Zumba, a popular exercise, will be pairing up with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation this weekend to raise funds for breast cancer research.

The Zumbathon Party in Pink will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday in the Student Recreation Center in Lantz Arena.

This event costs $2 for people purchasing in advance and $4 at the door.

Seventy-five percent of the ticket proceeds will go to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

A hundred percent of the donations will go toward the foundation, as well. This event is open to the public so all people and donations are welcome.

The slogan for this year’s Zumbathon is “Moving for a Cure.”

Emily Dupuis said the pairing up of Zumba and fundraising for the Susan G. Komen Foundation is great for those who support the foundation to get a great workout, and for those frequent Zumba participants to support a really important organization.

Dupuis, a senior family and consumer sciences major, has been teaching Zumba for about two years and said she is excited about this event.

She said last year the Zumbathon for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease, had more than 150 people in attendance with 300 purchased tickets.

This is the second annual Zumbathon, and Dupuis said she hopes more people will attend this year because they have heard of it and may be more willing to attend.

“The biggest thing I think I want people to know is that this is a super fun event, where you can come with your friends, dance around, get some exercise and at the same time do something really good and give back to the community,” Dupuis said.

Dupuis said they made the tickets inexpensive this year and benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation for things like research, education, screening and treatment programs.

She said there is no penalty for not showing up if you buy a ticket in advance; it is still a donation. Not only will participants support the cause, but they will also benefit from the Zumba itself.

“I love everything about Zumba,” she said. “Not only does it give me an excuse to shake and shimmy at work, but I get a great workout from it and feel great when I’m done. The most rewarding part is watching all the people in class dancing, laughing, sweating and singing along to the songs right along with me,” she said.

Dupuis said her goal in teaching Zumba is not just to give people a workout, but to let them know they can be silly, let loose and feel good about themselves.

She said this is a chance for those who’ve had a bad day to forget about it for the 45-minute classes and have an awesome time.

“Zumba offers people a sense of empowerment and confidence,” she said. “When they look in the mirror, I want them to think, ‘Hey, I look good.’”

Dupuis said she encourages people to come and bring their friends to get a great workout and be entered to win T-shirts.

People may come and go as they please throughout the 3 hours of the Zumbathon, she said.

“If you take out 30 minutes out of your day, you can come to this charity event and contribute to something that is much bigger than yourself,” Dupuis said.

Joanna Leighton can be reached at 581-2812 or jlleighton@eiu.edu.