WAG Floor Routines

[PalmTree]

A level 6 who just left my gym is paying $600 for one hour with a "top choreographer" to do her level 6 routine. I watched it and it is pretty, but I wonder if they noticed it is overtime...

I mean, really...in level 6/7 routine there are no composition deductions so why pay $600 for one routine?? I am a dancer and choreographer and I have been doing my optional girls' routines for free. I've had judges ask me who we use because they're so pretty of course, when these same girls go level 9/10, possibly elite, I'll look into other choreographers... But I think $600/hr is ridiculous and pretty much a joke unless it's your elite routine.

 

[raenndrops]

OK, you don't have to get mad about it. But my dd has had 7 years of optional floor routines (and she has ballet training), our gym trains elites, and I'm a judge. When we got a better choreographer, her floor showed so much improvement. I'm just saying that having gymnasts make up other gymnasts floor routines is not a great way to have great floor routines. You can tell the difference at meets, you really can, which gyms have good choreographers.

I wasn't getting "mad" ... I was offering counterpoints to the points you brought up. For the most part, our gymnasts decide most of their stuff on their own with HC and I making sure they are meeting requirements. The other girls help if they get stuck for choreography that fits the music. OG just WANTED to help her little sister. It is a rare thing when they work together on something without fighting
Since YG is only 9, she did need help. And it works for us!

 

[Pineapple_Lump]

From what I have seen, the best floor routines are generally done by a good in house choreographer. They know the gymnast and their strengths,weaknesses and personality and should be working to develop the gymnasts dance/expression throughout the years. Buying someone in for a few hours will never be as good as an in house choreographer who is always working with the gymnasts prior to developing a routine. There is nothing wrong with the way raenndrops does it, clearly those involved have some experience and know the kids, better than paying someone unknown to make a routine for lower optional gymnasts (I hope I got the levels right). With many paid choreographers you can often tell when a routine was done by them, not really a good thing.

 

[raenndrops]

From what I have seen, the best floor routines are generally done by a good in house choreographer. They know the gymnast and their strengths,weaknesses and personality and should be working to develop the gymnasts dance/expression throughout the years. Buying someone in for a few hours will never be as good as an in house choreographer who is always working with the gymnasts prior to developing a routine. There is nothing wrong with the way raenndrops does it, clearly those involved have some experience and know the kids, better than paying someone unknown to make a routine for lower optional gymnasts (I hope I got the levels right). With many paid choreographers you can often tell when a routine was done by them, not really a good thing.

Thank you Pineapple_Lump. Yes, our girls that we choreograph are all lower Optionals (L6-L7 and Xcel Gold and Platinum). HC is a former high level optional gymnast (with 35 years of gymnastics experience and 10+ years of head coaching experience) and we also have another coach that is a former L10, but she is younger... as in just graduated High School. Of the 16 girls we choreographed last season, I have known them gymnastically for at least 5 years and at most 8 years. HC has known a couple of them for 10-11 years. Our girls do not want to move to L8 until they are in high school (save wear and tear on their bodies and more time to develop as gymnasts). We have a few judges on speed dial (lol) that are willing to do a pre-season evaluation of routines... they have in the past and we may have one of them come in early October, depending on how many Optionals we have this year.

 

[MILgymFAM]

By far the best floor routine at our gym was one choreographed by the girl, who was xcel gold, and her mom together. Her mom is a dance instructor and the girl is an amazing dancer, and she ended up winning floor and scoring a 9.85 at regionals last year. Other girls paid our HC to choreograph their routines, and they were not as good, or as tailored to the girls strengths/style as the one done by the girl's mom.

All the new gyms we are looking at charge an average of $250 for floor choreo for xcel.

 

[BlairBob]

Typically whenever a gymnast paid for a floor routine, the beam was thrown in for the same price. Which from what I have seen, is nowhere near as difficult.