Dance Fitness — Latham, NY
Zumba Classes
Dance-fitness to Latin music at Baila Albany in Latham: Wednesdays at 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente and Saturdays at 10:00 AM with Jason "Zumba J". Follow the instructor, move to the beat, and take your first class free.
Style
Dance Fitness
Salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton cardio
Level
All Levels Welcome
No rhythm required — just willingness to move
Format
60-Min Party Class
Follow-the-leader — no memorization
Partner
None Needed
Solo group fitness — face the instructor
From the Studio
What You'll Get From Zumba® at Baila Albany
A Wednesday party with Veronica
Veronica Puente leads Wednesdays at 5:30 PM with high-energy dance fitness set to Latin and international music. It feels more like a party than exercise.
A Saturday workout with Zumba J
Jason “Zumba J” leads Saturdays at 10:00 AM. His approach: turn up the music, have fun, work hard and be yourself.
Come as you are
Every class is open to all levels, and your first class is free. Follow the instructor, move to the beat, and join whichever day fits your week.
Meet Your Zumba® Instructors
Two instructors lead Zumba® at Baila Albany in Latham, Veronica Puente on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM and Jason “Zumba J” on Saturdays at 10:00 AM.
Veronica Puente, Wednesdays at 5:30 PM
Veronica Puente has been a certified Zumba® instructor since 2013. She is licensed in Zumba Basic 1, Zumba Toning, Zumba Gold, Zumba Step and STRONG Nation. Her class blends high-energy dance fitness with Latin and international music, and it feels more like a party than exercise. You follow her lead and dance.
Claim your free class and join Veronica on Wednesday.
Jason “Zumba J” (ZJ), Saturdays at 10:00 AM
Jason, known as “Zumba J” or ZJ, has taught Zumba® for nearly 15 years. He is certified in Zumba, Aqua Zumba, STRONG by Zumba and Les Mills BodyPump, has been a certified lifeguard for 24 years, and works as an aquatics trainer. He is also a middle school teacher. His Saturday class comes down to four things: turn up the music, have fun, work hard, and be yourself.
Claim your free class and join Zumba J on Saturday.
Come as you are. Zumba®: Latin Dance Experience is open to all levels — no partner, no experience, just Latin music and movement.
— Baila Albany Dance Studio, Wednesdays 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente and Saturdays 10:00 AM
Class Schedule
Zumba®: Latin Dance Experience runs Wednesdays at 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente and Saturdays at 10:00 AM with Jason “Zumba J”, all levels, at 952 Troy-Schenectady Rd in Latham. Your first class is free, then $15 drop-in, $50 for a 4-class card or $100 for an 8-class card.
Common Questions
Do I need any dance experience to join a Zumba class?
None at all. Zumba is a follow-the-leader format — you watch the instructor, you move when they move. There are no verbal counts, no choreography handouts, and no test at the end. The merengue march, the first step you learn, is as simple as walking in place with a hip sway. Your first class at Baila Albany is free — come try before you commit to anything.
How much do Zumba classes cost at Baila Albany?
Your first Zumba class at Baila Albany is free. After that, drop-in classes are $15, a 4-class card is $50 ($12.50 per class) and an 8-class card is $100. You get a named instructor, Veronica Puente on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM or Jason “Zumba J” on Saturdays at 10:00 AM, in a dedicated Latin dance studio, with a community built around the same music you’re dancing to.
What’s the difference between a Zumba class and a salsa class at Baila Albany?
Zumba is fitness-first — no partner, no technique requirement, follow the instructor’s choreography to Latin music for a full-body cardio workout. Salsa is skill-first — partner work, lead-and-follow technique, structured levels from beginner to advanced. Both use the same Latin music. Many Baila students start with Zumba and find themselves drawn into salsa after a few weeks.
How do I book my free first Zumba class?
Claim the free-class pass on Punchpass, then reserve Wednesday at 5:30 PM or Saturday at 10:00 AM. The pass is valid for 14 days after you purchase it. Come to 952 Troy-Schenectady Rd in Latham and follow the instructor. After your free class it’s $15 drop-in, $50 for a 4-class card or $100 for an 8-class card.
Who teaches Zumba at Baila Albany?
Two instructors teach Zumba® at Baila Albany in Latham. Veronica Puente leads Wednesdays at 5:30 PM; she has been a certified Zumba instructor since 2013. Jason “Zumba J” leads Saturdays at 10:00 AM; he has taught Zumba for nearly 15 years. Your first class is free with either instructor.
Which Zumba class should I take, Wednesday or Saturday?
Pick the day that fits your week. Wednesday at 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente is a party-style mix of Latin and international music. Saturday at 10:00 AM with Jason “Zumba J” is turn-up-the-music, work-hard and be-yourself Zumba. Both are open to all levels, and your first class is free on either day.
Wednesday at 5:30 PM or Saturday at 10:00 AM, your first Zumba class is free.
What Is Zumba?
A Colombian dance teacher forgot his fitness tape one morning in Cali. What he improvised instead became the world’s most popular group fitness class — and we brought it to Latham.
Dance-Fitness Born in Latin America, Taught Here in a Real Latin Dance Studio
Zumba is an aerobic fitness program that uses Latin dance choreography — salsa, merengue, cumbia, and reggaeton — as the vehicle for a full-body cardio workout. There are no step sequences to memorize and no verbal cues to follow. You watch the instructor, you follow along, and somewhere between the cumbia and the reggaeton you forget you’re exercising. The American Council on Exercise independently studied a Zumba class and found participants averaged 9.5 calories burned per minute — more than traditional aerobics, cardio kickboxing, and power yoga.
