We had the good fortune of connecting with Annette Mesa and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Annette, what matters most to you?
How you treat others. Treating others with kindness is everything. It means so much to me to extend kindness by encouraging people, building them up, showing them love, helping them smile! This is such a biggie because we have absolutely no idea what people are going through in their private lives. But in today’s world, it is likely a lot. There is a popular meme being circulated, which is a quote from Robin Williams, that says “Everyone is fighting a battle you know nothing about, be kind, always.” This is an even more profound truth in the populations I teach seated exercise to; especially those in nursing homes, with dementia, or other difficult diseases and challenges. Another reason it is important to me to be kind, is because I have also been there. I’ve not felt ok, struggled with health, and it has meant the world to me to have someone in my life who extended kindness and grace to me, during those times.

I am an emotional, sensitive person, and I have a very soft spot in my heart for the vulnerable, most especially seniors, who are the demographic I now teach more than anything. I feel sad if they are sad, or depressed or hurting. I pride myself in having the ability to counteract that, and to lift people’s spirits! The great thing about being an emotional person, is that happiness, joy, and love, are emotions too. I have learned throughout the years how to focus on enhancing those positive feelings within myself and projecting them to spread them to other people; by means of how I run my classes, I pray to be able to do this in all of my day-to-day interactions and am a constant work in progress in that regard, Two steps forward, one step back. But when it comes to how I teach my classes, and interact with my participants, I do have to say, I have it down to an art! My heart wants my participants to feel happy, comforted, refreshed, accepted, welcomed, silly, funny, energized, loved; and most importantly, joy. I am meant to bring others joy. It is my whole purpose.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Please tell us more about your art. I teach group/dance fitness classes to seniors. Both higher energy and low impact standing dance classes such as Zumba Fitness and Line Dancing for highly active adults. I also teach seated chair Zumba classes in assisted living facilities. We sit down in our chairs and we dance. It is quite an extraordinary thing. I provide dance instruction at community events, private parties, charity fundraisers. I also create choreography for quinceaneras.

We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others?

I always had a very vivid imagination when I was growing up and enjoyed the creative process of writing fantastical and whimsical stories. As I began to dance, this evolved into expressing what was inside by means of creating dance choreography.

Although I have 30 years of experience in dance performance, instruction and choreography, it is the combination of my emotional personality, my enthusiasm both for people and for dance, and my powerful imagination, and my love for my community that sets me apart. Being that emotional person, I really, really FEEL, What I feel when I dance, and especially to music that moves me, and when I am in the throes of engaging my classes is an experience of delight that builds and builds into full on raging joy! I become absolutely thrilled. It is in that moment, that I go to work to get that feeling out there, to spread it to my participants. I feed off people. When participants in the room are happy and playful, that builds up inside me as well. And then we have this whole synergy of happy going on.

what you are most proud of or excited about.
I am so proud when my students in line dancing make progress. When they start off as beginners and before they know it, master more advanced dances, are pleased with themselves, and performing with me at community events. I am proud when my standing Zumba Fitness participants reach fitness, weight loss, and health goals. I am proud and fulfilled when participants in my all of classes, with varying life’s circumstances, some recently widowed, or living with other difficult situations, come out of their shell, make friend in class, and connect socially in class and outside of class. I am proud when class is chatty, and it takes me a minute to announce that it is time to start, because everyone is excited to be there and happily conversing with their friends. I am very proud when a group of teenagers that I have been teaching quinceanera choreography to for two months, nails it on the day of the event.

All of the above is exciting to me. I have no favorite classes. Every single day I wake up excited for the next class and the lovely humans I’m about to see. But what is the most breathtaking, every bit inspiring, the thing that moves me the most, in all of my classes, is to see seniors in their wheelchairs in my seated classes at nursing homes releasing their burdens by means of dance expression. I am the most excited and proud when I get to watch them getting silly, laughing, playing, singing along (we call it Zumba-Karaoke), loving life, and experiencing joy. It is all very humbling. Nothing is more rewarding. Nothing. My heart could burst.

How did you get to where you are today professionally.

At a friend’s invitation, I attended my very first dance class in 1992, at the Cactus Moon Night club/country bar in Tucson, at age 25. It was a line dancing class by the lady who brought line dancing to Arizona from the Midwest in the late 80’s; Mariella Patterson. I advanced very quickly, started a line dance class at my place of employment during lunch, and joined her performing team called “the Dry Gulch Dancers” I wasn’t aware that there was this whole extraordinary world of traveling, competing, performing and instructing at line dancing events around the country with several hundred dancers on the floor. But then my mentor, Mary B (Mama-Mary) grabbed me by the hand and plucked me right off the dance floor at Cactus Moon, and said “you’re coming with me,” I joined her dance team, and subsequently started my own teams, traveling to country western dance events. On the day she said to me “I want you to choreograph our next dance routine.” doors began to open, and they have never stopped.

Things were really on fire for years, with classes, and events. I had very small children by this time. So, I put the brakes on, and downsized to be a mommy, and held one class per week at a senior center in downtown Tucson. Soon, with motherhood, home, and work responsibilities, I saw the need to take a break from teaching altogether. For exercise, I joined a Jazzercise class in 2004, then a Zumba Fitness class. Interestingly, I had seen infomercials on Zumba, in the early 2000’s, and they really caught my eye. But I was not quite ready to return to teaching yet. In 2009, my Zumba instructor emailed me and said she thought I would make a good instructor; and asked if would like to take the instructor training? It was a no-brainer for me. My Zumba classes quickly took off in my small community of Green Valley and Sahuarita Arizona. Soon I ended up with 6 classes a week. And once again saw the need to cut back.

