Max Imperoli, the creator of Macumba

Max Imperoli began his career in dance at the age of 4 when his older sister, a professional dancer with the Italo-disco group "the Crazy Gang", began his training and introduced him to the world of professional dance.  At the age of 18 he was hired in what was then the newest and best Fitness Center in Rome: "The Roman Sport Center", owned by the F1 racecar champion Eddie Cheever.  The Roman Sport Center a Fitness Center boasting over 23,000 square feet of modern fitness equipment, is still one of the most upscale facilities in Italy, and is a landmark on the well known Via Veneto near the American Embassy.  Max eventually left the Roman Sports Center to study fitness full time as a student at I.S.E.F.*

European universities have a different system than their American counterparts. However, the degree that Max earned - with a grade of 110/110 and honors - is equivalent to a Bachelor's degree in Physical Education, and entitles him to teach fitness in public schools.  Not to discredit the value and effort involved, but most American fitness instructors only obtain a basic certification.  Fitness certification courses are typically equivalent to taking eight or nine credit hours and can be gained in three or four months from a private association on a pass or fail basis.  A degree in Physical Education generally includes  over one hundred credit hours and takes years to obtain from an established university.  Max Imperoli's education at the Italian State University ( I.S.E.F.* ) qualified him to develop a system that will be both challenging and safe.  There are many popular dance aerobic methods being taught at fitness facilities nationwide today, and each of them has a founder with some type of dance and athletic background.  But how many of them have the can demonstrate a good creative balance of dance and science and verify that the science is based on years of university study?

Once Max returned to Rome he began working as a personal trainer.  With his education and background, he was soon in high demand by the elite and famous of Italy.  Film and television stars depend on their appearance to earn an income and remain popular.  It's no accident that they soon came to rely on Max to keep them looking fit and healthy.

While successfully managing his career as a fitness trainer, Max took a renewed interest in his roots with Brazilian and international dance styles, and began to develop a unique afro and Pan-American dance fitness method.  By 2006 his system was well defined, and required instructors to have a broad repertoire of skills since it combined elements of many cultural dances, including Jive, Italian folk song, all the sexy varieties of reggaeton and of course, salsa, merengue and cumbia. With his extensive fitness training he developed a system that also required instructors to master almost all of the movements of classic aerobics, increasing the participants stability, flexibility , balance, strength and endurance.   

He had begun teaching his new fitness system and demonstrated it in 2006 at the world famous Fitness Festival in Rome. That's where the Festival owner and talent scout immediately spotted him and requested that he formally bring this effective class to all of Italy.  Max chose to call it Macumba.

Today, Max stays busy teaching Macumba and holding instructor seminars.  He is in very high demand in Italy and is actively working on certifying instructors worldwide.

* This is an acronym for the Italian University "Istituto Superiore Scienze Motorie", or -in english, Superior Institute of Physical Education.  It is the best school for Physical Education in Italy.  Due to many differences in the way high school and college semesters are grouped in Europe and in the USA, European universities offer three year programs that are equivalent to American four year programs. Max has a three year university degree at I.S.E.F. that is equivalent to a four year Bachelors in the U.S.A. A few years after Max earned his degree, the I.S.E.F. changed its name and became IUSM (Istituto Universitario di Scienze Motorie) or, University Institute of Physical.Education.