ONE BILLION RISING Comes To Los Angeles With Zumba Fitness To Dance And Rise For Women

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- This Valentine's Day, Los Angeles will be one of many cities across 193 countries bringing together one billion people to dance and rise to end violence against women. V-Day, a global activist movement dedicated to the cause, has partnered with Zumba Fitness, the largest dance-fitness company in the world known for its acclaimed "Fitness-Party", for a very special ONE BILLION RISING event in downtown Los Angeles at LA Live's Nokia Plaza – One Billion Rising Los Angeles – Rise with V-Day and Zumba.

This electrifying dance-fitness party will get Los Angeles rising and dancing with special guests including V-Day Board Member, activist, and Academy Award winner Jane Fonda, V-Day Board Member Carole Black, and celebrity Zumba® instructor Gina Grant.  The free event will feature a live Zumba Fitness party and video footage from events around the world.

"ONE BILLION RISING is growing at lightning speed with activists in 197 countries around the world coming together through dancing to reject the cycle of violence, and shake the globe in solidarity and strength, demanding an end to the injustices suffered by more than one billion women," stated Eve Ensler, Playwright/V-Day Founder. "We are thrilled to partner with Zumba Fitness for this Los Angeles event. Zumba® embodies the spirit of ONE BILLION RISING."

ONE BILLION RISING, which was first announced on Valentine's Day 2012, began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS.  On February 14, 2013, V-Day's 15th anniversary, activists, writers, thinkers, workers, students, poets, dancers, parliamentarians, mayors, state representatives, celebrities, and women and men will come together.

"I look forward to taking part in such a powerful movement where people have the opportunity to express their passion through dance and community," said celebrity Zumba® instructor Gina Grant. "I can't wait to get on stage and help Los Angeles RISE with the support of all our Zumba® instructors and fans!"

ONE BILLION RISING LA - RISE WITH V-Day & ZUMBA FITNESS

• What: An electrifying rising with special guests, including V-Day Board Member, activist, and actress Jane Fonda, V-Day Board Member Carole Black and celebrity Zumba® Instructor Gina Grant. 
• When: Thursday, February 14; 6:00 PM
• Where: LA Live's Nokia Plaza, 800 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90015
• More information can be found on Zumba's Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Zumba  or this direct link: http://www.facebook.com/events/203222443149596/

Additional ONE BILLION RISING events will be held throughout Los Angeles and the surrounding area on February 14, including a kick off event with Flash Mob America, a mass action to protest street violence, a party with music, spoken word, and dancing hosted by the Greater LA Chapter for UN Women, drumming in Newport Beach, art, rallies and more.

ONE BILLION RISING ECUMENICAL SERVICE

• What: A liturgical service hosted by the Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish Community, including liturgical dancers and ministers of different faith traditions.
• When: Thursday, February 14; 8:30 AM
• Where: Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 6657 Sunset Blvd, Hollywood, CA

ONE BILLION RISING KICK-OFF

• What: A kick-off to the day with V-Day representative and dancing to "Break the Chain" with Flash Mob America.
• When: Thursday, February 14; 10:00 AM
• Where: Sal Guarriello Veterans' Memorial, Intersection of Holloway and Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA

DTLA RISING AGAINST STREET HARASSMENT

• What: We will be closing down an intersection in downtown Los Angeles and using it as our dance floor! This rising event will focus on demanding an end to the street harassment that so many endure everyday. These are OUR streets, and we deserve to feel safe and empowered while using them. 
• When: Thursday, February 14; 12:00 -- 1:00 PM                  
• Where: Downtown Los Angeles, CA 90013

NEWPORT BEACH RISING

• What: Dancing and Drumming, sending love, healing and non-violence around the world.  Bring your tambourines and drums!
• When: Thursday, February 14; 4:00 – 8:00 PM
• Where: Balboa Pier Shore, 801 East Balboa Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA

ART FOR HEALING

• What: Join us for an evening of inspiring art! Celebrating One Billion Rising and in conjunction with Art Walk, A Window Between Worlds presents Art for Healing. Featuring the art of survivors of violence, using art as a healing tool and expression of activism.
• When: Thursday, February 14; 5:00- 8:00 PM              
• Where:  The Met, 950 S. Flower St., Los Angeles, CA 90015
• For More Information: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/4jr5b

