By Jamie Ducharme, News Correspondent

As a notoriously ungraceful and somewhat awkward person, there are few things more horrifying to me than

dancing in public. So when a friend dragged me to my first Zumba class this summer, I was terrified and more than a little hesitant.

The moment I got there, I started scoping out the other people. I started to relax when I saw middle-aged women made up roughly 70 percent of the class. I gave myself a mini pep talk, convincing myself I could dance at least as well as women my mother’s age. I was just starting to feel better when the instructor, Gorica, walked in.

The moment I saw her, my stomach dropped. Clad in turquoise, bedazzled leggings, a white bandanna and a hot pink sports bra that exposed her pregnant belly, she sauntered in through the studio.

“All right laaaadies, are you ready to dance?” Gorica asked, her Eastern European accent boomed through the studio.

Before I could decide I was most definitely not ready and run out of the room, Gorica was leading the class in pelvic thrusts and body rolls. I was stuck.

For lack of a better option, I tried my best to follow along, quickly embarking on a pattern of finally picking up each routine just as the song ended. I bumbled my way through the class, staring in amazement as Gorica demonstrated a cha-cha at lightning speed, or did a booty bounce that was probably not safe for a pregnant woman. And slowly but surely, I began to lose my inhibitions and have fun.

After all, it’s pretty hard to keep worrying about what you look like with high-energy Latin music pounding through the speakers, and a frighteningly enthusiastic instructor encouraging you to “keep shaking it.”

Fast forward a few months and I’ll admit it – I’m a Zumba addict. Like clockwork, I stay up until midnight every Sunday – registration opens 24 hours in advance from when class starts – to sign up for my favorite Tuesday night class at the Marino Center, and it’s worth it every single time. I shimmy and shake my way through the 45-minute classes without getting bored for an instant.

As an ex-high school sports junkie who played field hockey, basketball and lacrosse, Zumba fulfills my desire for a workout with a bit more “oomph” than treadmill runs or elliptical sessions.

It can take a while to pick up the dance routines – I still haven’t figured out how to jump around in circles, while clapping without looking like a total idiot – but figuring out what to do is part of the fun, not to mention a great way to get your mind off of the fact that you’re working out.

Another plus? The more into the moves you get, the more calories you burn. And as much fun as Zumba is, it really is a great workout. According to Livestrong.com, an hour of Zumba can burn between 400 and 600 calories and gives nearly every part of the body a workout. Without fail, I leave each class drenched in sweat and exhausted and often wake up sore the next day. Dancing for that long is no easy task physically, but somehow it doesn’t even feel like a workout; it just feels like a great way to bust stress and unwind from a tough day of classes.

So if dancing around like a crazy person appeals to you as much as it does me, drop the $50 per semester to take some classes at the Marino Center. Paying this fee also makes you eligible for classes like yoga, pilates and cycling.

And if you do go to classes, look out for me; I’ll be the uncoordinated girl pretending I’m Shakira, dancing like it’s nobody’s business.