Live Well United Zumba class
takes part in rain dance
By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — When the weather is dreary and humidity is on the rise, students and employees/employers typically struggle through the day, having no choice but to stay in the classroom or office. But that wasn’t the case for a group of 19 women taking part in the Friday morning Zumba class at LiveWell United.
Photo courtesy of Renee Chalou Ennis
ZUMBA RAIN DANCE — A group of 19 women attending a morning Zumba class Friday at LiveWell United on North Street in Presque Isle joined instructors Renee Chalou Ennis and Stephanie Caverhill in the parking lot, opting to dance in the rain to get out of the overly-humid studio. Pictured are: students Jenna Shaw, Cathy Haskell, Patricia Tilley Condon, Deb Kofstad, Sherri Demerchant, Dottie Hutchins, Rachel Rice, Stevi Fletcher McCrum, Katie Zarrilli, Tracy Rossignol, Kara Addington and Lindsey Ireland; as well as Chalou Ennis and Caverhill. Present but not pictured are: Georgette Beaulieu, Bev Chasse, Lisa Grass, Grace Driscoll, Diane Smith, Cindy Patten and Heidi Currier.
Finding the indoor studio a bit too humid for the morning session, Instructor Renee Chalou Ennis asked the group what they thought about taking the class outside.
“It was so hot in the studio. I asked the ladies if they wanted to Zumba outside and they enthusiastically approved of the idea. So we took to the parking lot,” said Chalou Ennis.
Putting the speakers in the doors and cranking the music, the women spent the better part of an hour dancing in the rain.
“We blocked the driveway. We had construction workers working nearby watching from the sidewalk, with one swiveling his hips in time to the music,” she said.
She said several motorists honked their horns as they passed.
“We got noticed but the ladies didn’t seem to care. They had a blast,” Chalou Ennis said. “What better way to cool down than dancing in the rain. It was so much fun.”
Taking part in addition to Chalou Ennis and Instructor Stephanie McKeen Caverhill were students: Georgette Beaulieu, Bev Chasse, Lisa Grass, Grace Driscoll, Diane Smith, Cindy Patten, Heidi Currier, Jenna Shaw, Cathy Haskell, Patricia Tilley Condon, Deb Kofstad, Sherri Demerchant, Dottie Hutchins, Rachel Rice, Stevi Fletcher McCrum, Katie Zarrilli, Tracy Rossignol, Kara Addington and Lindsey Ireland.
Chalou Ennis said she and the other instructors at LiveWell United, located at 15 North St., would like to do more activities outdoors.
“We’d like to take more classes outside. Whether it’s nice out or lightly raining, there’s no reason — as long as the weather’s mild — we can’t do more of our classes outside the facility,” Chalou Ennis said. “It’s all about having fun and getting healthy, no matter where you’re at.”
In addition to Zumba classes, the fitness center offers a variety of wellness, fitness and therapeutic services, including massage. For more information about what’s offered at LiveWell United, call 561-0947 or e-mail renee@livewellunited.com. You can also find the business on Facebook or visit http://livewellunited.com.
