Beto Pérez was fifteen when his mother got her chance to emigrate to the United States, and he talked her into going. He wanted to dance, and he knew that if she stayed he would end up studying law. So she set him a condition: prove you can pay your own bills, finish school and live on your own. He did. Messenger in the morning, dance classes in the afternoon, school at night. He did not see her again for ten years. By seventeen he had won a national dance contest and put the winnings into an apartment he slept in on an aerobics mat. In Miami he found what he had been looking for, an empty space nobody was occupying, and a class called Rumbacize that two men also named Alberto helped him turn into Zumba in 2001. Two decades on it is one of the biggest fitness brands on earth. His advice for anyone chasing something big has nothing to do with hustle: do not contaminate it.
Podcast Title:
Very Caliente
Hosts:
Pablo Alsina & Jennie López
EP 035 - Don’t Contaminate Your Dream - Zumba, Patience & Legacy with Beto Pérez
Summary
Beto Pérez was fifteen when his mother got her chance to emigrate to the United States, and he talked her into going. He wanted to dance, and he knew that if she stayed he would end up studying law. So she set him a condition: prove you can pay your own bills, finish school and live on your own. He did. Messenger in the morning, dance classes in the afternoon, school at night. He did not see her again for ten years. By seventeen he had won a national dance contest and put the winnings into an apartment he slept in on an aerobics mat. In Miami he found what he had been looking for, an empty space nobody was occupying, and a class called Rumbacize that two men also named Alberto helped him turn into Zumba in 2001. Two decades on it is one of the biggest fitness brands on earth. His advice for anyone chasing something big has nothing to do with hustle: do not contaminate it.
Main Topics
Intriguing Quotes
“Patience and perseverance go further than talent.” - Beto Pérez
“If you want to be successful, you have to occupy a space that isn’t occupied.” - Beto Pérez
“Don’t contaminate your dream. Not with fame, not with money.” - Beto Pérez
“In this country it counts for a lot to be somebody. Being a millionaire just makes you one more statistic.” - Beto Pérez
“If you doubt in this business, you die.” - Beto Pérez
“If you stop moving, you die.” - Pablo Alsina
Key Moments
[00:46] Jennie introduces Beto Pérez, the creator of Zumba
[01:48] Two chapters, Cali and Miami, and how Rumbacize became Zumba
[04:25] Dancing in Cali clubs at fifteen as the cleanest kid in the room
[11:10] Bogotá, Greek music and tangos, and choreographing for Shakira
[14:35] The Ohio infomercial deal, closed on three phrases of English
[16:44] Two fitness products in a hundred stick, and why Zumba was one
[20:33] The Forrest Gump comparison and the lives he never planned to change
[21:09] Jennie’s story, and the line that stuck: if you doubt, you die
[22:26] Don’t contaminate your dream with fame or money
[26:32] Getting off the ego and being proud his instructors are better
[28:11] Single fatherhood at fifty, City Zero and the football club
[31:29] Legacy, and wanting Zumba to outlive him the way Apple outlived Steve Jobs
[33:01] Move your body, Zumba.com, and next year’s Zumba cruise
Notable Guests / Resources
Special Announcements