The sold-out crowd at The Studio in Tri-County Mall. Photo: Richard Martinez

Two awesome instructors (plus a couple of songs taught by OHFAB7, the group of Zumba teachers who made this event happen), a capacity crowd and a killer playlist--make for two hours of epic Zumba. No surprises there. Expectations exceeded? Check.

So, what made this so special? First off, it was intense. Not just the chemistry between Dar and Richard, but the actual choreography took Zumba to a level of "breathy" that we haven't seen since 305 Fitness. Jumps, kicks, turns--you name, your feet didn't stay on the ground for a whole song more than once or twice in two hours. The energy Dar and Richard put into every step made the simplest salsa an excuse to drip!

And, can we love on the soundtrack? Without jumping out of Zumba's preferred Latin and Caribbean sounds, we heard songs we'd never heard before--even after years of loyal Zumbadom. There was a lot of heavy bass, which made us happy--we're all about that bass--which drove a more athletic approach.

Bottom Line? Take class with Dar or Richard. NOW. Catch her at Coffman YMCA once a month (wait for it!) or catch him at The Ailey Extension, Equinox gyms or the West Side YMCA in NYC. Get on it and let us know how awesome it was!