Couple helps people get moving through the joy of Double Dutch
By Monique John
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ATLANTA (WUPA) — An Atlanta couple turned their love of a classic jump rope activity into a workout that’s helped thousands get moving and get fit.
Sean and Michelle Clark say they’ve taught more than 100,000 people in 30 cities the joy of Double Dutch.
For Michelle Clark, it’s a passion she’s poured into since she was 4 years old.
“I had the idea when he was my boyfriend to start a class for Double Dutch because I love workout classes, so why not have it in Double Dutch?” she recalled.
“[T]he next week we started a class,” Sean Clark said. “I thought it was the best idea I’ve ever heard in my life.”
Double dutch is a competitive sport where the participants jump between two ropes that are turning in opposite directions. The Clarks say their business started small in 2012, teaching classes in New York. They went full-time after moving to Georgia and opened their studio in Northwest Atlanta. Over the years, they’ve taught children, inmates, and celebrities like Trinidad James, Tisha Campbell, and Scarface.
Double Dutch is upheld as a special pastime in Black communities. The Clarks say communities have a special relationship with the sport because it’s a healthy, affordable outlet for wellness.
“It didn’t take anything at all,” Sean Clark said. “Whatever was going on in your household stayed in your household, because when you came outside, you had a chance to feel good and have a good time and let go of all the things that are happening in your life.”
“(We) embrace each other,” says Taj Wray, an instructor at Double Dutch Aerobics. “We talk after class and just sit through and converse. We go out for birthdays and hang.”
“I’ve developed so many friendships, meeting people through Double Dutch. I mean, we all have that commonality,” said instructor Livonne Moore.
The Clarks want to make Double Dutch as accessible and respected as other forms of fitness, like yoga and spin. They also want to make it more competitive.
The couple takes pride in helping adults feel like kids again.
“When you have that guttural laugh, when you do a pop up, or when you jump in with your partner, or when you finally got that trick that you’ve been trying to get, that’s a joy that comes with this sport. There’s just a childlike joy,” Michelle Clark said.
Anyone who wants to give Double Dutch Aerobics a try can take one of their classes every Saturday morning. You can learn more on the company’s website.
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