Brandi Root helping keep community moving

In a continuing series of difference-makers in Shafter, we turn the spotlight on local woman Brandi Root, who has kept Shafter moving for over a decade.

Brandi Root has been serving the community of Shafter for over a decade, helping them keep moving and healthy. Root is a licensed Zumba instructor who teaches classes at several locations throughout Kern County, including classes at the Walker Senior Center in Shafter.

Root has taught at local schools, as well as for the Shafter Recreation Department, teaching children and seniors the popular dance.

Root also has coached cheerleaders for the past few years, from the grade school kids up to the Shafter High School Cheerleaders.

Root also has been an integral part of the most popular event in Shafter the past few years, as a member of the Cinco de Mayo Committee in Shafter. Together with her mother, Deanna Rodriguez-Root, Brandi has helped organize the annual event, celebrating the Mexican culture and its victory over the French military.

Along those lines, Root also has taught Ballet Folkloric classes at the local elementary schools, teaching them the traditional dances that are popular across the country.

These dance teams have performed all over Kern County. In addition to the Cinco de Mayo Festival, the teams have performed at different schools, events, and the Kern County Fair.

Root was also the organizer of Zumba classes towards the end of the pandemic closures, leading a Zumba class at a local school for the entire community. It was one of the first times that the community could gather in one place. "I have been teaching the classes virtually for a year now and it is so wonderful to get back to in-person classes," said Root. "We have to keep moving as a community, for our health, fitness, and even mental well-being," concluded Root.

Her passion is for the community, and Root is helping our community, one dance step at a time.