Happy 11th birthday, O2!

When members of the various branches of o2 health studio vigorously and regularly sweated it out, little would they have known that it would benefit them in a way other than shedding some of that extra flab. Celebrating their 11th anniversary on Monday at the Music Academy, the city-based fitness outfit that offers dance, yoga and aerobics apart from their gym facilities, honoured their most regular and most valuable (based on the number of referrals) members, apart from those who’ve been associated with the studio the longest.

After the tediously long awards ceremony, the celebrations began with a slick body show accompanied by a yoga sequence. Buffed up men with oil glazing on their shirtless muscular bodies rhythmically struck poses to a sombre sound track, as the yoga instructors twisted and turned in difficult yoga poses. Some of the bodybuilders looked more than happy to show off the cuts that they worked so hard to achieve and some of them in the back rows looked so embarrassed, like they couldn’t wait to get off the stage and put on their clothes.

City-based theatre and film actor’s T M Karthik’s standup act was definitely the highlight of the evening. After the wry sense of humour displayed by the MCs of the evening, RJ Dheena and Krithika, Karthik’s attempt at bringing about a few laughs was welcomed like a breath of fresh air.

Apart from a Bharathanatyam performance by Priyadarshini from O2’s Ashok Nagar branch, who impressed with her striking footwork, there were dance performances by the Hot Shoe Dance Company, a boxing demonstration and aerobics routines.

Driving past their Nungambakkam branch on Khader Nawaz Khan road, it’s hard to miss the picture of actor Varalaxmi Sarathkumar elegantly striking a pose, splattered across the main entrance. The actor who will soon be seen in Simbu’s Poda Podi shared her experiences with the fitness studio. “I’ve been learning dance here right from when it started 11 years ago,” she said.

Also present on the occasion was executive director of O2, Nina Reddy and Jeffery Vardon of Hot Shoe Dance Company fame.