When my son was in 8th-grade he joined his 8th grade Civics Club. I leaned that each parent would be responsible to hold a fundraiser, to help get the Civics Club students travel to Washington D.C. I founded the first Continental School Zumbathon Fundraiser for this cause in 2012. This became an annual tradition, raising $4,000 in two hours at one such event. After that I learned that I had a knack for coordinating these events, and for bringing big groups of people together for a good cause. I began to either coordinate, or participate in charity fundraisers in my local community, all the while working in a civilian position at the Tucson Police Department and raising my kids.

And then poof, they grew up. I retired from TPD in June of 2019. I had a Zumba Gold (low impact for seniors) class at Green Valley Recreation lined up prior to retirement. The day after I retired, a friend who works at an assisted living community, showed me a video of a seated chair Zumba class, and asked me if I could do that. I had never done it before, but it looked absolutely amazing, and my heart knew immediately! Another no-brainer. My response was “YES!” While I was in her office, another friend who worked in a large retirement community messaged and asked if I would come teach line dancing there. 3 gigs and 6 classes a week and only two days into retirement! Guess the word got out that I was retired. And it’s been out ever since, to the tune of 10-12 classes per week for a while. Until I very recently realized, it was time to cut back again, this time to just 8 classes per week. I’m re-TIRED after all.

Was it easy?
Yes and no. Easy because when you are passionate about something, your creative juices flow so easily. This is my passion in life. So, the dance part came very naturally. But not so easy because of work-life balance, struggles with health, politics that arise in dancing. But my husband always shared the chores and kid duty with me. That made a huge difference.

If not, how did you overcome the challenges?

Prayer. A small circle of trusted confidants to pour it all out on, and gain perspective.

The politics of dancing are a very real thing. People can approach you with ego driven motives. I’ve learned not to be surprised at this. My way of overcoming these challenges is to go to those confidants who are grounded, humble, people who will offer spiritual guidance or bring me back down with their humor. Then I take it to God in prayer and leave it in his hands. He is my teacher. He showed me the way and gave me an example of how-to extend grace. I’m not perfect. I will try and try again and keep praying to handle things his way. These experiences have also taught me to strive not to be one of those ego driven people. Confidence, yes. Arrogance, no. Grace and kindness; I pray.

What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way.

It is good to know when you have taken on too much, take a step back, reevaluate and cut back. I have had to do that more than once in the past 30 years. This helps me stay true not only to myself personally, but to my craft or my business. Creative juices flow more easily the less stressed or overwhelmed you are. I get excited with all the offers I get and cannot wait for the opportunity to dance with new groups of people and try to never turn them down. But at the same time, I have learned to recognize that I can’t do it all, and that is ok.

What do you want the world to know about you, your brand, your story. I find peace in that I live in a place of accepting who I am. I am silly. Sensitive. Emotional, Imaginative. Enthusiastic. Creative. Joyful. Kind. Fun. Loving. Romantic. Compassionate for the vulnerable. That is my personality. My personality is my brand. I am happy to be unapologetically, me! In past years, my authentic self was something I shied away from and even suppressed well into my adulthood. I remember a supervisor writing in my employee performance evaluation, 30 some-odd years ago, “Annette, you definitely march to the beat of your own drummer.” I was a little offended by that statement, at that time. I have now come to realize that it is all of those things about my personality, no matter how far off the beaten path they may be, that make me successful at what I do, I have learned how to embrace those traits, and channel them, to realize my fullest potential.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Molcajete bowls at Elviras in Tubac! Numero uno. Walking in and out of the shops in Tubac. Singing karaoke at one of the Green Valley karaoke bars. A nice lunch at Mountain View Cafe in Green Valley.

Driving down Abrego drive in Green Valley and following the signs to estate and yard sales. Antique shopping at antique shops in Tucson.

Taking a walk around the around Sahuarita Lake. Sunday morning in church. A trip to the cool country in northern Arizona.

Dancing to a country band under the tent at the Longhorn Grill in Amado. Country dancing at one of Tucson’s Country bars. St. Phillips Plaza, Saturday night dinner and dancing. La Parilla Suiza’s Chicken Melt. Enjoying a Broadway musical at Centennial Hall. Attending Tucson’s Gem and Mineral Show and 4th Avenue Street Fair.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Shoutout to my loving hubby John for being my listening ear, my guide, my strength and biggest supporter for the past 30 years. Every scenario, every turn, every success, every not a success. My partner, two-stepping through the twists and turns of the big dance floor of life with me. My two children; Jonathan, a Hospital Corpsman in the U.S. Navy, and Mia, a Junior at the University of Arizona majoring in psychology. It is a marvelous feeling to be encouraged by your children who are proud of you and cheer you on. Just splendid. And my Mama-Mary, my beautiful and talented mentor who always believed in me. My spirit animal in dance and life. You were spectacular on that dance floor, Mary B. Dance with the angels my lovely friend.

Website: https://www.facebook.com/linedance.greenvalley.sahuarita.annette.mesa

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annette_mesa/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/annette-mesa-2b765945/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/AnnetteMesa.DanceFitness

Other: https://www.zumba.com/en-US/profile/annette-mesa/51435

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