by Kayla Sheldon on 2015-03-12

Moreno Valley Parks and Community Services held it’s annual Recreation Expo on Saturday, March 7. The expo is aimed to inform all community members of the classes and services that the Community Services Department offers including recreational sports, Zumba, Karate, Tae Kwon Do, drawing, different types of dancing, photography, piano, guitar and many more. According to Janet Palacio, a recreation leader, the goal of the event is to introduce the classes to the community. “The instructors come out and kind of showcase their classes to increase enrollment… and to overall get the word out,” she said. Some of the classes showcased their talent by giving a brief performance on stage in the Moreno Valley Conference and Recreation Center, including: their Zumba class, Martial Arts, Folkloric dance and more. Each performance was given by students currently enrolled in the courses and were accompanied by their instructors. “This also gives the parents a chance to see what their children are doing or want to do and to meet the instructors,” Palacio added. Palacio also mentioned that the Expo occurs every year, which helps the new classes get the word out. Jessica Williams is adding a new class to the list for Moreno Valley residents, called “Keys to Life”. This newest addition is very different from sports, dance or instruments. However, it’s just as useful. Williams’ “Keys to Life” workshop series aims to serve those who want to improve their lives but just doen’t know how. “They said it would take a few months to build and start to get things rolling, but I’m excited for progress,” said Williams, who hopes that the event will help get the word out about her new class. Zumba, although it doesn’t come off as a fitness class, is aimed at getting a good workout while dancing and having a good time. After the Folkloric dance classes of all ages performed their brief set, Zumba Instructor Jeri Lee brought her student dancers on stage to get a good workout in. The Folkloric students also stayed on stage to join the Zumba dance workout. As a handful of songs went by the students danced in a routine as Instructor Lee lead the way. “Did that feel like a workout?” Lee shouted to the children. “It felt like a dance party!” she said. According to Lee, in just those few minutes they spent on stage dancing, they burned a total of 300 calories. [END] The City of Moreno Valley Parks & Community Services Department will host a Recreation Expo on Saturday, March 7, 2015. The expo will be held at the Conference and Recreation Center located at 14075 Frederick Street from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. This free event showcases the city's contract classes and programs available for youth and adults in the community. Demonstrations ranging from martial arts, fitness, folkloric dance, ballet and jazz will be performed, as well as hands-on activities such a drawing, painting and experimenting with musical instruments. On-site registration will be available. For general information regarding the Recreation Expo, please contact the Moreno Valley Parks and Community Services Department at 951.413.3280.