Dear Zumba Instructor,

You don't get nearly as much credit for your job as you deserve. From the outside, other people think that all you do is dance for a living. I like to assume that these people have never in their lives gone to a Zumba class—if they did, they would know just how intense an hour of Zumba can be. I honestly don't know how you teach so many classes every day. In order to put your body through what you do daily, you really need to love your job and your students.

What would I do without you? I'll tell you the first thing that would happen—I'd probably injure myself with my maniac dancing. Like many other students, I had no idea what we were doing in the beginning. Even after several years, sometimes you present us with a new routine that the class can barely flail along to, praying that we all look like fools together. Despite our confusion, you can still manage to make us feel like Shakira. I don't know how you do it, but thanks to you, the whole class leaves feeling like we're on top of the world, that we can do anything.

Your passion for your job is like a boost of energy for all of us. We come to you tired and sluggish from classes and work, and as soon as we hear the excitement in your voice, we perk up and get ready to start moving. You never fail to put together playlists that will make everyone within hearing distance dance. I don't know how much time and effort you put into creating the perfect playlist for every class, but know that it is greatly appreciated.

It doesn't take long to see just how much you do for everyone in all of your classes, and we're grateful every time that we see you walk in. I can't imagine what any of us would do if we didn't see you on a weekly basis. You bring a little extra sunshine into our lives, and let's face it—in the frozen tundra that we all call home, that's something that we really need.

You are so much more than just a Zumba instructor. You're a friend and a mentor who really knows how to inspire others. I like to think that Zumba hasn't become popular in recent years because it's a fun workout, but because those who teach it are truly devoted to the art. We've given you our fit and our obese, our young and our old, our professional dancers and our uncoordinated neighbors. You take them, you teach them, you nurture them all. So thank you, Zumba instructors everywhere. Whether you realize it or not, you really do make a difference in every life that you touch.