Ionia Kershaw
Owner & Director of Instruction / Licensed ZUMBA® Fitness Instructor
Personal Training
Hello! I’m Ionia Kershaw and I love to dance! I’ve danced since I was a little girl. I was born in Mexico and musica latina is in my roots. I have a background in modern dance, ballet and flamenco. I’ve also trained in natural bodybuilding, martial arts and kickboxing.
The first time I tried Zumba® I was hooked. I bet you’ll be hooked too. I began teaching Zumba® in 2010 and love it just as much now as I did then. It is fun, sweaty and challenging. It gets you in shape, releases stress and works the mind.
Zumba has helped me and many in so many ways I could have never imagined. I’ve currently have the privilege to teach Zumbatomic to children in elementary schools. I have help put together special programs that benefit low income populations and individuals with developmental disabilities.
I am involved in my local community with spreading the Zumba love and bringing awareness of healthy living and lifestyle change.
Our studio is dedicated to helping you meet your fitness goals while having fun at the same time. I look forward to meeting you, having a great time and teaching you some very cool moves. Stop by and join the fun!
Licensed ZUMBA® Fitness Instructor
I have been an avid fan of group fitness for many years. I got my first introduction to group fitness when a friend of mine, Becky Garcia, tricked me into attending a Jazzercise class. I made a complete fool of myself but I was determined to get my revenge! So I found a high impact aerobic class and got really good at it and then invited Becky to come take the class. I got my revenge but I also got an aerobic partner and for the next few years we went to every aerobic class we could find, often driving more than 50 miles round trip to try out a class. When high impact aerobics died out and step aerobics took over we were there.
The one element of all these exercise trends that appealed the most to us was the choreography. The more complicated and dance like, the better! As time passed, high impact aerobics and free form choreography step aerobics faded away and what the gyms were offering was more along the line of group calisthenics. A good workout but very little in the way of dance and creativity. It was a sad time for me. Then one day a friend told me about a newspaper article in the local paper about a new fitness craze called Zumba. I took my first class and was hooked! One thing led to another and now I am an instructor. I truly love leading my classes and welcome everyone to come share in the joy of dance. It will improve your health and bring great joy in spirit. Its not a workout, its a party and the celebration is the joy of life. Please join me!
Tony Martin
7th Degree Kenpo Black Belt / Kickboxing Instructor/ Strength Training
I have been teaching American Kenpo Karate for 30 years. From this I have developed an aerobic kickboxing class and have been teaching it through out Ventura for the past ten years. The class is split into aerobic kickboxing for the first half of the class and finishes with strength training for the second half. I was once 285 pounds and through exercise and teaching kickboxing I reached my ideal weight of 205. I am happy to be teaching at Ventura Danzar and hope to see you take the challenge to obtain your fitness goal by trying out my kickboxing class.
Richelle Solis
Licensed Zumba® Fitness Instructor
Hi, I’m Richelle Solis and I love teaching Zumba classes. The reason is simple: Every class feels like a party! Since discovering Zumba over 3 years ago, I have never felt more in shape or more confident about myself! The atmosphere that is created in a Zumba class is absolutely intoxicating, and I LOVE being able to share that feeling with people! Whether you decide to come to lose weight, dance with a group of people, listen to the awesome music, or see just how many silly faces I can make in an hour, I promise you will get hooked!!
Marianne Szijj
Licensed ZUMBA® Fitness Instructor
My name is Marianne. I am licensed to teach Zumba Fitness® and Zumba Gold®. I love to dance, but my exercise habits have always been sporadic at best. I have struggled with weight gain most of my adult life partly because I love to eat and partly because I have not had the self-discipline to exercise regularly. I am one of those people who joined different gyms and stopped going after a month or two. I dislike running intensely! I tried aerobics classes but I often couldn’t stand the music and circuit training could get so monotonous… That is, until I discovered Zumba Fitness®! Beto and his crew simply got it right… The music is amazing and they are constantly introducing new songs and dance moves from all around the world! The work-out is very effective for toning and slimming your entire body. More importantly is SO MUCH FUN they call it exercise in disguise! Join my class and let me show you the joy of getting fit the Zumba® way!