I'm looking for some advice on whether I should get trained in BodyJam or not.
First, a little background: I am a licensed Zumba instructor and have been teaching for 7 years now. I am very passionate about Zumba. I love to dance and instruct. I also pick up choreography really quickly.
I used to teach at a gym near me but had to step away about 5 years ago after having my son. Now that he is older and preparing to go into full-time Kindergarten, I have contemplated going back to teach at that gym since I will have more time in my day. I have been in contact with the manager about possibly getting me back on the schedule to teach Zumba but there isn't a spot available currently. No big deal. I figured I would just wait until there is a schedule change and hope to find a spot later.
Just the other day, however, she reached out to me and asked if I had ever heard of BodyJam. I hadn't, but I looked up some videos and was very interested! I even tried one of the 20 min videos on YouTube and it was a blast!! But I have never had any experience teaching a Les Mills format. The only experience I have had as a participant is a few BodyPump and BodyFlow classes in the past.
Les Mills is a very big thing at this particular gym. They do big events every quarter for launches. If we bring BodyJam to the gym, she said she is going to promote like crazy and make it BIG! I told her I was worried about paying for training and then not being able to find a spot on the schedule to teach, and she told me not to worry about it, that she would make it work. So it seems like BodyJam might be my best bet when it comes to getting my foot back in the door there.
Here are my concerns: I'm worried about spending all this time and energy into getting trained and then finding out I don't love it as much as I thought. What I like about Zumba is the fact that I don't have to cue verbally and that I have more freedom when it comes to my playlist and choreography. I like how easy Zumba is to follow because most of the choreography is repeated sets of 4, and I have worked really hard over the years on the way I cue so that participants can easily follow me.
Any BodyJam instructors out there that can give me a little more insight on the format? Do you get burned out teaching the same set over and over again? How easy/hard is it to memorize all the choreography? Do you find that participants enjoy it? Is it pretty easy for people to get the hang of? Have you had success in classes? What makes them successful?
If I'm going to do this, I want it to be worth it and I want to enjoy doing it. Thanks everyone!!