Dancing their way into our hearts.

Story by TINA HENNIGAR
Christina and David Palao are a dancing duo with Latin flair teaching Zumba 6-days a week in what Christina calls a “sidehustle.” Chances are you’ve seen them teaching a crowd of people from the gazebo at Shipyards Landing in Bridgewater or in a video at the Michelin Social Club for various events and fundraisers. Their energy is contagious. Even those as uncoordinated as me have been inspired to move by their enthusiasm. 
Learning Zumba made perfect sense for Christina who is passionate about healthy living. She bought the infomercial starter kit to learn Zumba and said to her Spanish husband, David, “If you ever want to see me again, you might want to jump on this train, because I’m going to Florida for a convention and you might want to come with me,” she laughed. He got his training and they moved up in the Zumba world. The two move in unison. They make a pretty adorable partnership.
Christina and David met at Acadia and an internship brought Christina to Lunenburg County. Even before her internship ended, she was offered a job. Christina is a dietitian working in Lunenburg and Queen’s Counties, based out of Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital and David works at High Liner Foods in logistics. They have a daughter who attends Bluenose Academy and thrives in the French Immersion program and is quite a dancer in her own right. In fact, she inspired her mother to take up step dancing with a friend at their daughter’s
dance studio. “No two days are the same,” Christina said of her work. “And I love
what I do. I’ll see an infant in the morning and a senior in the afternoon,” she beamed. “I love rural Nova Scotia. Working in a city, I think you’re going to become specialized, and that may have its advantages, but I like being a jack of all trades. I know everyone who refers patients to me, and I can pick up the phone to talk to the doctor. It’s really great.”
Originally from Latin America, David is now a very proud Canadian citizen. While at first he had a hard time meeting people, he now has a great group of friends and is involved in a lot of community activities. “He plays the ukulele, he runs and belongs to a bike group who call themselves The Night Riders,” Christina smiles and chuckles. And of course, together they teach Zumba, helping to promote healthy living, injecting a little Latin flavour and rhythm into Lunenburg County.