P.E. Joins The Circus

It's Acadiana: Out to Lunch

Fitness is a big industry. Over the last decade, the global market for fitness has nearly doubled to around $100 billion.

You’ve probably seen the results of that boom around town. Think of the world of 24/7 gyms and fitness centers, smoothie shops and personal trainers. That world is expanding not just in size but in variety. And it’s drawing in ideas and disciplines from the world of the arts, too. There are fitness programs based on ballet and dance. They combine movement, performance, expression and a pretty good workout.

That would be one way to describe aerial arts. You might be more familiar with how it’s applied to gymnastics or the circus: high flying trapeze acts or silk climbers.

You can get a taste of the high life with a little help from Rachel Adams, co-founder and co-owner of Sky Craft, an aerial arts studio right here in Lafayette. Rachel started taking aerial arts classes in 2015 with Erin Welch, who is now her business partner. They co-founded Sky Craft in 2022. The studio offers group and private instruction, as well as aerial performers for hire — no pun intended. Rachel and Erin often do pop-up performances at major events like Festival International or nonprofit fundraisers.

About 80% of Sky Craft students are kids, Rachel says. But interest among adults is steadily (ahem) rising.

Exercise might be good business, but the fundamentals of physical fitness are something most of us learn in school. Do you want a career in physical education? Well, it’s not really good enough to be the football coach anymore — you’ve got to know what you’re doing.

K-Lynn Mckey, is someone who can help you with that. K-Lynn grew up in Monroe and has lived in Lafayette since 2019 where she's a senior instructor in UL Lafayette’s School of Kinesiology and the program coordinator for K-12 Health and PE. In a nutshell, K-Lynn’s job is to teach teachers. And that job description is shifting fast.

K-Lynn’s program includes online instruction, which presents a challenge in and of itself: How do you teach someone to teach physical education in a Zoom room? A 21st century problem if there ever was one.

Out to Lunch Acadiana was recorded live over lunch at Tsunami Sushi in downtown Lafayette. You can find photos from this show by Astor Morgan at itsacadiana.com.

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