How Alberto Perlman launched a $500m fitness craze

Alberto Perlman knew he was onto a winner when he came up with Zumba. He just had to find the business model to match.

If you haven't yet heard of Zumba, prepare for inundation. The Colombian exercise craze, which invites fans to "dance away the pounds" to a fusion of Latin American beats, has made it across the Atlantic. Clusters are springing up everywhere even Norwegian cruise liners are now offering sessions.

The great selling point, says The Sunday Times, is that you have "so much fun that you forget you're exercising". Zumba students are encouraged to scream out things like "Get it, girl", "Whoo whoo", and "Yeeeeeahhh". That's doubtless also the refrain of the trio of groovers behind the craze, who are now coining it in.

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