01/08/2026
To My Zumba Family,
This is one of the hardest messages I’ve ever had to write.
For the past 14 years, Zumba with Deana has been so much more than a class. It has been a community, a family, and one of the greatest joys of my life. Some of you have been with me since the very beginning, and along the way I’ve been lucky enough to meet and become close with so many incredible people. What started as a dance fitness class became a place of friendship, laughter, support, and love.
Together we’ve shared so much — births and deaths, marriages and divorces, celebrations and losses, illnesses and recoveries, especially cancer. We’ve shown up for each other in ways that go far beyond music and movement. That is something I will always hold close to my heart.
With that said, it breaks me to share that Zumba with Deana will be closing on January 31st.
After 14 years at the same location, the church where I’ve held classes has decided under new leadership to significantly increase my rent beginning February 1st — an amount that simply isn’t sustainable for a class where I charge $7 an hour and have always tried to keep things affordable and accessible. This decision has left me with no choice but to step away.
At the same time, I’ve been facing a very real personal truth. For years now, I’ve been teaching through chronic pain, especially in my knees, pushing myself far beyond what my body has been asking for. The pain has reached a point where it’s affecting my daily life, and after much thought (and many tears), I’ve made the difficult but necessary decision to finally schedule double knee replacement surgery.
In a strange and emotional way, the timing of all of this feels like a kind of divine intervention — a moment where the decision was made for me. After spending so many years taking care of others, it’s time for me to take care of myself.
That doesn’t make this goodbye any easier.
Please know that this choice comes from love — love for this community, love for what we built together, and love for my own health and future. I am endlessly grateful for every class, every song, every laugh, every hug, and every person who walked through that door.
Zumba with Deana may be ending, but the connections we’ve made do not end here. You will always be a part of my story, and I hope I’ll always be a part of yours.
From the bottom of my heart — thank you for 14 unforgettable years. 💛
With love and gratitude,
Deana