zumba

‘Discover Cherrydale’ Set for Saturday

By Ethan Rothstein

Discover Cherrydale logo(Updated at 7:10 p.m.) Arlington’s Cherrydale neighborhood — along Lee Highway from I-66 to N. Quincy Street — is throwing a celebration this weekend to celebrate its businesses and the undergrounding of the utility lines in the area.

This Saturday, from noon to 5:00 p.m., businesses along the corridor will open their doors for “Discover Cherrydale,” featuring — among other things — scavenger hunts, talks and readings with local authors and there will be tours of Cherrydale Fire Station. There will also be an unveiling of a Capital Bikeshare station, a fencing demonstration from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. and live music throughout.

The empty storefront at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Lincoln Street will be open to the public to observe displays from local artists — it’s also where the book talks will be held — and there will be a community Zumba class from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.

Cherrydale (photo via Google Maps)The whole day will be kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in the heart of Cherrydale to celebrate the undergrounding of utility lines.

“This is the 14-year project to underground utilities along Lee Highway in Cherrydale,” Cherrydale Civic Association President Maureen Ross told ARLnow.com in an email. “It was a constant construction mess. Now it’s done.”

Among the artists performing will be early/traditional musician Tina Chancey, a violinist and guitar duo from the Maywood neighborhood named Kitchen Gorilla and Cherrydale resident Ken Sick. The event will be going on rain or shine, and free and open to the public

Photo (top) courtesy Discover Cherrydale. Photo (bottom) via Google Maps

Zumba for Infants Coming to Arlington

By Ethan Rothstein

ZumbiniA local Zumba instructor is introducing a variation of the popular dance exercise aimed at babies and toddlers.

Lisa Aneiva, of FITLoose Health and Fitness, says she’s using Zumba to improve the social development of children ages 0-3. Aneiva said the program, called Zumbini, is “unique in its design to build positive associations with living a musical lifestyle at the earliest possible age.”

Children and their caregivers can sign up for six- or 12-week sessions, which take place at Jung Do Kwan Martial Arts, at 6408 Williamsburg Blvd, in the Williamsburg neighborhood.

“One of the goals of Zumbini is to build collective consciousness, experience, and memory for the children, much as some traditional societies do in their music and dance ritual,” Aneiva said. “Value rests in the bonding and social learning, which occurs uniquely in a multiage, communal setting.”

The classes consist of the instructor leading the dances and caregivers following along with their children. Included in a session are “structured dances, some seated songs with small movement and finger play, a dance with scarves, a structured instrument song, and a free instrument ‘jam session’ when participants choose their favorite percussion instruments to play to the beat,” according to Aneiva.

Classes include songs in different languages and the original music is provided by Zumba Fitness, which launched the Zumbini program this fall. Formerly Zumba of North Arlington, FITLoose is one of the first Zumbini programs in the area, Aneiva said. Those interested in the classes can enroll here.

Photo via FITLoose

Homeless Shelter Looking For Yoga, Zumba Instructors

By Ethan Rothstein

Volunteers of America logoThe Volunteers of America Residential Program Center at 1554 Columbia Pike is offering fitness classes to its residents and is looking for volunteers to help instruct.

The shelter is looking for qualified Zumba and yoga instructors. It describes the ideal candidates to teach Zumba as “fun, engaging and passionate,” and says all forms of yoga are welcome. The center writes in the volunteer announcements that it can be flexible with scheduling.

In addition to the fitness classes, the center is also hoping to start planting a garden in its backyard. It is looking for someone with gardening experience to work with the residents and teach them the finer points of starting a garden.

Those interested in applying should contact Volunteer Coordinator Joe Onyebuchi at 703-228-0017.