Zumba
Are you ready to ditch your workout and join the party? California State University, Northridge students, faculty and staff can “Party in Pink” on Thursday, Oct. 27, to raise money for breast cancer awareness and possibly set a world record for the largest Zumba class.
The Zumbathon is being held in honor of Mary Jane Smith-Waldman, a member of the Cal State Northridge Hall of Fame, a former CSUN volleyball player and an instructor in the university’s kinesiology department, who died earlier this month from breast cancer.
“We want to honor her memory and the strength of all the women and men who courageously battle breast cancer by drawing attention to the disease and raise funds to help find a cure,” said Justin Weiss, activities coordinator for Unified We Serve, a student volunteer program at Cal State Northridge.
All proceeds from the event, which is scheduled to take place from 5 to 6:30 p.m. on the CSUN Soccer Field at the northern end of campus just west of Zelzah Avenue and north of Plummer Street, will go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which is dedicated to education and research about causes, treatment and the search for a cure for breast cancer. Tickets are $10 per person before the event and $15 at the door.
Weiss said the event’s organizers are hoping that so many people will be interested in supporting the cause that they will be able to break the Guinness World Record of 1,224 people taking part in a Zumba class set earlier this year in Brownsville, Texas.
“Whether we break the record or not, the important thing is that we educate people about breast cancer and do our part for Breast Cancer Awareness Month,” he said.
The teacher of the Oct. 27 class is scheduled to be Aida Johnson, a certified Zumba instructor and director of the university’s Student Recreation Center. Zumba is a Latin-inspired dance fitness program created by dancer and choreographer Alberto “Beto” Perez in Colombia in the 1990s.
Tickets for the event are available at the Ticket Office in the University Student Union or through Ticketmaster.
For more information about CSUN’s Zumbathon, call (818) 677-5111 or email unifiedweserve@csun.edu
—Carmen Ramos Chandler
