COMMUNITY & sOCIAL
FitMixx has lots of social events and also regularly gets involved in supporting community activities
THE BIG FAT FITMIXX QUIZ OF THE YEAR: DECEMBER 2022
What a brilliant night...at the first ever Big Fat FitMixx Quiz of the Year!
Lots of games, prizes, fun and dancing in between the quizzing. It was an amazing atmosphere!
Well done to the "Beyonce Know-alls" who took the hotly contested £50 prize money.
We will back again with an even bigger and better Quiz of the Year at the end of 2023.
FOODBANK COLLECTION
FitMixx organises a collection across classes in the lead up to Christmas. Thanks to the generosity of participants 1000's of items have been donated to the East End foodbank.
During Community Fitness Week 2020 we raised funds virtually instead (due to Covid 19) and contributed £285 to the East End Foodback.
WARM UPS FOR RUNS
It's always fun the get the crowd going at these events! I am honoured the be an ambassador for 'This Girl Can' and have led the warm up for their International Women's Day event for the past three years. I was also delighted to lead a Zumba Gold warm up for the Alzheimer's Society Memory Walk (2019). I also led the warm up for local blood cancer charity Bright Red for four years.
ANNUAL iVAMOS! FESTIVAL
FitMixx have been partipating every year in the Vamos! latin festival since 2012. Each year it is slightly differnt but always includes us donning carnival fancy dress and taking part in a Mardi Gras parade in the city centre. This is followed by a family friendly picnic, where Katie does a free Zumba session for the community. One year we did a Zumba flashmob of over 100 people at Grey's Monument!
DANCE-ALONG CINEMA SCREENINGS
We've had some fabulous fun at local venue 'Dance City' attending dance-along screenings, in fancy dress of course! So far we've attending screenings for The Greatest Showman, Chicago, Mamma Mia and Grease.
ANNUAL WINTER WIGGLE CHRISTMAS PARTY
The 'Winter Wiggle' is an annual FitMixx institution. The Wiggle has been running since 2014.
We take over a local golf club for a private party with either a DJ or live singer, hot buffet, Christmas party props and LOADS of fun and dancing!
Zumba Gold Christmas lunch 2019
FUNDRAISING
FitMixx are involved in regular fundraising through either organising events or instructing at local events. This has included as recently as during Covid-19 lockdown being an instructor for an online fitness-athon to raise funds for Claire's Chance and raising £308 through a virtual 'sunshine selfie' fundraising drive for Children in Need.
Katie has taught at many Zumbathons and charity classes over the years.
PETER KAY'S DANCE FOR LIFE
I was ecstatic to be asked to take part in Peter Kay's Dance for Life, raising funds for Cancer Research UK.
After only a short rehearsal a group of my Zumba Gold ladies and I took the stage with performances of "Uptown Funk", "Sax" (complete with blow up saxophones, of course) and Bucks Fizz "Making your mind up". One of the ladies was even brave enough to do the famous 'skirt rip' moment with Peter Kay.
The ladies were a bit nervous beforehand but I was so proud of them, and as soon as we came off stage they asked "when can we do it again!?".
ZES MASTERCLASS
I was lucky enough to be trained nearly 10 years ago by the awesome Donna Giffen ZES (Zumba Education Specialist). Whenever she comes to the area, often with Hender Corredor Escalante (also ZES), I always invite my ladies along to come to Masterclass. It's great to be a participant and dance alongside my ladies for a change!
OTHER
A special festive themed session for Newcastle University, as part of their 'Give it a Go' week.
A bespoke session based on Brazilian dances and rhythms for a local primary school. This was part of their learning about South America.
Martin Lowes joins my Zumba class after challenging me on air to choreograph a routine to Liam Payne's song 'Get Low'.