Merriam, KS Indoor Activities

At Brazil Academy, Ninja Pinto fulfills his lifelong dream of bringing the martial arts capoeira and jujitsu to American audiences from his native Brazil, where he spent his formative years training in these fighting techniques. Now a contra-mestre with more than a decade of teaching experience, Ninja leads instructors who, in addition to martial arts, guide groups of all ages and fitness levels through foot-spicing Latin dances, yoga, and cardio workouts. Students in need of more focused attention can opt for private lessons, during which instructors teach skills and fitness techniques on a one-on-one basis.

A swarm of sock-footed kids climb up inflatable steps to reach the top of a rainbow-colored slide, sliding down in an orderly fashion before bouncing off and running back for another go. At Jumping Jax, children can safely expend energy with abandon, playing in air-filled structures that cushion them when they fall or work together to stage a production of the Icarus myth. The play arena sports a multitude of attractions including a bounce house with a Twister-board floor and two low-hanging ziplines.

Each instructor at Pilates 1901 boasts extensive training in the Stott method, combining a contemporary understanding of physiology with traditional Pilates techniques to create a safe and accessible regimen of silhouette-firming exercises. Instructors gather groups in practice spaces overflowing with reformers and exo chairs before teaching students of all skill and fitness levels how to safely use the apparatuses' spring-loaded resistance. In addition to equipment classes, the instructors also lead technique-refining mat sessions and interval workouts, which incorporate Pilates exercises into a cardio regimen that leaves attendees as breathless as a focus group for jumbo kazoos.

Maya Zahira began studying natural therapeutic arts and belly dance in 1999, eventually creating a studio that she dedicated to alternative healing. Both folkloric and fusion belly-dancing classes welcome women of varying skill and fitness levels, promoting physical and mental well-being with empowering dance moves that teach students how to undulate as smoothly as a snake slithering across a waterbed that’s filled with pudding. Outside of the dance studio, Maya fosters a tension-free environment for visitors by offering aromatherapy, drum-therapy, and reiki sessions, which help encourage natural healing by redirecting roadblocked sources of inner energy.