Macumba Dance Fitness is a family of folklores. The role of a Macumba Dance Fitness certified instructor as translator/interpreter

The aim of this thesis is to present an overview, through the existing literature, of the intersection between sport, culture, dance and language. These phenomena are all interrelated. The final goal is to observe Macumba Dance Fitness, a sport discipline that keeps growing in Italy and abroad, identifying it as a ‘mass phenomenon’, a regional/national/transnational subculture, through the description of its interrelationship with dance and music and of the linguistic and mental processes of all Macumba instructors during their daily work.
Maurizio Imperoli, also known as Max Imperoli, choreographer, dancer, holding a degree in Physical Education, invented Macumba Dance Fitness in 2005. His Brazilian heritage created the strong attraction to Latin American dances that influenced the flavor of Macumba. He lived and travelled extensively to Latin America to keep himself updated on the new emerging styles of dances. Macumba is the result of his attempt to find a perfect mix between sport and dancing. Or, in other words, it’s the perfect blend of wellness and enjoyment. Macumba is a dynamic, yet simple workout, based on cardio-fitness with some elements of physical resistance for body sculpting, efficient at burning calories and toning the body. Macumba effectively brings together slow dance moves with high impact aerobics. In order to be appreciated by a large audience, a pre-choreographed Macumba class, is characterized by several types of music and different cultures that go from African tribal music to the best known Latin American music (Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Samba, Cha-Cha, Colombian Cumbia, Calypso) to folk music, hip-hop, dance hall, rock, reggaeton and the 70s, 80s, 90s. Macumba Dance Fitness is a 100% Italian method, recognized by CONI, the Italian National Olympic Committee (Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano) through a national organization of sport promotion, fostering a patriotic as well as multicultural sense in the world, a serious activity, where mental and emotional exchange of energy, is critical for whole body wellness: Mens sana in corpore sano.
Therefore Macumba, through a sport activity, promotes the unity of cultures. Here comes the first dichotomy: sport and culture. Important preamble at this point is the origin of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in 1964 at the University of Birmingham in Britain, the so-called founding figures, Richard Hoggart (1918-2014), Raymond Williams (1921-1988), Edward P. Thompson (1924-1993), and the important figure of Stuart Hall (1932-2014). Providing an anthropological perspective, Cultural Studies concentrated in those early days on the daily life experiences of the common people in Great Britain, the everyday life that becomes popular, including all aspects and social practices, from arts to traditions and sports, emphasizing all forms through which culture can be expressed creatively. It is interesting to see different points of view and approaches used by writers, authors and experts, when examining the history of the word culture and what is meant by cultural history.