Luiza is a Star of the North, raising funds for the Cancer Council
Neutral Bay’s Luiza Mustafina works as an operations support manager in early childhood education by day, but at night she transforms into a neon-clad Zumba teacher, leading her dancers through their moves to her eclectic playlist in Neutral Bay and Mosman. “I do my day job and then I change into my very loud Zumba clothes,” Luiza tells NL. “They’re neon colours, all the greens and the pinks.”
Luiza’s Zumba love helped fundraise more than $150,000 for the Cancer Council in June, when she took part in Stars of the North. The event has a similar premise to Channel 7’s Dancing with the Stars, in that a dancer coaches a local personality in a special routine which they perform together at a competition night extravaganza.
Luiza had been involved in the Northern Beaches event the previous year and was thrilled to help with another Stars event.
After 12 weeks of rehearsals, Luiza and Northern Beaches Councillor Jody Williams took to the stage at Norths in Cammeray, along with Luiza’s Zumba ladies as backing dancers, to perform The Greatest Show, a song from The Greatest Showman.
“He’s such a beautiful soul,” Luiza says of Jody. “He’s the most hilarious guy, with great energy and a great attitude.” Jody, though he told Luiza he was not a dancer, triumphed as the showman with Luiza playing the trapeze artist.
“We had so much fun,” Luiza says. “We were cheering for all the other competitors. We didn’t end up winning – which was fine, because we were not in it to win.”
Money raised through events like this help fund the Cancer Council’s research into a cure for cancer and to support those affected by the disease.
“My Zumba participants were very grateful for the chance to perform and support such an amazing cause,” says Luiza. “Everyone’s got a story to tell about someone they know who either survived, or didn’t survive, cancer. So, it’s important for us to support the community.”
Jody and Luiza at Stars of the North
Luiza Mustafina, originally from Russia, arrived in Sydney in 2015, via a stint living in New Zealand. She has always loved dancing and decided to train as a Zumba instructor six years ago. Her classes are inclusive, and a mix of low and medium intensity and she has people of all ages attending. She has built a close community of Zumba lovers, with many friendships formed, with people getting together socially for dinner or karaoke.
“I try to bring fun and meaning into my classes, and people say things like, ‘Wednesday’s my highlight of the week.’ We don’t just exercise together and go home. (We’re) a really good community of people who are passionate about dancing,” Luiza says.
“For me, dancing is something that also helps me to reduce stress,” she adds. “I can’t think of anything else when I’m dancing because I’m concentrating on the steps and concentrating on staying connected to my participants. So, it literally is like a reset button, and I’m fresh with new energy for the next day.”