Zumba brings the dance party into the health club

What is that stepping on the toes of traditional fitness routines?

Zumba, the Latin-inspired dance workout that is more like a wild party scene than a strict exercise regiment, has salsaed into the top 10 fitness trends for the coming year, according to a report being released Thursday by the American College of Sports Medicine.

“Zumba has experienced a rapid surge in popularity in the past year, but we’ll see if it’s a trend or just a fad,” says lead author Walter Thompson , a professor of exercise science at Georgia State University.