WAG Addressing the Lack of Artistry in Current Gymnastics

[happychaos]

I don't understand why you say these skills are not 'inherent to gymnastics'. They are and have been for a very long time. Artistic gymnastics is the blend of acrobatics and dance, it isn't just acrobatics. I guess you could argue that they are two different sets of skills, but both are inherent to artistic gymnastics. Gymnasts are not expected to do everything that ballet dancers do, such as dance en pointe. And sometimes dancers do include some gymnastics moves in dance.

Look at the early routines in this montage, the dance is very balletic:

Wow I loved this! So different than what we see today!

 

[Faith]

Ok, trying really hard to keep healthcare out if it, so I'll just say @happychaos, you've jumped to a few conclusions there that aren't correct .

Open to elaborate if you'd like, but this is obviously not the place .

 

[txgymfan]

Thank you!

 

[bogwoppit]

Just jumping in here, please keep the discussion on topic. Discussions of politics are to be avoided at all costs, unless it is the politics of gymnastics.

 

[gymgurl]

Okay I haven't read all the posts but this thread has seriously digressed onto a 'which sport is the hardest'.

I am going to feed into this tangent but then get back to the point of the thread initially. Dunno, I understand the difficulty of all these skills and completely get that you are going to continue to defend the sport that you have invested your life into. I am very much on the same side as you - gymnasts must be the best well rounded athletes in the world.
I do not believe that other sports are not extremely hard. I have tried my fair share of sports including Netball, Softball, AFL, Gymnastics, Indoor Hockey, Skiing and even quidditch. I also did dance - sport or art, conversation for another day. Downhill ski racing is extremely difficult and requires precision, speed, agility and guts just like gymnastics. Anyone can learn to ski, just like anyone can learn a cartwheel. Its taking these skills further that is hard.

Same goes for ballet, anyone can plié, not everyone can go en pointe or dance the pas de deux.

Okay back the lack of artistry discussion. I am not a fan of the flock of flamingoes we have created. I also think that gymnastics needs to stop trying to be athletic and artistic because its just too hard, one will always suffer. I am personally a powerful tumbler with hardly a drop of grace in me but does that mean that I should score lower than the person who can do the perfect plié or ronde de jambe? I don't think so because this is gymnastics, not ballet. If i wanted to be artistic and graceful i would join ballet. I don't. I am in gymnastics.

Unpopular opinion coming - I actually prefer this era of gymnastics simply because its so incredible to watch. I find older gymnastics from say the 70s less impressive, beautiful - yes, but not as impressive.

 

[OzZee]

Surely the difficulty vs artistry is down to which viewers wish to see most.
With higher and higher difficulty for most gymnasts the artistry suffers.
Seems on this thread some prefer less difficulty more artistry and some the opposite.
FIG obviously goes for the more difficulty camp.
What would be interesting to see is a survey of what the public actually prefers.

 

[txgymfan]

I love the hard tricks but think the FIG has gone to far.

 

[Deleted member 15064]

http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-state-of-art-gymnastics-in-2013.html

 

[ivyagogo]

This thread is very entertaining. To me, the artistry is lost when every routine starts looking the same. That is why the older routines (70s and 80s) are more fun to watch. Sure, they aren't doing all the high flying stuff they are now, but they were so much more beautiful to watch. For me, especially beam and bars. Every bar routine looks the same. There is zero originality and when there is (i.e. Beth Twiddle and He Hexin) their routines really stand out.