| IHRSA Report | Member News Value Proposition Batuka


Get ready for ‘Batuka, The Beat of Life,’ a dance-fitness program with an unusual background and a fascinating founder


Santander has written and produced music for the likes of Carlos Santana, Gloria Estefan, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Luis Miguel, and many others. He’s among the founding members of the Latin Grammy Academy and cur- rently serves as the chairman emeritus of the organization’s board. He’s also a four-time Latin Grammy Award winner. In 2005, Santander was general


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director of Spain’s No. 1 music reality television show, Operación Triunfo, the country’s answer to American Idol. His job was to nurture the talent, counsel them musically and emotionally, and oversee their overall health and well-being during each show’s grueling three-month run.


Bringing Batuka to North America


he man behind Batuka is Kike (pronounced “kee kay”) Santander, among Latin America’s top music produc- ers, and that’s no hyperbole.


about the toll that stress was taking on the show’s contestants, Santander developed several exercise routines integrating his original music and move- ments for the contestants. The contestants were so happy and


the results so profound that Santander and Endemol, the show’s producer, introduced his new fitness program, Batuka, to the public and health clubs via a series of DVDs. Santander com- posed dozens of fresh new songs and professional routines. The Batuka DVD series immediately sold more than 1.5 million copies, generating initial revenues of more than $40 million. In fact, Batuka was so popular that five of its songs became top-10 hits in Spain.


Batuka, The Beat of Life, a dance-fitness program already popular in Spain, will make its North American debut next month at IHRSA’s 30th Anniversary International Convention and Trade Show in San Francisco.


“The Batuka booth on the trade-show floor will feature dem- onstration programs and group classes powered by me and a live band,” says Batuka founder Kike Santander. In addition, Santander and Batuka executives will present an in-depth seminar for club owners and operators.—|


What Batuka’s all about “Batuka integrates movement with music into a seamless, fitness-wellness experi- ence that’s designed to have a positive impact on the entire individual—physically, emotionally, and psy- chologically,” Santander explains. “Each Batuka program incorporates a deep, comprehen- sive approach to move- ment and improved understanding about how movement is expressed to bring about profound and positive change. The


In addition to his musical background,


Santander is a physician/surgeon and has more than 25 years of experience in practical psychology. (He comes by the combination honestly: his father was a dentist and a singer.) Concerned


128 Club Business Internat ional | FEBRUARY 2011 |


Batuka offerings provide a complete menu of group-fitness and nutrition components.” As far as ongoing development is


concerned, Batuka has assembled what Santander calls a “dream team” of


www. ihrsa.org


Kike Santander


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“BATUKA INTEGRATES MOVEMENT WITH MUSIC INTO A SEAMLESS, FITNESS-WELL- NESS EXPERIENCE THAT’S DESIGNED TO HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE ENTIRE INDIVIDUAL— PHYSICALLY, EMOTIONALLY, AND PSYCHOLOGICALLY.”


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