By Makayla Wheeler

REXBURG, Idaho—Getting out and exercising can sometimes be challenging and intimidating. Some people don’t have access to a gym or gym equipment.

Ashtynn Allen has made a way for people to get out and get active. She teaches a free Zumba class every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The times are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m., Wednesdays at 9 a.m., and Saturdays at 10 a.m. Classes are one hour and are held at the LDS Church building at 389 Mariah Ave. in Rexburg. Times and locations are subject to change, so check Allen’s Facebook page for the most current information.

These classes are open to any age. If none of these times work for you or you want to dance from the comfort of your own home, Allen also has her own YouTube channel that has lots of dance fitness videos that you can do from anywhere.

Her favorite video from her channel, which also happens to be her most popular video, is her class dancing to “Waka Waka (It’s Time for Africa)” by Shakira. At the time of publication, the video had nearly 13 million views.

A little more about Ashtynn Allen
Allen is originally from Las Vegas. She and her husband came to Rexburg in August 2018 for work. She has been dancing her whole life. She started out by doing competitions in Scottish Hyland Dancing when she was in elementary school. As she got older, she participated on her middle school’s and high school’s dance and cheerleading teams.

Allen started attending Zumba classes in high school, and began teaching in 2016. She loves
performing, dancing, and teaching, and dance fitness has allowed her to do all three. The class
that introduced her to Zumba was offered for free, so when she started teaching, she decided to offer her classes for free as well.

“The best part about my free classes is the community I’ve been able to build,” she says. “Because people don’t have to pay, a lot more people are willing to just come and try it out. Then once they come, they want to stay. I’ve met hundreds, maybe even thousands of people and have seen so many lives changed. It’s super fulfilling for me as the instructor and I know it’s blessed many people. From my free classes, several others have decided to start teaching their own free classes and the community just keeps growing. In addition to this community that’s come from free classes, I also just really love teaching. I NEED the workout and Zumba is my favorite way to exercise. So why not just create a place where I can teach and anyone can join? I know what it’s like wanting to ‘get back in shape’ and my free classes provide that opportunity to everyone!”

Ashtynn’s favorite song to dance too is “How You Like That” by BLACKPINK.

One of Ashtynn’s students said that she enjoys the class because, “It’s a fun way to exercise. She’s super welcoming to everyone that comes, and she gets everyone moving and involved.”

Ashtynn is full of energy, talent, and passion which makes her the perfect person to teach Zumba.