A few years ago Ceroc was the fastest growing dance, fitness craze but now there is a new contender in town; Zumba. Imagine a cross between aerobics and belly dancing and you’ll have a good idea what you’d be getting into with Zumba. Zumba is based on an upbeat tempo whereas Ceroc is often described as modern jive and in general is danced to a variety of tempos.

The main difference between Zumba and Ceroc is that Zumba is specifically designed as a fitness workout compared to Ceroc which was created as a dance form that also has fitness benefits. With a recommendation to take a big bottle of water and a towel, Zumba does also appear to be for those who can throw themselves energetically into cardio, toning and strengthening dance moves. Ceroc is more for those who can be flexible. In terms of calories burnt, it is likely that a one hour Zumba workout burns well over 500 calories but then so does a 3 hour evening dancing Ceroc.

Originally based on latin dance music, the Zumba fitness programme was first created in Columbia during the 1990’s by choreographer and dancer Alberto (Beto) Perez who was looking at ways for fitness to be fun; The Zumba tag line, "Ditch the workout, join the party!" says it all. Many people don’t want to go and do a workout but they’d happily go to a party. And that is also why Ceroc is so popular because people are having fun while keeping fit at the same time.

Ceroc started in England in 1980 with James Cronin holding the first Ceroc event in Porchester Hall in London. Since then, after Ceroc Enterprises changed hands in early 2000, Ceroc has grown with franchises operating world wide and people enjoying dancing that ensures they stay relatively fit. After the classes and during freestyle, Ceroc attendees are encouraged to keep dancing so they can practice moves. It is considered impolite to refuse a request to dance and so apart from the odd sips of much needed water, you can find yourself dancing until the venue closes some 3 hours later.

One thing that women should have for both classes is adequate bust support with wicking away properties provided by most sports bras. A sports bra with wicking away properties, such as the Shock Absorber Pump Sports Bra, means that any moisture is wicked away from your skin. Getting moisture away from your skin is important so that when you stop the exercise/dance you’re not left wearing a wet, clammy bra that feels uncomfortable. Not only that but if your skin gets hot and sweaty there is a good chance that not long after you will find it has become spotty. Not nice. Not nice at all. Some sports bras, such as the Reebok Womens Play Dry Bra have a fabrication that absorbs all the moisture thereby also ensuring you are kept dry and cool. Apart from giving you the support and comfort you would expect from a sports bra, the variety of designs ranges from a conventional bra style to go under tops or the cropped top styles that can be worn on their own. Assuming, of course, that you are wearing something on your lower half already, the cropped top styles are perfect for Zumba workouts, such as the Nike Womens Pro Training bra or the Casall Sports Bra that has a mesh box back to help moisture management.