Karen Dutridge has lost 30 pounds, and has managed to keep the weight off without using any gym equipment.

The Public Inquiries Assistant has brought a dance-based workout to the University, Zumba. It mixes traditional latin dances with basic aerobics and dance steps while exercising, creating a new calorie-burning routine.

“It’s not the dreaded workout,” Dutridge said.

Zumba classes began this week, offering seven weekly one-hour classes. The classes are Mondays at 5:15 p.m. from Jan. 17-Feb. 28 or Thursdays at 6 p.m. from Jan. 20-March 30.

The classes are held in the Eppler North gym, room 221, and cost $35 for either class or $55 for both.

Dutridge has been teaching the class since last January. She began taking Zumba classes two years ago at the Y.M.C.A. in Perrysburg. After falling in love with the workout, she toyed with the idea of teaching a class. With encouragement from her instructor, she decided to get a license to teach the class.

“It was always fun and I didn’t dread doing it,” Dutridge said.

The exercise routine was created by fitness instructor Alberto “Beto” Perez from Columbia, which is where the Latin influences for Zumba come from. He brought the workout to Miami, Florida in 2001, before it became a worldwide phenomenon, according to zumba.com/us.

DeeDee Wentland, a secretary in the biological science department, said Dutridge is an “amazing” instructor.

“She’s easy to follow and enthusiastic,” Wentland said. She said Dutridge’s “smooth and flowing” routine is better than the “choppy” instructors she once had.

Wentland, who started taking the class last summer, said the music and dancing are her favorite parts of the workout. The constantly changing music keeps her focused and energized, rather than using a treadmill, which is more of the same movements for the entire workout.

The structure of the playlist is vital to the workout, Dutridge said. The collection of songs routinely should start with warm-up songs, moving then to faster songs for a more intense workout. Slower songs help with working the core of the body.

Dutridge also said she plays Top 40 hits for the enjoyment of the audience.

Heidi Crouch, a secretary in the Finance and Administration Department, said she loves the “incredible amount of calories” she burns during Zumba workouts.

“There’s a large margin of error,” Crouch said. “Even if you don’t do exactly what the instructor is doing, you are still burning a lot of calories. There’s a lot of room for your own way to do it.”

Anyone with questions about the class can contact Dutridge at [email protected].