M2 Fitness to host two actors and dancers from the Philippines

File photo shows the M2 Fitness group were seen performing during the Pride at the Park this year in the NMI Museum grounds. (Leigh Gases)

In celebration of M2 Fitness’ second anniversary, two Filipino dancer/actors, Wowie De Guzman and Joshua Zamora, will be leading the M2 Zumba group during their Zumba routine at the Saipan’s World Resort’s Royal Taga Ballroom in Susupe on Aug. 27.

De Guzman and Zamora will arrive in the CNMI on Aug. 26, 2022, and the Zumba Craze Party will be held the next day and will start at 6pm. It is expected to be attended by Zumba groups and enthusiasts from all over the CNMI, including several groups from Tinian and Rota. General admission tickets are $35 and door general admission is $50. VIP tickets are $50 with door VIP tickets at $65. Proceeds will benefit the NMI Museum and the TSL Foundation.

In an interview with M2 Fitness president and Zumba Fitness coach Mary-Grace Bautista, she said the two visitors were actually scheduled to come to Saipan last year for M2 Fitness’ first anniversary, but were unable to make the journey because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. This year, the duo will be leading the Zumba Craze Party live.

The event’s theme, ‘Taking it to the Strongest Level,” almost describes the journey of M2 Fitness’ itself, which is a non-profit organization. Bautista noted that, in the beginning, she had not thought about creating an organization, but just wanted to get healthy. She asked her friend, licensed fitness coach Mishael “Mita” Pelicano, to be her workout buddy, and the two began working out with several friends, and family members. Taking its baby steps at the height of the pandemic, the group would meet at certain beach pavilions to exercise together. A couple of months later, an opportunity opened for M2 when the TSL Foundation allowed the group to use their indoor gym, and even promoted the program among some of their employees. M2 Fitness’ first session saw 20 participants and steadily grew to 120+ participants by the end of the year. Now, as they celebrate their second year, Bautista said the fitness group currently has over 200 participants from different cultures, all joined together in support of each other. Bautista said that M2 Fitness does not charge any individual to participate in the daily workouts, but sees itself as a health and fitness group centered on serving the community. She noted that she and the board members would actually pay needed business, health, and workout licenses out of their own pockets, and would also function off of donations from patrons, but they never charged participants. Bautista said their fitness program is more like a support group, fueled more by passion, the support of friends, and the team,.

Aside From Bautista, M2 Fitness’ board members are Pelicano who is the vice president of M2 Fitness and it’s Strong HIIT coach; Karen Tan, serving as M2 Fitness’ secretary; Fea La Torre, public relations officer; Filamer Reyes, the organization’s treasurer; Fe Salas, auditor; Danafaye Salas, assistant secretary, and Denzel Salas.

Bautista said that she looks forward to many more years of serving the community through M2 Fitness, and that hopefully one day the group will have its own studio for workouts. Along with workouts, the M2 Fitness team also provides additional healthy diet plans for individuals interested, and has seen many great results.

The upcoming Zumba Craze Party at the Saipan World Resort will be a “Zumba marathon” of sorts, with the actors taking turns in leading the many diverse teams that will be present. The Rotary Club of Saipan and the Saipan Marianas Lions Club also donated $1,500 toward the M2 Fitness event; with Rotary Club donating $1,000, and the Saipan Marianas Lion’s Club donating $500.

The Zumba Craze Party is set to begin at 6pm on Aug. 27, 2022; but tickets are available for pre-purchase. You can contact M2 Fitness at M2fitnesszm@gmail.com or check out their Facebook page facebook.com/M2FitnesStrongZumbaMovers.

Chrystal Marino
chrystal_marino@saipantribune.com
Correspondent