The dance-based fitness program created in Colombia by Alberto “Beto” Pérez is Zumba. It combines aerobic exercise with Latin-inspired dance styles and is designed to make cardio workouts feel like a dance class.
Pérez developed the idea in Cali, Colombia, in the 1990s. According to the program’s origin story, he improvised a class after forgetting his usual aerobics music and used Latin dance tracks instead. The energetic format proved popular and eventually became a branded fitness program.
Zumba expanded internationally after Pérez partnered with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion, leading to the formation of Zumba Fitness in 2001. It is sometimes mistaken for ordinary aerobics or Jazzercise, but its defining identity comes from its Latin dance foundation and trademarked program format.