Zumba Fitness Introduces 'Zumba® Love' Fundraising Platform Supporting Charitable Causes Throughout The World

MIAMI, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zumba Fitness, the global multimedia fitness leader and creator of the acclaimed Zumba^® dance-fitness party, announced today the creation of its new fundraising arm, Zumba® Love: Movin' for Charity (http://www.zumba.com/zumbalove). The platform--powered by the energy and passion of the Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN™) and Zumba^® fans worldwide--will focus on advancing charitable initiatives that raise funds and awareness for important causes while celebrating the joy of giving through dance, fitness, friendship and love.

The new charity platform was born out of the success of the brand's popular Zumbathon^® charity events--Zumba^® classes that raise money for charity by tapping into a global network of instructors to encourage 12 million Zumba^® enthusiasts worldwide to 'join the party' in support of great causes. Since its inception, the brand has raised more than $3.5 million for charities including Susan G. Komen for the Cure^® and its global nonprofit partners; the American Heart Association^®; the Muscular Dystrophy Association's Augie's Quest; and more. Zumba Love will help the brand continue this legacy by rallying people in more than 125 Zumba-loving countries to grow the vision.

"Zumba Love was created from the passion and positive impact that the Zumba^® program and its licensed instructors make on millions of people around the world each day," said Alberto Perlman, CEO and co-founder of Zumba Fitness. "An integral part of our brand's success is the commitment we place on giving back to all of the communities in which we do business. 'Zumba Love' will bring this all together under one umbrella."

Zumba^® Love Launch: 7,000 to attend Party in Pink™ Zumbathon Event with Paulina Rubio

On Aug. 9^th, 'Zumba Love' will make its official debut at the 2012 Zumba Instructor Convention in Orlando, Fla. To celebrate the launch, Zumba Fitness will throw a massive Zumbathon Fitness Concert to benefit the annual "Party in Pink™" campaign, running this year from Aug. 1-Oct. 31. More than 7,000 instructors decked out in pink Zumba wear will dance along to world rhythms, including a special appearance by international singing sensation Paulina Rubio, who recently teamed up with Zumba Fitness to create the official theme song for this year's "Party in Pink™" campaign: "All Around the World." Available now on iTunes, the song embodies the spirit of thousands of Zumba instructors around the world who will join the global movement to raise money for breast-cancer research.

"To me, dance and music are great ways to unite people while at the same time helping them to live healthier and better lives," said Rubio.  "When I got the opportunity to team up with Zumba Fitness for its charity campaign 'Party in Pink,' I didn't think twice about it!  There is nothing more amazing than seeing Zumba instructors, enthusiasts and fans all come together with one purpose: to end breast cancer 'All Around the World.' I couldn't be happier to be part of this movement!"

Seventy-five percent of ticket sales from "Party in Pink" charity classes and 30 percent of the sales of limited edition "Party in Pink" Zumba wear and accessories--including the popular and iconic cargo pants, t-shirts, tanks and rubber bracelets--will be donated to Komen and its global non-profit partners. More than $1.2 million has been raised through more than 1,300 worldwide Zumbathon charity events, as well as through the sales of the "Party in Pink" apparel items.

"Zumba Fitness, through its Party in Pink™ campaign, has been a wonderful partner over the past two years, bringing women and men together to support healthy living while supporting Komen's critical research and community health programs," said Dorothy Jones, VP, marketing at Komen. "It's inspiring to see people come together to show their pink pride – a reminder that we are all in this fight together."

The "Party in Pink" movement first exploded across the United States in 2011, with Zumba instructors and enthusiasts coming together to show their support for Komen and its fight to end breast cancer forever.

To find "Party in Pink" Zumbathon charity events in your area or to purchase "Party in Pink" Zumba apparel and accessories, please visit www.partyinpink.com.

About Zumba® Love: Movin' For Charity

Each day around the world, the Zumba® program makes a positive impact on millions of people's lives, and it's in this spirit that Zumba Love was founded. The mission of Zumba Love is to foster charitable initiatives that raise funds and awareness for important causes, and to celebrate the joy of giving through dance, fitness, friendship and love. Powered by the energy and passion of our Zumba Instructor Network (ZIN™) and Zumba fans worldwide, Zumba Love has raised millions of dollars for breast cancer research, motor neurone disease research, heart health, childhood obesity and more through thousands of Zumbathon^® charity events and other Zumba activities. And this is only the beginning. Zumba Love will touch more and more people around the world as we continue to grow our vision.

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 12 million weekly class participants, in over 110,000 locations, across more than 125 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.

About Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®

Nancy G. Brinker promised her dying sister, Susan G. Komen, she would do everything in her power to end breast cancer. Today, Susan G. Komen for the Cure works to end breast cancer in the U.S. and throughout the world through ground-breaking research, community health outreach, advocacy and programs in more than 50 countries. Visit komen.org. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

A quick note about the ZUMBA^® trademark

ZUMBA^® was coined by our company and is the brand name used to identify Zumba Fitness, LLC as the source of fun and effective fitness programs that combine easy-to-follow moves with invigorating world rhythms. When referring to our ZUMBA^® brand, we ask that you please help us protect the thousands of instructors worldwide who make their careers teaching ZUMBA^® classes by following these guidelines: 

Please DO: 

• Capitalize the letter "Z" in our "Zumba" trademark or write with all capital letters, "ZUMBA";
• Use the trademark to describe our services or products, for example "the ZUMBA® fitness program," "Zumba® class," "ZUMBA instructor," "Zumba® moves" etc.
• Use the ® symbol on the right-hand shoulder of the word Zumba® (especially in headers and titles), and on first mention in paragraphs.

Please DO NOT:

• Use Zumba as a verb--for example, do not write: "Once you Zumba, you'll be hooked."
• Use Zumba as a noun--for example, do not write: "They were doing Zumba" or "Zumba is great."
• Change the trademark--for example, do not write "Zumbamania" or "Zumbarina."

SOURCE Zumba Fitness, LLC