contain the class – the gym.

The gym at the Rec Center is current home of Sellers's classes each Tuesday and Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. While the class averaged over 70 students per session this summer, and has maxed out with as many as 95, Sellers says that she expects her class-size to level-off at 50 this fall as many regular students return to school.

Sellers attributes the growth of her legions of “Zumba-istas” to word of mouth excitement generated by the both the experience and results of the dancing.

“I've never – I mean never – put up a flyer for my class anywhere,” said Sellers.

The combination of Sellers's vibrant personality and inspirational weight-loss story along with the increasing national popularity of the dance have converged to form a perfect storm of Zumba over Elkin that's spreading outward.

“When I started in Elkin there was only one other instructor who came from Mt. Airy to do Zumba classes at lunch. I started teaching, and then another started after me,” said Sellers.

Sellers says that over the course of less than one year of teaching, four of her own students have received certification as Zumba instructors. These former students and many others have opened classes throughout the region.

Jonesville, Dobson, Yadkinville and North Wilkesboro now serve as Zumba hubs, in addition to several sites and classes in Elkin.

Sellers herself joined the wider Zumba movement just last week after traveling to Miami, Fla., to attend a national convention.

Zumba, as a dance, is derived from Latin musical origins including salsa, merengue and cumbia and adds the influences of hip-hop, reggaeton and calypso. The strong Latin influence and multi-culturalism of Miami made it an appropriate city to host a Zumba convention.

At the convention, Sellers had the opportunity to rub shoulders (or, more accurately, hips) with the creators of the dance. She considered herself fortunate to take a week of lessons from the masters of Zumba, but was surprised to find that after talking to them briefly, they also recognized her.

The recognition came from a dance video that Sellers's class had posted on the website Youtube in July in response to a request from globally-known recording artist Shakira. Shakira, acknowledging the rising popularity of Zumba, had asked a number of large Zumba classes to choreograph and film themselves dancing to her song, “Waka Waka” (which also served as the official theme song of the 2010 FIFA World Cup).

Shakira compiled these Youtube video submissions from across the country. Sellers's class at the Elkin Rec Center was one of the groups featured in the collection, and their posting has over 1,000 views on the website.

Despite the national attention for her class and the increasingly popularity of the dance as a nationwide cultural movement, Sellers still sees Zumba as a simple, fun form of aerobic exercise with the potential to help one lead a healthier, more dynamic and satisfying lifestyle.

Sellers remembers weighing 200 pounds and feeling depressed, while struggling with a diet and trying to find ways methods of exercise that she could physically endure when she finally came across Zumba.

“I didn't even know what I just did, but I loved it,” said Sellers remembering leaving her first class.

Listening to a group of first-time students leave Sellers most recent class, it seems they also had a similarly gratifying experience.

“One of my friends at high school does it and said I'd love it,” said Elkin High senior Alexa Maxey. “It was a hard workout, but I had a lot of fun. I had a blast!”

Slightly different from Maxey's perspective was that of equally young at heart Vicky McNeill.

“I loved it, and I will be back. Tabitha is wonderful,” said McNeill. “That girl's got some moves – I used to be able to do that, but now I'm going to start dancing again.”

Sellers, whose students range in age from 13 to 79, believes that the health benefits – as well as the fun – of Zumba is the same for students of any age. The shared experience of the dance only adds to Zumba's enjoyability.

“We may look like a bunch of crazies out there, but we're together and having fun and that's what it's all about,” said Sellers.

For more information on Zumba classes in Elkin, call the Elkin Recreation Center at 835-9814.