Throughout each class, she said she checks in with herself and her students, encouraging them to tend to their physical needs through rest and hydration. Herrasti said ideas of self-expression and self-validation are integral to helping people find a sense of stability. “While Zumba has traditionally been used for fitness purposes, here it’s used as a method to get in touch with oneself.” “I encourage my students to participate to whatever degree they can,” Herrasti said. For Herrasti, the focus of the program is less on the physical movements and more on self-awareness through the exploration of space and emotion. Her previous experience teaching Zumba in Paris helped solidify the creation of the course as well as influence the core values she hoped to propagate. Instructor Tessie Herrasti said the course was created to help people use dance to find a channel for self-expression and to reconnect with their bodies. The Zumba class is one of the first long-term programs in the HOPE series and will hold its last session Tuesday after running for almost two months. “But there’s a silver lining that HOPE is here with the resources needed to provide people with a healthy channel to find comfort and a sense of being in difficult times.” “It’s unfortunate for the context in which HOPE has grown,” Ho said.

Originally, she said the program sought to provide accessible online programs to help the general public with finding mental stability and self-care through participation in the arts.

Ping Ho, a professional partner with UCLA and the founder and director of HOPE, said she created the series shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic began. The class is part of the program’s Healing Online for People Everywhere (HOPE) series that aims to provide free online classes on building resilience and improving mental health. UCLArts & Healing’s online Zumba class offers participants an opportunity to dance their stress away in the comfort of their own homes.

Zumba music listen free online