TNT: How did you get into Zumba?

DAPALEI STACY WARJRI: It all started when I applied for the post of a dietitian at Pinewood Hotel gym when the owner and a few of his managers asked me if I would teach Zumba to the clients at his gym. It was then when I knew the word Zumba and wanted to learn more about it.

A friend by the name of Shane Mendes who was based in Bangalore patched me a few contacts in Mumbai.

I knew then it was what I wanted, and to be certified I went for it and became an official Zumba Instructor.

Sucheta Pal (Zumba global brand ambassador for India and the lead Zumba Education Specialist trained me) and saw the potential in me eventually helping me grow in Zumba. That was when my thought process changed and I thought about my goals and what I wanted to accomplish.

Zumba shaped my personality and when I came back to Shillong, having earned my Certificate as a professional and thinking that I can immediately start working, that is how it all began.

I started with two clients at the Pinewood Gym and I even had to pay for my membership and it was expensive. I knew I could not survive, so I dropped in applications at every gym I knew of. But excuses kept raining, “Zumba is new, nobody would care to join, lack of space” and many other excuses that took the believed out of me, REJECTED.

What led me here today were those two clients who I started with. They told their friends and family and everything took off. I got recruited from every school across the city, government initiatives, Touchline, Gold’s Gym and eventually my new Academy, Linna’s Dance and Fitness Academy.

TNT: Why Zumba?

DAPALEI STACY WARJRI: Having a sister who is my role model, I was engraved with dancing too and have represented the State at various levels. I have realised that the only thing I could give back to society was the dance itself.

Zumba became my life and to make a much bigger impact. Dancing, an official certified Zumba Instructor, Masters in Food Nutrition and Dietetics all just blend along and helped me grow in my life every day and made me who I am today.

TNT: What is the primary concern your client asks frequently?

DAPALEI STACY WARJRI: “HOW DO WE LOSE WEIGHT???” especially belly fats. But most of my clients are suffering from lifestyle diseases, diabetes, depression, PCOD/PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome), thyroid, Blood pressure, just to name a few.

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