WAG Dance at gym

[Midwestmommy]

Who teaches dance at gyms who train elite female gymnasts, or for that matter for the national team? Do they every use dance professionals? Some U.S. gymnasts have beautiful lines but some baffle me (was watching some of the routines this weekend from nationals). Who in gymnastics is teaching amazing athletes that a severe flex at the wrist and splayed fingures is pretty and artistic? It seems they all "get" that a flexed foot is not a pretty line. It's only used sparingly in dance as a purposeful look during some dance moves/expression (unless it's hip hop etc). Why do so many US gymnasts appear to consider extreme flexed wrists to be pretty lines when they understand that flexed feet aren't? It's the same concept....

 

[JBS]

It's a stylistic girls thing...you won't see the men doing that. We have one that does that...there is really no point if fixing it.

Watch her finishes after each tumbling run in the video below...almost a 90 degree flex...

 

[MaryA]

DD does that too, and has since level 4 I think. People have commented on what "nice gymnastics hands" she has. I've never given it any thought, but now that I think about it, other DD, a dancer, would never hold her hands like that. Interesting observation, MWM.

 

[gwenmom]

DD does it as well. And as a former dancer it makes me cringe but I have learned there are a lot of differences between ballet and gymnastics and try not to let her see me cringe lol

 

[GymBeeMom]

Haha, never thought about it until DD took dance and her ballet teacher told her to put her "talons" away...she looked like a bird of prey ready to strike!

 

[gymnasticswim4]

Depends on what your doing it for. If you are using it to end a tumbling run, then it looks okay, but for dance I think it just looks awful. I guess me being a former dancer would make me very picky about your hands.....

 

[JBS]

Who teaches dance at gyms who train elite female gymnasts, or for that matter for the national team? Do they every use dance professionals? Some U.S. gymnasts have beautiful lines but some baffle me (was watching some of the routines this weekend from nationals). Who in gymnastics is teaching amazing athletes that a severe flex at the wrist and splayed fingures is pretty and artistic? It seems they all "get" that a flexed foot is not a pretty line. It's only used sparingly in dance as a purposeful look during some dance moves/expression (unless it's hip hop etc). Why do so many US gymnasts appear to consider extreme flexed wrists to be pretty lines when they understand that flexed feet aren't? It's the same concept....

A lot of our dance is just bad...what gymnast do you have in mind that has this type of hands? Then we can post a video and take a look.

 

[AmandaLynn]

I can not STAND the "talons". It is definitely one of the first things I work on fixing when I get a new kid on team.

I am okay with a slight bend at the wrists, but my preference is for them to be fairly straight with "relaxed/extended" fingers. I also can not stand the "drop the middle finger until it is touching the thumb" look. Again, a slight, soft drop... Okay. But there is definitely some major overkill in the area of "gymnastics hands".

 

[gymnasticswim4]

This girl at P&G Champs: Lauren Hernandez. Apparently, age 13. Simply horrific dance with even more horrific hands.

 

[Seeker]

At our gym, they have a Russian ballet teacher twice a week for 45 mins each, so hopefully my DD won't ever have the dreaded talons!

It's funny you mention LH -- a lot of people really love her dance. Her style is not my cup of tea, but she really 'owns' it and performs the heck out of it, so I think that is why many find it more enjoyable to watch.

 

[flippingtogether]

I found the FX video for Lauren at P&G - she certainly has her own style! Not classical dance for sure - but she has her own style and she attacks/owns it! The comments on YouTube are favorable for her. I also found watching her coach pace around in the background very entertaining.

 

[gymdog]

Horrific? Not at all. Seems a bit out of place for the culture of this board to describe 13 year olds (the best 13 year old on floor in the US, probably) as "horrific." Not really constructive.

 

[txgymfan]

I love that in Laurie's routine she is performing to the music and most of her dance occurs on the beat. In that routine you can at least tell that the music goes with the floor and not with the simultaneous beam routine. I also love her tumbling she has great power.

I am also not a fan of the talons especially in graceful and dramatic pieces. In quirky routines it is more tolerable.

 

[Kiwi]

I agree, the really flexed wrist spoils the line - the line should go to the end of the index finger. I don't mind a slight wrist flex and I don't mind fingers extended and separated a little, but I don't like the really spiky hands. If I had to choose one, I would rather the spiky fingers than the really flexed wrists, which look weird, like there is something wrong with your hands so you can't hold them up properly.

 

[gymnasticswim4]

She is a good tumbler, I'll grant her that. But that dance just isn't my style (I guess horrific is too strong of a word).

 

[Midwestmommy]

I love her enthusiasm and energy! And talent! She does have some habits that someone should help her with, these are things that can easily be corrected--they would get corrected in a dancer before she would be allowed to move beyond Level I in a classical ballet program. Another gymnastics website features a choreographer today who perhaps is teaching these hand positions, if a couple of his routines are an indication. A couple of the worst offenders are on the list. Please stop the madness! It's ruining my amateur armchair elite gymnastics fan viewing experience..... Makes me want to grab a glass of wine and watch a movie instead.... Well not really.

 

[gymboymom]

While I agree about the hands are not the prettiest, I guess I have gotten used to them as a gymnastics dance thing. However, I think Lauren is great. She actually dances, unlike many gymnastics floor routines.

 

[Muddlethru]

I too have an extensive dance background. But I've gotten used to the gymnastics hands. Some hands are better than others. Svetlana Boginskaya's gymnastics hands look good to me. The Romanians and Russians in my opinion are far more graceful. But I think it is unreasonable to expect the majority of the gymnasts to have recognizable classical training. Even two to three ballet classes a week (which is probably the most they can take with their schedule) will not produce the grace we associate with a "true" dancer. And as they further get to higher levels, the availability to take classes gets even less. In addition, I think gymnastics movements are propelled by power whereas dance uses emotion. Hence the end product and execution are vastly different.

 

[Midwestmommy]

Not buyin it. They don't hold their hands that way because of the power associated with tumbling. Some of the most powerful gymnasts have nice arm and hand lines and expression. They do the talons or bent wrists because someone taught them it looks good. Or failed to mention that it doesn't.

 

[Muddlethru]

I'm not selling anything. I am merely stating gymnastics and dance are two entirely different things, one is a sport and one is an art form. In addition, gymnasts have their own artistic interpretation, natural inclination of the "talons"/gymnastics hands. But I do agree that there a a couple gymnasts that have rather unsightly gymnastics hands. But the great majority of elite gymnasts have appropriate and some even graceful hands. It is hard to keep gracefully and delicately curved fingers and hand arms when getting ready to do a powerful tumbling pass. I still believe power is a big component. That is my opinion.