Work off those holiday pounds with a Bollywood dance class. Photo by Charlotte Moreau
Welcome to the 6th edition our weekly Shunyi Happenings newsletter, where our Shunyi Correspondent Charlotte Moreau brings you all the goings-on from beyond the 5th Ring. Have a Shunyi tip for Charlotte? Click here to send her the details.
Things are coming back to life again in Shunyi, though the next big break — Chinese New Year — is just around the corner. Here’s some things to do and observations from this corner of Beijing we call home:
* Tina’s Workshop has Western cooking classes for ayis (taught in Mandarin) on Wednesday afternoons in the Shunyi area. The specific schedule, location and menus change, so check www.wix.com/tinasworkshop/tws or e-mail tinasworkshop@yahoo.com for more information. Classes are RMB 150 for a three hour class, and are currently held in Rits Garden Villas.
*Is it time to work off those yummy holiday treats with a fun exercise program? Try out these dance classes in Shunyi:
*Zumba, with Pilar Valdivia (Zumba instructor and certified Cali-Columbian salsa dance instructor from Columbia)
*Mondays from 10am-11am
*Lane Bridge Clubhouse, 2nd floor
*FREE CLASSES first two weeks only: January 10 and January 17
*Contact pilar.valdivia@pp.inet.fi
*Bollywood Dance Classes with Irit Namatinia
*Mondays from 2pm-3pm (first class January 17)
*River Garden Clubhouse Dance Studio
*Contact iritmike@gmail.com
*Dance opportunities for the little ones include:
*Danz Centre at the Yosemite clubhouse resumes a variety of classes, from ballet and tap, to jazz and hip hop. Registration begins now. Go to the website at www.danzcentre.com, e-mail at info@danzcentre.com or call 8041 7745 for more information.
*Those living in or near River Garden can try the Hip Hop classes available there on Saturday afternoons. Kids aged 6-12 attend the class from 5-6pm; kids over 12 attend from 6-7pm. The first two lessons are free. Contact Adrien at 132 6318 2001 or tribuloison@hotmail.fr for more information.
*A drive-by today of the China Expo Center Subway Station still shows no sign of open car parking. Entries from both Jingmi Lu and the access road beside the Expo Center are blocked off. However, several cars were parked alongside this access road and it was evident that these were subway riders. No parking tickets were on the car windshields, but I wouldn’t count on this being allowed for long, especially when an Expo is underway.
*If it’s time to brush up on your Chinese again, this is the first week to sign up for the new semester at HLCC in Capital Paradise villas. Beginning through advanced courses are available, as are characters classes and ayi English classes. Contact halida@hlcc.asia or call the 135 0115 3524 for more information. Other nearby locations for Chinese lessons include Easy Way Chinese by Jenny Lou’s in Pinnacle Plaza, the Bridge School located in the Capital Paradise clubhouse, and Mandarin Express by the Yosemite villas clubhouse.
*The International Newcomer’s Network (INN) hosts Neighborhood Coffee Mornings. These are purely social events in local cafes that allow you to get to know people who live close by, and pick up a few tips and tricks from those who have been around the neighborhood awhile. Shunyi Coffee Mornings are held on the third Thursday of each month. On January 20 from 10am-12pm, meet at Mrs. Shanen’s Bagels & Café. For more information on INN, go to their website at www.innbeijing.org.
