One Thursday afternoon, we found ourselves observing a rhythmic gymnastics class taught by Oksana Zhang, founder and owner of Bodylab wellness center. With a mixture of English, Mandarin and Russian, the mother of one and ex-gymnast led a small group of 5 and 6 year olds through their paces. There was lots of smiling while she coaxed them through warm-up stretches and fun exercises, all perfectly in time to the classical music playing in the background.
Established in April 2016, Bodylab offers ballet, ballroom and hip-hop dance classes, as well as gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics from their original Zhangyang Lu studio. This summer, a second studio opened in Lujiazui, an oasis of calm from which the city’s iconic Pudong skyline is clearly visible. Both studios are equipped with air filtration and safety features such as child gates, and all children’s classes are staffed by foreign teachers. With some students traveling two hours each way to attend the classes, the new larger studio has the space to allow parents to attend their own yoga, wellness workshops or dance classes while the children are busy enjoying themselves.
Oksana, in her role as mom, teacher and head coach of the rhythmic gymnastics team, tells us, “I enjoy working with young gymnasts of different levels and ages, and I will do everything in my power to pass my skills and great passion on to my students.” And indeed she has many skills to call upon, including over 10 years of coaching experience, eight of them as a dance and choreography teacher. Her qualification as a Russian Federation Master of Sport, and of course, her experience teaching gymnastics at the Russian Consulate add to her skillset. To cap it all off, Oksana was recently invited to a Pudong local government meeting to represent international women in business, and was invited to appear on the television show ‘International Parents Have Their Say.’
It was obvious that the kids respect and admire their inspirational coach – however, they feel relaxed and comfortable enough to laugh and even be a little mischievous at times. Oskana explains, “If it’s the professional path the children and the parents are considering, we will switch to a totally different and stricter scheme, however, most children are here to cultivate an interest in sports and gymnastics, and more importantly, to have fun with other kids. There’s no need to force professional training sessions onto kids this age.”
Jeanette, whose 6 year old daughter Gillian had been attending rhythmic gymnastics classes for just a couple of weeks, told me that both of them love Oksana. Jeanette and her daughter enjoy the community at the Bodylab studios, and Gillian has surprised her with the newly-acquired skills and increased confidence she has already shown. When we asked all the students what they enjoyed most about their class, they all replied that Oksana was the main draw.
Another 5 year old student, Coco, has been in the class for over a year. “We visited many organizations and institutions,” her mother says as she recalls the time when they tried to find a suitable gymnastic class for Coco. “But this was the only one she liked.” She notes that even though sometimes these kids work hard to complete tricky sets of routines, they thoroughly enjoy the course.
Before we left the studio, we took a final look at the kids through the glass window. They were having a break, laughing and playing silly games. We thought, this isn’t only a gymnasium for dance, it’s a community as well.
Bodylab, see listing here.
