"Funny" moves in Floor routines???

[gymjourneymom]

Just wondering how well "funny" moves are accepted in floor routines? DD has a lot of... shall we say...personality in her new level 7 routine. I'm not so sure it looks good. But her coach choreographed it for her. There is one move in particular that DD & I both don't care for ( a fake fall). DD is afraid the judges won't realize it's a "joke" & they'll take deductions for it. I think she's justified in this worry. Just wondering how others feel about "joke" type moves in a routine

 

[Aussie_coach]

It can depend on a lot of things, but the truth is that a lot of the deductions in optionals come from poorly coreographed routines. If the fall looks like a real fall then yes there is a very good chance that the judges will take a very large deduction as they would for a real fall.

Other things to be careful of include innapropriate gestures which will also lead to deductions. One of the most common mistakes is putting in skills that are worth nothing but full of deductions.

 

[gymjourneymom]

Thanks Aussie-coach! Guess we have to tactfully ask the coach to make some changes. DD does have a fun, outgoing personality & we wanted that to come thru in her routine. But I don't want her routine to look like a comedic skit(ever watch the old Dick Van Dyke Show???This is llike the fall he does in the opening of the show). She is a state champ gymnast(in compulsories) and she is strong on floor skills...I don't think this routine shows them off well

 

[lannamavity]

You know...while my first instinct is to never let a choreographer put that kind of goofy stuff in a routine, I have judged with a lot of judges who think it is the greatest thing when a kid does something like that. You just never know. Sometimes after judging 30 carbon-copy routines in a row, a judge may be dazzled by anything different.

The big question is if that particuar section (with the fall) seems out of place in the context of the routine. If it just looks stuck in for comic relief, then it may be a problem.

You may want to just try it out and see. Routines usually develop over the season, and nothing has to be permanent. These kind of "creative moments" may be a good time for your daughter to communicate with her coach, as well. Maybe if she asks how judges can tell the difference between a "fake fall" and a real fall, the coach will realize that there is some confusion.

Good luck.

 

[flippymonkeysmom]

It is really hard to say without seeing it. My dd's routine is very high energy and fun. Her coach just couldn't do too serious a routine for her b/c it just doesn't fit her personality at all. Right before her last tumbling pass she has a part where she dramatically fans herself as if she is exhausted and then does her tumbling. I was unsure when she was first learning it - but it really works. When she did the one fun meet at level 7 all the judges smiled at that part b/c it is really cute and funny. Afterwards her coach got tons of complements on the choreography. Also, since then her coach has changed little parts here and there she didn't feel worked as well. Since it is a new routine, I'd give it a little time - the coach may end up changing it anyway if she doesn't think it works.

 

[gotgym]

At the end of every summer or early fall before our season gets into full swing our gym pays for a judge to come in and test judge the new routines. In that way we can get an idea what may or may not" work" in a routine. Last year with 20 new level 7s we requested 2 judges that actually not only judged but ,then critiqued the routines..and offered suggestions here and there.

 

[KBT]

If the whole routine has consistent choreography it might work. But if you have some crazy choreo mixed in with something like a balletic-style, it's going to look funny and I'd deduct for artistry.

I'd be more concerned that your daughter doesn't like that one bit of choreo. If she's not comfortable with it, she's not going to enjoy performing it and probably won't put 100% into it.

 

[gymjourneymom]

She is the 1st of her group to get her routine, she'll show it to her teammates & other coaches on Monday. We'll see how the others react to it...I'm sure these girls won't hold back their thoughts, since they are next to get routines It's a fast & fun routine, just what DD wanted. She can definitely pull-off a comedy spot with good facial expression & good acting(she is a ham!). We just aren't so sure a "fall" is going to be understood by all judges, even if she "over plays it" with "dramatically funny" style. They will have a judge come in for pointers, but not until closer to the 1st meet. We'll see how the move goes over with the group at Monday's practice. It may need some tweaking. Thanks for all the replies