Clayton News Daily

By Johnny Jackson

jjackson@henryherald.com

Local residents have a chance Monday to get a taste of a national dance-fitness craze.

Sherri Haynie, the owner of Westridge Dance Center in McDonough, said she hopes to introduce a new way of getting and staying fit, through a dance-fitness program known as Zumba.

"The Zumba is something kind of new on the south side," Haynie said. "It's a Latin-style dance exercise fitness class. We want to introduce it to the south side, so people can see how fun it is as an alternative to traditional fitness programs."

Zumba is a Latin-inspired fitness program created in the mid 1990s by celebrity fitness trainer Beto Perez.

Haynie said she intends to offer the program for the first time this summer in a $90, six-week session of co-ed classes. She said the classes, offered each Monday beginning June 29 from 7 to 8 p.m., will be directed by a certified Zumba instructor, Serena Garcia.

This Monday, from 7 to 8 p.m., Haynie and Garcia will host a free, introductory Zumba class for those who may be interested in joining the six-week session.

"The goal," Haynie said, "is to get people in here and enjoy a fun, healthy lifestyle."

She said the classes will be open to males and females, ages 14 and up.

Other classes at the center include belly dancing and an "eight-week body challenge" which, according to Haynie, includes toning and cardio exercises, for those who prefer not to belly dance. For children, the center offers ballet and tap, ballet and jazz, and Afro-jazz dancing classes.

The Westridge Dance Center is located at 2156 Ga. Highway 20 West in McDonough, and is open from 9 a.m., to 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Saturdays, the center is open from 10 a.m., to 1 p.m. For more information, call (770) 288-2765.

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On the net:

Westridge Dance Center: www.westridgedc.com