Angels Wing Academy Moves to SJII: A New Era for Rhythmic Gymnastics Training in Singapore

A New Home. A Bigger Future.

Angels Wing Academy (AWA) is entering an exciting new chapter.

As part of our continued commitment to raising the standard of rhythmic gymnastics training in Singapore, Angels Wing Academy will be upgrading its training environment through a deeper collaboration with St. Joseph’s Institution International (SJII).

For our young gymnasts and families, this is much more than a change of venue.

It represents the next stage of AWA’s development: better facilities, greater training possibilities, a stronger educational environment, and a long-term platform for developing rhythmic gymnastics at a higher level in Singapore.

At the heart of this upgrade is one particularly important factor for advanced rhythmic gymnastics: height.

Why Ceiling Height Matters in Advanced Rhythmic Gymnastics

To someone watching rhythmic gymnastics for the first time, a larger sports hall may simply look more comfortable.

For an advanced gymnast, however, the dimensions of the training space can directly affect what she is able to practise.

Rhythmic gymnastics combines body technique with apparatus including the ribbon, hoop, ball, clubs and rope. As athletes progress to higher levels, apparatus handling becomes increasingly sophisticated.

One of the most important skills is the high throw.

Advanced gymnasts need to throw an apparatus several metres into the air while simultaneously performing rotations, leaps, balances or other body difficulties before catching it accurately.

That means ceiling height is not a luxury.

It is part of the technical training environment.

Our current training environment has supported the growth of many young gymnasts, but as AWA's higher-level programme continues to develop, ceiling height has increasingly become a limitation for advanced apparatus work.

The sports facilities at St. Joseph’s Institution International provide a dramatically different training environment, with ceiling clearance reaching approximately 15 metres in the training space planned for AWA.

This opens up an entirely new range of possibilities.

Gymnasts can work on higher apparatus throws, more complex flight trajectories, advanced apparatus-body combinations and competition-level routines with significantly fewer spatial restrictions.

For our coaches, it also means that advanced skills can be taught as they are intended to be performed—not constantly modified because of the building around the gymnast.

More Than a Venue: A Deeper Collaboration Between AWA and SJII

The move to SJII should therefore not be understood simply as Angels Wing Academy renting a larger sports hall.

Our vision is much broader.

AWA and SJII are exploring a deeper and longer-term collaboration that brings together high-quality education, sport, youth development and community.

St. Joseph’s Institution has a remarkable place in Singapore's educational history. The original St. Joseph’s Institution was founded by the De La Salle Brothers in 1852, making it one of Singapore's oldest educational institutions and the first missionary establishment of the La Salle Brothers in the Far East. (St. Joseph's Institution)

SJI International was subsequently established as part of this Lasallian educational tradition. Its High School opened in 2007, followed by its Elementary School in 2008. Today, SJI International describes a diverse educational community representing more than 40 nationalities and grounded in the Lasallian tradition of holistic education. (SJI International)

Its educational philosophy extends beyond academic achievement. The Lasallian tradition places strong emphasis on values such as community, service, respect, leadership and the development of the whole person. (SJI International)

These principles strongly resonate with what we are building at Angels Wing Academy.

Where SJII and Angels Wing Academy Share the Same Vision

Elite sport is not simply about winning medals.

At AWA, we believe gymnastics can teach children how to set goals, respond to difficulty, develop discipline, build confidence and understand that meaningful progress comes through consistent effort.

That is why the potential of the AWA × SJII collaboration extends far beyond access to a sports facility.

SJII brings a long-established educational culture, an international community and a strong emphasis on holistic student development.

AWA brings specialist rhythmic gymnastics expertise, an internationally influenced coaching team and a training methodology designed to develop gymnasts progressively from their earliest foundations to advanced competitive skills.

Together, these strengths create exciting possibilities for the future.

We see opportunities not only for regular rhythmic gymnastics training, but potentially for school-based programmes, introductory gymnastics experiences, workshops, holiday programmes, competitive development, community activities and broader youth sports initiatives.

The objective is simple:

Create an environment where education and high-quality sports training reinforce one another.

What Makes Angels Wing Academy Different in Singapore?

Singapore already has an active gymnastics community.

AWA was created with a very specific vision: to bring a distinctive Russian-system approach to rhythmic gymnastics training in Singapore.

The Russian and Eastern European traditions of rhythmic gymnastics are internationally recognised for their attention to technical foundations, body lines, flexibility, apparatus mastery, musicality, expression and disciplined progression.

AWA's coaching philosophy is heavily influenced by this system.

Rather than treating rhythmic gymnastics simply as another recreational enrichment activity, our programme approaches it as a structured developmental discipline.

For beginners, that means establishing the correct foundations from the beginning.

For intermediate gymnasts, it means progressively developing flexibility, coordination, strength, body difficulty and apparatus technique.

For advanced gymnasts, it means bringing those elements together into increasingly sophisticated routines, while developing the discipline and performance quality required at higher levels.

This structured approach is one of the qualities that makes Angels Wing Academy distinctive within Singapore's rhythmic gymnastics landscape.

Russian-System Coaching, Adapted for Children in Singapore

Importing a training methodology does not mean blindly copying another country's system.

The best coaching system must work for the athletes it serves.

AWA therefore combines the technical depth associated with Russian and Eastern European rhythmic gymnastics training with an approach adapted to children growing up and studying in Singapore.

Our coaches understand that every gymnast develops differently.

