As people continue to search for alternative health and fitness practices, licensed instructor Alyssa Branker is encouraging Zumba as an option on the twin-island of Trinidad & Tobago. This invigorating form of dance originated in Colombia in the 90s but it has now amassed a global following of 12 million people engaged in classes all over the world. Branker is at the forefront of popularizing this form of dance and exercise as she owns and operates her fitness brand called A-Z Fitness.
At the time Branker received her license at 15 years old, she was the youngest Zumba instructor in Trinidad & Tobago. Her passion for dance blossomed at the age of five and then she progressed, becoming proficient in modern, contemporary, and ballet. For Branker, Zumba is not only a fitness tool or an outlet of creative expression but it’s a means by which she relieves the undesirable yet inevitable stresses of life. The gregarious Zumbera is a capitalist with her affection but a socialist with her positive energy and it’s no surprise that her students revere the time they get to spend in her presence through her classes. A-Z Fitness is an appropriate name for Branker’s dance and fitness instruction platform because it hints at the comprehensive and thorough manner she approaches everything she does.
“Please don’t let my dancing and my Zumba fool you! I’m really really shy!” said Branker, however she continued to speak on how her self-efficacy evolved into selflessness in wanting to help others reach their body goals through Zumba. “My selflessness definitely comes from my family background. I was raised to be compassionate with everything, I’m always willing to help others to encourage them to do what they have to do. Sometimes I think I do it too much because I’m always thinking about helping others before helping myself.” She furthered her point by saying “with respect to Zumba, I can’t honestly say it started out that way. It was something that brought me a lot of joy personally then subsequently I realized that people have different insecurities and that I could help them overcome it with Zumba.”
Professional objectification is an under-discussed social ill that many Caribbean women have been subjected to. It’s grounded in the belief that once a woman establishes herself in one profession then she must remain unadaptable, but Branker is one example who disproves this faulty notion. She is an intelligent individual who graduated with a BSC (Hons) in Economics and a Minor in Spanish. She was named the Most Outstanding Student in Urban & Regional Economics by her university’s Department of Economics and she uses her education to fuel her business. Young Trinidadian women will feel lessened by the burden of professional objectification in years to come because women like Branker are valiant enough to unapologetically be everything thier heart desires.
Becoming a Zumbera may not have been the most orthodox path for an Economics major but Branker was unequivocal that her educational background better equipped her to run A-Z Fitness. “I would say that Economics helped me to understand that you always have to diversify your product. That justifies a big part of the reason I named the company A-Z Fitness because I wanted to offer more services than just Zumba classes. I’m working towards getting certified as a Fitness Trainer, and Spin Instructor. I have even been taking massage courses because I want the company to eventually offer all those services. So I would definitely say Economics taught me the value of diversifying while identifying where different opportunities are so that I can have a wide range of ways offer value to my clients,” she explains.
Branker furthers the connection of her educational pursuits to her career path as creative entrepreneurs by highlighting the benefits of having a minor in Spanish and being fluent in the language. “It’s a strange combination but I did courses like business Spanish so that it would pair well with the Economics major. Not only did it strengthen my business skills but it also helped prepare me for the Venezuelan influx into Trinidad & Tobago.” Branker was also very transparent about the fact that knowing Spanish has given her a competitive edge as a Zumba instructor in Trinidad stating, “Zumba is a Latin inspired dance form. Many of my clients ended up being Venezuelan because Latin people love to dance and me being able to communicate with them in their native tongue makes them more comfortable and confident around me.”
There is something truly soulful and refreshing about Branker’s humility and her subtle charm could bring assuage to the most undesirable situations. In closing, Branker’s compassionate heart led her to share a touching story of how her command of Spanish acted as a tool of service during the prime of the Venezuelan influx into Trinidad.” I was volunteering with my Church to assist with getting some of the Venezuelans situated. I remember two children who had abandoned their parents to escape to Trinidad & Tobago. They could hardly speak English and they were getting so frustrated because no one could understand what they needed. The frustration led them to tears but it made me cry as well because I empathized with their situation. At that moment I was glad to be someone who could help break that language barrier.”
