The thing I've discovered about Zumba is that you get out of it what you put into it. If you make big movements, shake your hips, use your arms a lot, and lift your legs high instead of shuffle around , you get a higher burn rate than someone who just "goes through the minimum motions". As I learn the routine, I get more out of it since I'm not missing half the steps or standing for a few seconds to figure out the move they're doing, I can just do the dance and concentrate on more overall movement.
Our teacher is a tiny little thing that shakes her butt the whole time like she's doing a fast belly dance routine.
