The classes, conducted via Zoom, allow advanced athletes to hone their skills & new gymnasts learn strong basics
With Olympic and national sports competitions on hiatus until 2021, Eastern Massachusetts–based Boston Rhythmic has developed an innovative way to keep experienced and beginning rhythmic gymnasts engaged and fit this summer. The gym has launched Remote Rhythmics, an extensive slate of online courses for all ages, from preschool to elite level and adult. The weekly courses, which are taught live via Zoom by a group of skilled, accomplished international coaches, allow students to focus on good basics—such as turns, balances, flexibility, and apparatus handling—in a small-group, low-distraction environment. Parents can also enroll young, budding athletes in a week-to-week online camp, with an array of stimulating fitness practices, creativity exercises, and social activities.
While other online rhythmic programs focus on either competitive or recreational gymnastics, Boston Rhythmic is unique in offering classes for all ages and levels, and for both boys and girls. Classes are limited in size and are structured, with an emphasis on skill advancement. Coaches watch and give feedback directly to each student. Students are allowed to see only themselves, which keeps them focused on their work and prevents them from creating unfavorable comparisons between their skills and a more advanced student’s. When the coach wants a student to demonstrate a technical element, she can highlight the gymnast on-screen, for all students to reap the benefit of learning.
“Because the students are seeing so much progress, they’re motivated to keep coming back,” says Boston Rhythmic executive director Smaranda Albeck. “Our Level 9s and 10s, for example, have been training for three hours a day, and their technique is so strong, it’s on par with the best in the world. The silver lining of a very challenging situation is that our students now have the opportunity to work with some of the best instructors, anywhere in the world, in an instant! And the most rewarding part for us is to be able to share our programs with gymnasts on all continents.” To date, Boston Rhythmic has hosted gymnasts and coaches from Singapore, the United Kingdom, Nigeria, Brazil, Spain, and more than 20 other countries.
Junior National Team member and Boston Rhythmic student Gemma Gow says, “My coach, Ionela, [has] made the best out of the situation. Rather than dwelling on the many challenges that we faced training at home, she understood how we could use the opportunity to improve weaker areas. From the very first remote practice, our focus was driven towards improvement in strength, flexibility, and the fundamentals of apparatus work.”
Beyond the improvement in basic technique, Albeck says, “Online classes are fun and interactive, and allow the students to really connect with their coaches. Some of our girls have asked their parents not to go on road trips this summer, because they don’t want to miss a class. Others are taking their training with them, and keeping up with their practice from a variety of locations.”
Boston Rhythmic is currently offering the following online rhythmic gymnastics programs:
Remote Rhythmics Weekly Camp. Remote Rhythmics Camp features more than 100 engaging activities for beginner-level girls and boys ages 6 to 9 years old. The camp is designed to make fitness fun and develop confidence and social skills. Students take part in daily dance, yoga, rhythmic gymnastics, creative expression, art and social games curated around a weekly theme, such as “Discover Wild Africa” or “South American Colors and Rhythms.” Week-by-week registration means no long-term commitments, and parents can pick the weeks when they need the most support— perfect for keeping their children engaged while they work from home. Hours: 8:30–12:30 ($245/week).
Rising Stars Classes. These once-per-week classes are made for children, teens, and adults who have no or some experience with rhythmic gymnastics, and are engaged only at the recreational level. The focus is on skill progression in a fun setting. Students are grouped in the following age ranges: girls ages 3–4, 5–6, 7–9, and 10+ years old; boys ages 4–6 and 7+; and adults. Prices range from $95 to $220 per month.
Xcel or Junior Olympic Team Programs. Team classes are designed for competitive gymnasts at various levels. Classes are taught by core Rhythmic Dreams staff and are held several times per week in one- to three-hour sessions. Tuition varies by level and length/number of classes, from $8/hour to $20/hour.
Remote Rhythmics Master Classes. Master Classes are taught by a roster of illustrious international instructors, including US National Team coach Ionela Bobrischew and former Spanish National Champion and four-time Olympian Finalist Almudena Cid.
Boston Rhythmic is the sister school of Rhythmic Dreams, founded in 2002 by MIT Business School graduate and corporate consultant Smaranda Albeck. The Boston Rhythmic and Rhythmic Dreams vision is based on innovation, outside-the-box thinking, and top-notch training. Since the original gym’s founding, the family has expanded to three state-of-the-art facilities, including Rhythmic Dreams Needham, MA, Boston Rhythmic Watertown, MA, and Boston Rhythmic Westborough, MA. Boston Rhythmic is the largest school of its kind on the East Coast, with more than 500 students, but has retained its community atmosphere and commitment to developing accomplished, creative, and healthy athletes. Under the guidance of its expert coaches, Boston Rhythmic has produced four USA National Team members and numerous Level 10 gymnasts. It is also the first gym in the United States to offer a rhythmic program for boys.
Among the accomplished international coaching staff of Boston Rhythmics are former USA National Team member Ada Salie; former Bulgarian National Team member Iliana Milanova, who has coached in nine countries; and former Romanian National Champion Ionela Bobrischew, who has coached US national champions.
In-person classes will resume at Boston Rhythmic, in compliance with CDC and state guidelines, in September. Students enrolled for fall can choose between in-person and online classes, or a mix of the two.
To find out more about Boston Rhythmic or register for classes, visit www.bostonrhythmic.com, or follow the gym on Facebook and Instagram at @bostonrhythmic.
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