Samantha Lee Helton is a dancer, choreographer, and fitness professional in the Albany area.  She was born and raised in Leesburg, Georgia, and attended the Lee County school system throughout her K-12 education.  Upon graduation from Lee County High School in 2005, Samantha enrolled at Valdosta State University, where she attended classes for four years and earned a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Dance.  In addition to graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2009, Samantha also had the distinction of graduating with the highest grade point average in the College of the Arts.  While at Valdosta State University, Mrs. Helton received training in many areas of dance, including the basics of Jazz, Tap, Ballet, and Modern.  She also trained in Latin dance styles and in dance pedagogy, the instruction of dance, which allows her to teach her students in a safe and proper manner.  Samantha also learned basic kineseology as part of her studies, which allows her to provide classes that are free of dangerous exercises while still providing an excellent workout.  In addition, Samantha received training in choreography, and has produced several works including "Closed Curtain" (Valdosta State University 2009) and "Eventuality" (Darton College 2010 and 2011). 

Upon graduation, Samantha returned to Albany, Georgia and began teaching classes at the Albany Area YMCA.  She soon expanded her business to Darton College where she offers physical education classes in both Latin dance and Zumba® fitness.  From there, Samantha further expanded to The Gym, Curves, and Tony's Westside Athletic Club where she teaches Zumba® fitness-based classes.

Samantha holds licenses in the following classes:  Zumba® Basics 1 and 2, Zumba Gold®, Aqua Zumba®, Zumbatomic®, and Zumba® Toning. through the Zumba Fitness® program.   She has also trained in the areas of yoga, Pilates, land aerobics (including Hi/Low and Step classes), water aerobics, and in chair fitness, which allows her to draw on a vast database of exercises to customize a class for her participants.  More information can be found about each of these programs by visiting the class descriptions link to the left.

Samantha is now a ACE certified Group Fitness Instructor.  For more information on the ACE program please visit their website at www.acefitness.org

Myra Hundley
Senior Yoga Instructor

Myra has explored and practiced Yoga since 1968, studied wellness and therapeutic massage since the ‘70’s, has taught stress management, back rehab, and therapeutic massage at the college level, and then studied Yoga further in Kai Yoga’s RYT 200 Yoga Alliance Instructor’s Program in 2007 & 2008. She has been teaching Senior Yoga since 2007 and practicing professional therapeutic massage since her AMTA national certification in 1986. For more info call Myra at 669-3403 or email fitnessefficiency@yahoo.com.

Vicky Leister
Zumba Fitness® Instructor

Vicky is a licensed Zumba Fitness® instructor who has been participating in Zumba Fitness® clases since 2005.  While living in her hometown of Mexico City she participated in Zumba Fitness® classes, and has taken classes from the creator of the program, Beto Perez.  In 2007 she moved to the United States where she married and had daughter.  She currently lives in Albany with her family and rejoined the Zumba Fitness® family in 2012 as a member of the Zumba Instructor Network®.