For Quincy Fuehne, Zumba- a Latin inspired aerobic, dance workout- provided her with more than just a physical outlet. Zumba gave her a chance to prove people wrong.

“I was really sick my junior year of high school…doctors would constantly say, ‘you can’t do this you can’t do that’… my parents didn’t like that…It (Zumba) was the one thing I could do,” Fuehne said.

According to its website, Zumba classes currently take place in 180 countries at over, and with a following of nearly 15 million people, the calorie-burning dance workout has become a fitness craze.

Fuehne and her parents started attending Zumba workouts together, and during that time, Fuehne met a 72-year-old fitness instructor who inspired her to become a Zumba instructor.

“She told me when I turned 18 I was going to teach,” Fuehne said, and on her 18th birthday, Feb. 13, 2016, Fuehne signed up to become an instructor and never looked back.

Now a sophomore at QU, Fuehne teaches Zumba classes at the Health and Fitness Center on Wednesday nights at 7. Quincy Medical Group sponsors the Zumba class at Quincy University. During the summer, Fuehne simply reached out to QMG and expressed interest in teaching.

“Zumba classes are a lot of fun. Quincy (Fuehne) is really great at teaching everyone and keeping everyone upbeat,” freshman Amy Luley said.

The class is open to the public, and is free of charge for QU students, and according to Fuehne, if the demand for more classes presents itself, she would gladly teach more.

“Last semester I taught four days a week total…but this semester I have a full schedule with school so I decided to take a step back, but I could always add more,” Fuehne said.

Freshman Erin Wharton recently attended her first Zumba class, and plans to continue under Fuehne’s instruction.

“I really enjoyed it and the fact that I got to do it with friends is even cooler,” Wharton said.

According to Fuehne, the number of attendees per class tends to vary with some nights boasting a full crowd and others welcoming just two participants.

The class typically lasts for around 45 minutes, and during this time, Fuehne instructs and motivates class attendees by demonstrating the routines and guiding them along with the rhythmic music.

The workout begins with a warmup, followed by a series of high-intensity dance routines set to upbeat music, and concludes with a cool-down and stretching session.

For returning participants, some routines become familiar, but Fuehne often switches it up by introducing new choreography or even entirely new dances.

While participants can expect to burn anywhere from 300 to 600 calories during one session, Fuehne says a person gets out of the class what they put into it.

“My philosophy is that I am up there to give you suggestions otherwise you should just let the music move you,” Fuehne said.

For Fuehne, encouraging people to step outside their comfort zones and try something new is the most rewarding part.

“I was sick and being told, ‘you can’t do this, you can’t do that,’ and I stepped out of my comfort zone and did it, and look where I’m at,” Fuehne concluded.