A one year anniversary of Shelter Island Zumba on Zoom

As we mark one year after the COVID-19 pandemic required most of us to stay home and apart from others, the Reporter spoke with Susan Binder, who’s been teaching a Zumba class on Zoom, the platform that’s enabled meetings, classes and social gatherings to take place safely online.

Reporter: How did you get the idea?

Binder: I got the idea of teaching on Zoom from my son, Doug. He walked me through the basics. In the beginning there was a lot of trial and error — my students were  very patient. I also participated in many livestream classes to understand what worked. Why did I like some Zoom classes and not others? I studied what other instructors were doing and how they made me feel, how they were able to engage me through my laptop. I also learned a lot about the importance of sound quality.

Reporter: How did your regular students respond?

Binder: My regular students were and are super supportive. There was a small Zoom learning curve, but they jumped right in.

Reporter: Did the size of the class grow? How big is it now?

Binder: Last spring my classes were big, between 30 to 60 students.It was wild considering a big class at the Legion or at Moussa’s was 25. The numbers dropped off in the summer but are holding steady between 20 to 30 per class. Zoom teaching also allowed me to lead a corporate class with students from the Philippines and Ecuador throughout the summer and fall … that was nerve wracking and thrilling all at the same time.

Reporter: What was the weirdest experience teaching this way?

Binder: Really not knowing if my choreography is too fast, or too complicated … or if it’s bombing. I can see about 80% of my participants but I’m missing things like their feet, a subtle eye roll, or that look when the light bulb goes off, and when a student is completely enjoying how they feel in their body.

Reporter: Did you gain any insights that you might apply when you go back to the regular class?

Binder: I’m not sure. I’ll miss the students that are not from Shelter Island — I have quite a few — so maybe a hybrid class, a livestream live class? When we’re together, I’m looking forward to adding interactive choreography and I will definitely encourage more woohoo-ing!

Reporter: What other classes do you teach?

Binder: In addition to Zumba®Gold, I’m also teaching a functional fitness class two days a week and offer a seated version of both formats.

Reporter: What do you think the Zumba classes offered to your students during the lockdown? What did you gain from them?

Binder: During the lockdown, besides cardio fitness and routine, Zumba classes have provided much needed fun & happiness — you can’t make it through a class without smiling. I’m so grateful that I’ve been able to continue doing what I love and having people who want to join me. Come dance with us, everybody is welcome!

Zumba with Susan on Zoom is held on Mondays and Wednesdays, 8 a.m. and 10 a.m., Saturdays, 9 a.m. Email [email protected] to sign up and receive zoom link.

Functional Fitness with Susan on Zoom: Tuesdays and Thursdays, at 9 a.m. Email [email protected] to sign up and receive zoom link.

Seated Functional Fitness: Thursdays, 11-11:45 a.m., Zoom, Senior Center, [email protected].

Seated Zumba Gold: Wednesdays, 11-11:45 a.m. on Zoom, [email protected]. Register for classes at least 30 minutes in advance.