Lackluster Dance

[10.0]

My brain hurts.........

 

[triptwister]

Is your coach doing their job? What is the purpose of gymnastics? Are you serving that purpose? Lets suppose that the purpose of gymnastics is fun. What is your coach doing to make sure gymnastics is fun? What makes gymnastics fun?

As a spectator what is the purpose of gymnastics? What is the purpose of watching any sport? Are coaches serving that purpose. Are the gymnasts serving that purpose?

Lets assume that gymnastics has two purposes. One for the participant and one for the spectator.

The purpose of gymnastics for participants is fun. The purpose for the spectator is related to fun: entertainment. Entertainment is fun for the spectator.

Sports are to be enjoyed. Both by the participant and the spectator.

This is a great reason to make dance (if you are going to include it in gymnastics) both fun and entertaining.

 

[gymnastbeth]

The purpose of gymnastics for participants is fun. The purpose for the spectator is related to fun: entertainment. Entertainment is fun for the spectator.

Sports are to be enjoyed. Both by the participant and the spectator.

This is a great reason to make dance (if you are going to include it in gymnastics) both fun and entertaining.

I just wanted to say that I actually understood that.

 

[gymluvr33]

Yeah, that was much easier to understand...Thank you

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

But what IS the purpose of watching gymnastics? It is indeed the same as watching any other sport, and you don't see basketball players poppin' and lockin' to keep the crowd entertained. Only on Glee do the football players dance (though my school team should try it - they might actually be good at it, unlike football). Gymnastics is a sport, not a category of showbiz.

However, that said I think dancing is a very important part of a floor routine. Am I being contradictory? Maybe. I think being graceful and/or expressive is part of the challenge of putting together a floor routine. We have vault and bars, and even beam, to be athletic. Floor is where it all comes together. A not-so-graceful gymnast can choose energetic music that is not so "classical" but still fits her energy and pulls her routine together, but it is still a performance element that makes gymnastics unique.

I think the video the OP posted is a good example of musicality and theatrical dance but is inappropriate in a gymnastics setting. It is far too "showbiz" to be used as an example of good gymnastics dance, though it is a cute and well-performed segment.

 

[triptwister]

A Spectator's Spectations.

Start where you are and begin the quest. Put everything you've got into developing over-the-top dance ability that fits your style so that no one will ever forget you once they see you. When your floor routine ends make me weep with emotion. Make me jump to my feet because your dance was so exhilarating. Leave me able to say only one word in my vocabulary; "Wow!"

If you expect me to be a spectator then I expect to be entertained. This better be good! When its time to clap don't let me do it sitting down. Bring me to my feet. I don't even have to be there. Make this a regular occurrence with any audience you entertain. The judges are trying hard not to like you but the audience is eager to love you. Who are you going to work to impress? This is a no brainer.

 

[fishchimes]

I love the dance aspect. Some may argue that tumbling is the actual gymnastics and dance doesn't have as much of a place, or is just the side of fries with your burger. I don't agree. There's a sport dedicated to tumbling on lanes, and it's not gymnastics.

And what about figure skating? If they skated and jumped up and down it would impressive but aesthetically boring. There's a dance element to figure skating too.

The great thing about gymnastics is it gives you the choice to be artistic or powerful. Maybe dancing isn't really your thing. That's fine. Maybe you don't really have a knack for tumbling. That's fine too. If you meet the requirements, you're all set.