Who she is:

Rachel Reagan, Aqua Zumba instructor

How long she’s done it:

She’s been a certified Zumba instructor since 2006 and added the aquatics part in April.

Play with the water:

It’s 9 a.m. at Platte County Community Center South when Reagan rushes into the aquatics room. Her class of 21 — all women and one man — is waiting in the 4-feet, 6-inch-deep pool. Reagan hooks up a mic and an iPod to a speaker before standing on a mat by the water.

“Good morning,” she says with a smile. The bass starts thumping. She moves back and forth. “Side to side. Play with the water.” She simultaneously talks, sings and moves her legs and arms, jiggling her fingers like she’s playing piano. She and the music are loud and quick.

High impact, low risk:

Reagan is still dancing, then scoots to a nearby bench against the wall to demonstrate the next move.

“Lift your heels to your bottom. Palms down and up. Work your shoulders. Now move to the right. Push down.” Only 5 minutes have passed, but Reagan’s students are breathing heavy and she’s sweating hard.

Jogging and kickboxing mix in with the dancing along with a little karaoke and air guitar playing.

“This is not a pool party,” Reagan says and grins as a quick salsa beat plays. “Are you smiling? You better be. It burns calories.”

A student points out a battery has fallen from Reagan’s mic pack near her feet.

“Thanks, you saved my life!” Reagan says.

“You’re saving ours,” another student responds.

Cooling down:

A long-familiar Caribbean beat starts playing for the last song. Don’t worry. Be happy.

“I heard the s-word is a possibility,” Reagan tells the class. So with this song, we want to keep it nice and warm. 70 degrees! Don’t worry. Be happy. Yes, yes, yes!”