At Baila Albany, Zumba®: Latin Dance Experience meets Wednesday evenings at 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente and Saturday mornings at 10:00 AM, and it is open to all levels. The studio at 952 Troy-Schenectady Road was built around authentic Latin dance culture by owner Felix Ortiz, who has 25 years in the Latin dance world. Zumba fits here naturally because the music already lives here.
Who dances it?
Everyone. Zumba was designed from the start to be accessible to people with zero dance background. If you have been meaning to try Latin dance but the partner-work aspect felt intimidating, Zumba is your on-ramp. There are no partners, no calls to follow, and no one watching to see if you do it right. Many students start with Zumba and find themselves drawn into salsa or bachata after a few weeks — the rhythms feel familiar because they are. The Wednesday evening and Saturday morning classes are open to Schenectady Zumba dancers, Clifton Park Zumba fans, Colonie Zumba beginners and Halfmoon Zumba participants.
A Brief History
Zumba didn’t start as a business idea. It started as an accident in a fitness studio in Cali, Colombia — and the accident turned out to be better than anything anyone had planned.
From a Forgotten Cassette Tape to 15 Million Weekly Participants
In the 1990s, Alberto “Beto” Pérez was an aerobics instructor in Cali, Colombia — the city that calls itself the world capital of salsa. One day he arrived at class without his usual fitness music. Instead of canceling, he grabbed the Latin music cassettes he always carried in his bag — cumbia, salsa, merengue — and improvised a choreography on the spot. The class loved it. Beto had stumbled onto something nobody had tried before: using Latin social dance rhythms as the structural engine for a cardiovascular fitness class. He called it Rumbacize. It would later be renamed Zumba.
In 1999, Beto moved to Miami and met Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion — the three Albertos who formalized the concept into Zumba Fitness LLC in 2001. The Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN) launched to certify instructors worldwide, and the program expanded into 180+ countries and 200,000+ licensed locations. The core format never changed: four rhythms (salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton), a follow-the-leader class structure, and music loud enough to make you forget the clock. At Baila Albany, studio owner Felix Ortiz — who has spent 25 years immersed in the Latin dance culture that gave birth to Zumba — recognized immediately why it belongs in a serious Latin dance studio. The music isn’t background noise here. It’s the whole point.
The Accidental Invention
Beto Pérez arrives at his aerobics class in Cali, Colombia without his fitness tape and improvises a choreography using the Latin cassettes in his bag — salsa and merengue cuts from the streets of Cali. The accident becomes a habit, the habit becomes a program.
Zumba Fitness LLC Founded
After relocating to Miami, Beto partners with Alberto Perlman and Alberto Aghion to launch Zumba Fitness LLC. The company codifies the four core rhythms — salsa, merengue, cumbia, reggaeton — and begins licensing instructors through the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN).
ZIN Goes Global
The ZIN certification program expands internationally, qualifying thousands of instructors. Active ZIN members receive monthly choreography packages and continuing education credits recognized by ACE and AFAA. Zumba becomes a recognized fitness discipline.
Peak Cultural Moment
Zumba reaches 15 million weekly participants across 180+ countries — the largest branded fitness program in the world by participation. An ACE study confirms participants average 9.5 calories burned per minute, outperforming traditional aerobics and cardio kickboxing.
Zumba at Baila Albany
Veronica Puente brings Zumba to the Baila Albany studio in Latham, NY — inside a genuine Latin dance community founded by Felix Ortiz, with 25 years of Latin dance experience rooted in the same NYC Latin scene that shaped the music Zumba was built on.
Core Rhythms
Every Zumba class is built on six rhythms. They are woven through each session — each one with its own footwork, hip motion, and musical personality.
Merengue
Dominican Republic — the foundational rhythm
The merengue march is the first step most Zumba students learn: alternating weight shifts with elevated knees and a hip sway. It’s a 2/4 beat that makes timing feel natural even on your first class.
Salsa
Latin America — via New York City
A forward-back weight transfer with a break step — the pulse of Latin social dance. Salsa tracks push the cardio intensity up and lead naturally into Baila’s dedicated salsa classes.
Cumbia
Colombia — Magdalena River delta
A heel-toe side-to-side step with a hip sway and slight knee bend. Cumbia’s circular, grounded motion is one of the most physically satisfying rhythms in class — closest in feel to Cali, Zumba’s birthplace.
Reggaeton
Panama / Puerto Rico — the dem bow beat
Hip isolation, lateral weight shift, and core engagement driven by the syncopated dem bow pattern. Reggaeton tracks are typically the highest-energy moments in class — the playlist takes over completely.
Cha-Cha
Cuba — evolved from mambo and danzón
A three-step syncopated pattern (cha-cha-chá) built around a triplet feel between beats four and one. Cha-cha tracks add playfulness and precision in the middle of class.
Bachata
Dominican Republic — the guitar and the hip
An eight-count side-to-side basic with a hip tap on count four. Bachata appears in modern Zumba choreography — if its hip motion speaks to you, Baila offers dedicated Bachata classes with the same community.
Your First Class Is Free
Drop-in classes are $15, a 4-class card is $50, and an 8-class card is $100. Zumba®: Latin Dance Experience runs Wednesdays at 5:30 PM with Veronica Puente and Saturdays at 10:00 AM at 952 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110. No experience needed. No partner required. Book online or call 518-334-3483.