Zumba banned after Oz Education Department building shakes violently

MELBOURNE - The federal Education Department in Australia has banned Zumba, a fitness program, from its headquarters after a dance class caused the new building to shake violently.

The Latin American fitness craze was banned from the Canberra headquarters after some staff feared for their safety, the Age reported.

Officials told a Senate hearing that the department called in the building’s owners and the firm that constructed the offices after a Zumba class held on the 12th floor in October caused the building to vibrate.

Under questioning from Liberal senator Brett Mason, officials said engineers inspected the building on the day of the incident and assured the department its structural integrity had not been compromised.

But the department later commissioned consultants to install equipment to detect the degree to which the building was moving, and tests confirmed exercise classes were causing the building to shake.

While all buildings are designed to move in response to factors such as wind, the high impact movements of Zumba caused a build-up of “harmonic vibrations”, despite the floor on which the exercise class was held exceeding Australian standards for gymnasiums.

As a result, Zumba classes were stopped in the building because of safety fears. (ANI)