Bhubaneswar, Aug. 20: Zumba, an extremely entertaining alternative to standard gym workout, has caught the fancy of youngsters here.

The workout regime that was limited to the metro cities is gradually gaining popularity here. A number of dance institutes and fitness centres are offering zumba lessons that let one shape up naturally while having a lot of fun.

Abhisek Das, who runs Kalinga Fitness in the city, has been providing zumba classes for the last six months. More people are opting for zumba, instead of standard gym workout to burn calories.

"In the traditional workout systems, the movements are predefined so it gets monotonous after a point of time. But while doing zumba one gets to learn new dance steps everyday simultaneously losing weight and getting fit. It is like dancing to great music and burning calories without even realising it," said Das.

Around 25 young people, including college students and professionals, take classes at his centre. Classes are offered everyday in the morning and evening by Santosh Rout, who is a trained zumba expert from Mumbai.

Zumba that was incepted in the 1990s incorporates a number of dance forms such as salsa, hip-hop and tango. But, Anupam Nayak, a city-based dancer imparting lessons in international dance forms for over 10 years now, has gone a step ahead by merging Bollywood dance steps into zumba. He offers lessons in the dance workout regime at his institute Anu's Dance Freak. "People here are more connected to Bollywood dancing. So, I have blended it with other dance forms to make it more refreshing," said Anupam.

He plans to popularise zumba in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack in a larger way. "I am planning to conduct flash mobs in busy areas of the twin cities so that more people come to know about it. I have also posted videos of my zumba classes in various social networking websites," said Anupam.

He has taken training in zumba from New Delhi and is leaving for the US next month to learn the latest trends in the field.

Sweety Samantray, a 24-year-old IT professional, has been taking zumba lessons for the last three months. "I am not much interested in dancing, nor do I love to go to the gyms. So, for people like me, zumba is the best option to workout. When I came to know about it from a friend in Calcutta, I searched for institutes offering similar lessons here and I was happy to find one. Now working out is fun," said Sweety.

A number of other institutes such as Talwalkers are also offering zumba classes in the city. The fitness centres here have seen a rise in membership after they introduced zumba classes. Around 50 to 60 new members have joined in last six months. For an hour of zumba lesson one can lose around 500-1,000 calories that is more than the amount of calories lost while through traditional dancing or aerobics.