Some children join because they love music and movement. Some want to improve flexibility and posture. Some gradually discover a passion for competition. Others show the potential and motivation to pursue rhythmic gymnastics at a much higher level.

Our role is to identify that potential and create the right pathway around it.

This is also why the move to SJII matters so much.

A serious coaching methodology eventually requires a serious training environment.

When athletes begin attempting more difficult apparatus throws and advanced routines, physical limitations in the venue should not become limitations in the athlete.

From Recreational Gymnastics to High-Level Development

AWA's long-term vision is to create a genuine development pathway.

A young child may begin rhythmic gymnastics simply because her parents want her to become more active, flexible or confident.

Her first lessons might involve basic stretching, coordination, simple dance movements and learning how to handle a ball or hoop.

But over time, something can change.

She may discover that she loves the sport.

She may begin training more frequently.

She may become interested in competition.

And eventually, she may need an environment capable of supporting much more advanced training.

That progression—from first class to advanced gymnast—is exactly why infrastructure matters.

The SJII facility upgrade gives AWA considerably more room to think about the next level of athlete development, rather than designing our programme around the limitations of our existing venue.

A 15-Metre-High Space Changes What Is Possible

For advanced rhythmic gymnasts, this may be the most exciting part of the move.

Imagine an apparatus leaving a gymnast's hand, rising high above the floor as she performs a difficult body movement underneath it, before returning precisely into her control.

These moments last only seconds.

But producing them requires hundreds or thousands of repetitions.

A high-ceiling training environment gives coaches and gymnasts the freedom to progressively develop these skills with fewer artificial restrictions.

The approximately 15-metre vertical clearance available in the planned SJII training environment therefore represents more than an impressive architectural feature.

For AWA, it represents technical freedom.

More height.

More ambitious apparatus work.

More advanced combinations.

More realistic competition preparation.

And ultimately, more room for our gymnasts to grow.

Two Brands Built Around Excellence

There is another reason this collaboration is meaningful.

Both institutions place significant value on standards.

SJI's history in Singapore stretches back to 1852, while SJI International carries that Lasallian educational heritage into a contemporary international-school environment. The wider tradition emphasises not just learning, but character, community, service and the pursuit of excellence. (SJI International)

AWA is much younger, but our ambition is equally clear.

We want to build a rhythmic gymnastics academy recognised not simply for offering classes, but for the quality of its coaching, methodology, athlete development and international outlook.

For us, a premium gymnastics academy is not defined by expensive decoration.

It is defined by what happens on the training floor.

The quality of the coach.

The precision of correction.

The structure of the programme.

The standards expected from every athlete.

And the environment provided for talented gymnasts who want to go further.

The collaboration with SJII gives AWA an opportunity to develop those standards within one of Singapore's established international educational communities.

Singapore Is Only the Beginning: Angels Wing Academy Irvine, California

The SJII development is not the only major step currently underway for Angels Wing Academy.

We are also beginning preparations for another important chapter:

Angels Wing Academy – Irvine, California

The planned AWA Irvine campus represents the beginning of our international expansion strategy.

Irvine is particularly attractive to AWA because of its strong family-oriented community, international population, education-focused environment and established youth sports culture.

Our intention is not simply to open another gymnastics centre under the same name.

The larger ambition is to gradually build Angels Wing Academy into an international rhythmic gymnastics education and training brand, with a consistent methodology connecting different locations.

Singapore will continue to play a central role in that vision.

The development of the SJII training base and the preparation of the Irvine project are therefore happening in parallel.

One strengthens our foundation in Singapore.

The other begins building the bridge to our next international market.

Singapore to California: Building an International Gymnastics Pathway

In the longer term, having AWA programmes in both Singapore and California could create opportunities that go far beyond ordinary weekly classes.

We envision possibilities for future athlete exchanges, international training camps, visiting coaches, joint programmes, overseas competition preparation and cross-campus experiences.

A gymnast training in Singapore should increasingly feel connected to something larger than one physical academy.

Likewise, the knowledge and coaching experience developed across different locations can eventually strengthen the entire AWA training system.

This is the direction in which we want the Angels Wing Academy brand to grow:

International standards. Strong local communities. One shared training philosophy.

A New Chapter for Rhythmic Gymnastics in Singapore

For Angels Wing Academy, moving into the SJII environment is not the destination.

It is infrastructure for what comes next.

The combination of SJII's educational heritage and facilities with AWA's specialised rhythmic gymnastics coaching system gives us the opportunity to create something distinctive in Singapore.

A place where a three- or four-year-old can discover rhythmic gymnastics for the first time.

A place where recreational gymnasts can develop confidence, flexibility and a love of movement.

A place where talented athletes can progressively move toward more serious training.

And importantly, a place where advanced gymnasts finally have the vertical space to throw higher, move bigger and train without a low ceiling defining what is possible.

Stronger Facilities. Higher Standards. Greater Possibilities.

This move represents the beginning of the next stage of Angels Wing Academy Singapore.

Our collaboration with St. Joseph’s Institution International provides a stronger physical and educational platform from which AWA can continue developing its rhythmic gymnastics programmes in Singapore.

At the same time, preparations for Angels Wing Academy Irvine, California mark the first steps toward a broader international future.

The locations may change.

The standard will not.

Better coaching. Better environments. Better opportunities for every gymnast to discover how far she can go.

Angels Wing Academy × St. Joseph’s Institution International

A New Home. A Bigger Future.

Stronger. Higher. Together.

More details about the new SJII training schedule, programmes and the upcoming Angels Wing Academy Irvine project will be announced soon.