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Fast, quick, sultry dance moves. Zumba, already a popular fitness program in the United States, Australia and Europe, was introduced to Indonesia by Laila Munaf just two years ago. While it has now taken root among health-conscious, fun-loving Jakartans, Zumba’s very existence is based on serendipity.

“A happy accident,” is what Colombian fitness instructor Alberto “Beto” Perez calls Zumba, his Latin-inspired dance and fitness program, which took much of the world by storm before finally arriving in Indonesia.

In the mid-1990s, Perez wanted to teach an aerobics class, but forgot to bring his usual workout music, so he decided to improvise. He grabbed a tape from his car containing salsa and merengue music and he created new moves to match their beats.

Perez practiced and perfected the new workout before it became an official brand in 2001. According to Zumba’s official Web site, currently more than 12 million people take weekly Zumba classes in over 110,000 locations across more than 125 countries.

One of the Indonesian pioneers of Zumba, the 28-year-old Laila first took Zumba classes when she was living in Boston. She immediately took a liking to it.

“I was never a very sporty person,” she said. “After I started Zumba, I was motivated to try other workouts as well. But I realized that it was only during my Zumba classes that I kept smiling.”

Despite her fondness for the dance-fitness program, Laila did not aspire to become a full-time Zumba instructor. Even though she participated in training that earned her a Zumba teaching license in 2009, she thought of it as a back-up career.

After graduating from college, Laila worked at a hedge fund for three years.

“Then I realized that this might not be the industry I actually want to work in,” she said. “I wanted to find my passion, do something that makes me happy.”

Laila quit her job and decided to import batik. This enterprise led her back to her native Indonesia, where she planned to stay for six months, raise capital for her business, source batik makers and then go back to America.

Fate, however, had other plans.

Laila began teaching Zumba classes to her old schoolmates and, as time progressed, the classes became more and more popular. Then she met an Indonesian architect, a man whom she ultimately married earlier this year, and decided to stay in her homeland and introduce Zumba to Indonesians.

“It is a unique and fun workout,” she said. “It is inspired by Latin dances, but Zumba is more than just dancing. You let the music move you, but it is still a fitness program. So we combine the dance moves of salsa, merengue, cumbia, et cetera, with squats and lunges, which helps to build muscles and shape your body.”

Zumba, Laila explains, is perfect for people who want to get fit but are intimidated by the imposing array of weight and exercise machines that gyms typically feature.

Small Zumba classes of no more than 10 students, taught in intimate dance studios, can be especially beneficial because of the individual instruction and interaction the students receive.

“It’s just me and my group, and I want them to feel comfortable and homey,” Laila said. “Sometimes, my students feel embarrassed, because most of them are not dancers and they are afraid that they will look funny.

“But then I say, that’s the whole point,” she added with a smile. “This is maybe the only time when nobody is around to judge you, where you can let loose. Nobody cares if you look silly.”

Even though she wants them to have fun during the class, Laila emphasizes that it is equally important that her students get a real workout.

Currently, Laila leads four public classes and several private ones, teaching two classes each day from Monday to Friday. In January, she will open her own studio so she won’t have to rent anymore.

There are six different types of Zumba classes, including Aqua Zumba, which moves the workout to the pool, as well as one designed for kids, ZumbAtomic.

With her license, Laila is trained to teach basic Zumba classes as well as Zumba Toning, which focuses on body-sculpting and high-energy cardio exercises.

While Zumba is a program created for both men and women of all ages, Laila said most of her students are female, which, according to her, has to do with the fact that Zumba is based on dancing.

“I think many men have this mind-set that Zumba is connected to dance, and they maybe think that men shouldn’t be dancing,” she explained. “In the States, for example, the Zumba followers are 60 percent women, 40 percent men.”

“When I first started my Zumba class in Boston, the oldest participant was actually an 80-year-old lady,” Laila said. “So it definitely is for all ages. Of course, you have to know your body and your limits because it is a high-impact workout, but it is a great way to stay healthy.”

Two weeks ago at a two-day training session in Jakarta, more than 50 aspiring Indonesian instructors earned their Zumba certificates.

“For a while, it was just me and Junko Agus, another Zumba instructor who got his license in 2010,” Laila explained. “We were the first ones to introduce Zumba to Jakarta. I am actually happy that there are more instructors now. Even though it means that there will be more competitors, the demand was high and we had too many requests for classes. So now we can help each other out.”

While Laila says Zumba hasn’t changed her life, it has definitely improved her lifestyle and energy.

“When you work in an office, you sit in front of the computer and you need to be focused,” she said, referring to her hedge fund experience back in the United States. “All I saw the whole day was numbers. My neck hurt and I was surrounded by grumpy people. You know, the stock is down and everybody gets grumpy.

“When I was introduced to Zumba, I saw that this activity can help me take out all the negative energy and stress and basically inhale everything positive,” she added. “Ideally, in my class, there is a positive aura, and that’s what makes us smile and lets us come out happy and relaxed.”

For more information about Laila, visit https://www.zumba.com/en-US/profiles/44655or e-mail her at laila.munaf@gmail.com