For nine years, the BearFIT health and wellness series offered at the Sumers Recreation Center has featured King Ausar, who refers to himself as the “premier Zumba fitness professional in the Northern Hemisphere,” to promote the importance of physical, emotional, and mental health at WashU. Over the course of his career both on and off campus, Ausar has solidified himself as a backbone of the Zumba community, quickly becoming one of the student body’s favorite instructors.

Out of all the various forms of exercise offered by BearFIT, Ausar’s Zumba class stands out as a unique creative outlet focused on dance-based cardio. Every Friday from 6-7 p.m. and on Sundays from 5-6 p.m., you can find him busting a move in the Olympic Studio.

Since 2012, Ausar has worked for the fitness brand Zumba as a “platform artist” and has taught Zumba to over 1 million people all over the world, from the Caribbean to parts of Asia. He also got the chance to dance alongside the musical artist Michael Jackson for three months in 1982, citing it as what kickstarted his career in fitness and wellness.

“I didn’t get picked up on his tour or anything, but that experience right there carried me for the rest of my life, and that’s why I have been dancing and … have such a passion for it — to not only share my gift with the world but also acknowledge that I have this gift. And until I can’t do it no more, I’m gonna be dropping sweat on the dance floor somewhere,” Ausar said.

Regular Zumba attendees will witness their physical, emotional, and mental health improve after participating in Ausar’s energetic choreography. What sets Ausar’s classes apart from any other form of exercise is his ability to teach people more than just dance moves. The life lessons he provides after each class enable his participants to develop a positive relationship to fitness and maintain a healthy mindset through it all. Ausar’s utmost compassion for those who take his class extends past his career ambitions into genuine care for every individual he meets. 

“A lot of people get into Zumba instructor-wise … just for the paycheck. It’s simply for their own exercise benefit, not even necessarily for the class. When I look at Zumba, I see all the benefits for so many different people,” Ausar said.
“If I could be a part of that, and if I could get one person moving, then I’ve done my job.”

Ausar’s classes are, above all else, a direct reflection of the positive impact Zumba can bring to others. He leads with an upbeat attitude and encourages everyone to dance however they want, cultivating a judgement-free environment. Each Zumba lesson ends with an inspiring speech that reminds students to invest time in their health and take every week’s challenges or stressors in stride.

Ausar has also created what he calls his “Zumba family” through a bonding activity. At some point during his closing speech, he directs everyone to partner up with someone they have not met before and compliment one another. As many of Ausar’s participants have witnessed, including seniors Justice Crandall and Noah Zelin, these small but considerate elements of Ausar’s teaching are vital to what makes his classes so distinct.

“Something that King emphasizes is not letting one week’s trash move into the next week — picking yourself up and motivating yourself to keep [being] your best self,” Zelin said.

Crandall has been going to Ausar’s classes for 2 1/2 years now, and cites Ausar as the reason for one of his daily affirmations. “King’s mantra — that you’re the absolute best of the best — that’s super, super important. I started doing morning affirmations, and that’s the first affirmation every morning,” Crandall said.

For WashU students especially, Crandall said that Zumba functions as a mental reset amidst the weekly hustle of academics, extracurriculars, and having a social life, stating that Ausar’s classes serve to “lighten the load a lot.”

Beyond affirmations, Ausar uplifts his participants with his music selection, diverging from the typical Zumba playlist to encourage exercise through movement. From Bruno Mars to Jeison El Brother’s “Rico Cha Cha Cha,” Ausar compiles diverse genres in his classes, allowing dancers of all skill levels to let loose and have fun.

“There has to be a fine balance in Zumba of … ‘world music’ versus ‘cultural music.’ A lot of people, when they come to Zumba, they’re expecting bachata and cumbia and reggaeton and salsa. Mine is different because I’ll throw in some R&B. I’ll throw in some jazz. I’ll throw in some ballet. I’ll throw in whatever it is that moves me,” Ausar said.

On what makes Zumba special to him, Ausar said it is “the closest thing to a party that you can get to. Now, sure, you can get on a treadmill. You can walk the track with your headphones on and all of that. But when you get around a group of people … [you get] that kind of camaraderie going in an exercise class disguised as a party.”