LA RISING FOR UN WOMEN 

• What: Join The Greater L.A. Chapter of the USNC for UN WOMEN for a global strike to demand an end to violence.  The party will feature performances by TheKI, LadyFox, DJ Amara, Cklara Moradian, Sherryce & Kelly, The Tribal Dance Jam Collective, and more
• When: Thursday, February 14; 8:00 PM - 1:00 AM 
• Where: The Joint, 8771 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90035
• More Information: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/wt2

YOGA DANCE RISING

• What:  Join us for 2 hours of yoga & dance to celebrate freedom through movement and build our strength to free others in an extended Rasa Vinyasa class. All proceeds from this class will be donated to the Downtown Women Center. Share this powerful experience as one billion bodies rise all over the globe, men and women! 
• When: Thursday, February 14; 5:30- 7:30 PM
• Where: Namaste Highland Park, 5118 York Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90042
• More Information: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/wqt

RISE OVER VIOLENCE

• What:  Rise with Peace Over Violence as the Engaging Men Project hosts a performance of "If You're Out There" at Inner-City Arts. Performance will be followed by a youth-facilitated discussion on the impact of violence. Additionally, Peace Over Violence staff will be rising downtown and dancing at the intersection of 7th and Fig.
• When: Thursday, February 14; 6:00- 9:00 PM
• Where: Inner-City Arts (Los Angeles, CA) 720 Kohler St. Los Angeles, CA 90021
• More Information: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/4jv8k

CODEPINK LA – STRIKE! RISE! DANCE! 

• What:  CODEPINK LA is hosting a Rise & Dance procession from Santa Monica to Venice.
• When: Thursday, February 14; 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM
• Where: Santa Monica Promenade, Broadway & 3^rd Santa Monica, CA 90291
• More Information: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/detail/startarising/4jvxc

For More ONE BILLION RISING Events in the Los Angeles Area Please Visit: http://onebillionrising.org/page/event/search_simple

About V-Day

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler's award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events organized by volunteer activists in the U.S. took place around the world educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million; educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it; crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns; reopened shelters; and funded over 13,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. Over 300 million people have seen a V-Day benefit event in their community. V-Day has received numerous acknowledgements including Worth Magazine's 100 Best Charities, Marie Claire Magazine's Top Ten Charities, one of the Top-Rated organizations on Philanthropedia/Guidestar and Great Nonprofits. www.vday.org

About Zumba® Fitness, LLC

Zumba^® Fitness is a global lifestyle brand that fuses fitness, entertainment and culture into an exhilarating dance-party workout. Coined "fitness-parties," Zumba classes blend upbeat world rhythms with easy-to-follow choreography, which provide effective, total-body workouts. Founded in 2001, the company is now the largest branded fitness program in the world -- reporting more than 14 million weekly class participants, in over 140,000 locations, across more than 185 countries. In addition to its original Zumba^® program, the company also offers a range of specialty classes, including Zumba Gold^® (for active older adults), Zumba^® Toning (body-sculpting class that uses maraca-like Toning Sticks), Aqua Zumba^® (the ultimate "pool party" workout), Zumbatomic^® (Zumba routines for kids), Zumba Sentao™ (chair-based Zumba class that strengthens, balances and stabilizes the core), and Zumba^® in the Circuit (a 30-minute workout that combines signature Zumba^® moves with circuit training at timed intervals). The Zumba^® fitness lifestyle is rounded out by the company's many consumer product offerings, including DVD sets, music collections, multi-seasonal apparel and footwear, video games, Fitness-Concert™ events and a lifestyle magazine. For more information about Zumba Fitness programs and products, or to find a live class, visit zumba.com and find us on Facebook and Twitter.

A quick note about the Zumba^® trademark
The word ZUMBA^® was coined by our company and is the brand name for our fun and effective fitness program that combines easy-to-follow moves with invigorating Latin and international rhythms. When referring to ZUMBA® we ask that you please keep in mind the following to protect the thousands of instructors worldwide who make their careers teaching Zumba Fitness classes:

Please do not:

• Use Zumba as a verb -- for example, "once you zumba, you'll be hooked."
• Use Zumba as a noun -- for example, "zumba is my favorite exercise."
• Use Zumba as a generic term -- for example, as a name for a fitness program "My gym offers zumba."

Instead, please do:

• Capitalize the letter "Z" or the whole word "ZUMBA"
• Refer to "the Zumba Fitness program," "Zumba class," "Zumba instructor" etc. – for example "The Zumba Fitness program is the most fun you'll ever have while working out" or "I love my Zumba instructor, she's the best."
• Use the ^® symbol on the right hand shoulder of the word Zumba^® - especially in headers and title

SOURCE Zumba Fitness