Australia has a new rhythmic gymnastics champion, Danielle Prince.
Danielle, who represents MBC Gymnastics, won the women's all around title at the Australian nationals, followed by Janine Murray and Jaelle Cohen. The new champion was born in 1992 in Brisbane and started training rhythmic gymnastics at age 11 years, because her dance teacher suggested she try it.
Thank you, dance teacher! We can now can enjoy watching a very flexible gymnast, with good fouettes, and a most charming smile. Danielle also stands out with her original choices of make up and leotards. She once shared she even likes to use "different nail polish for every competition."
I am lucky to have some unpublished pictures of Danielle from the Montreal World Cup event this January, so you can see for yourself how stylish she looks on the carpet. Enjoy!
Some fans have raised the question whether the free hands routine (without apparatus) should be part of competitions or just performed at gala events.
Throughout the years, I have seen some spectacular free hands routines but I have to admit I like them better when younger gymnasts perform them. For a senior gymnast, I feel that something is missing. Here is a free hands routine from 20 years ago by a Soviet gymnast:
This is a high level routine but it looks easy compared to modern gymnastics. The difference in the body elements becomes really obvious. Here is a very expressive modern routine by Natalia Godunko:
I like Godunko's style in general; this routine is a bright example of her personality. However, even with the wonderful leaps and all, I feel like Natalia looks so much more impressive with the clubs, or ribbon, or rope!
Finally, one of my favorite free hands routines of all time comes to us from the world champion Tamara Yerofeeva, truly a queen of the free hands exercise:
This routine showcases the best qualities of the gymnast and is very pleasant to watch because of the lyrical quality to it. I don't feel like the apparatus is missing, like with Godunko.
I would still say, though, that free hands routines resemble ballet/dance and not athletics. Can you identify Tamara as a gymnast in this one? Could she be a superb dancer? For someone like me, who likes tricks with the apparatus, the essential quality of rhythmic gymnastics is lost in a free hands routine, however beautiful.
So, for senior gymnasts, I do prefer to see those at galas. Apparatus technique is a rare quality these days anyway. Why ignore it even more? I am sure some of the more "physical" gymnasts like Yussupova, Alyabieva,or Kapranova would have loved not to have to deal with the apparatus. Maybe even Lukonina, she truly does not like the clubs. ;-) But I believe that gymnasts like these should take the time to learn a decent apparatus technique and combine it with the amazing body elements. That combination is what differentiates rhythmic gymnastics as a sport.
The video below is my special treat to American fans of rhythmic gymnastics. It presents a gymnast who did not become as famous as she deserves: Jessica Davis. I have had the pleasure to watch her perform at the "Julietta Shishmanova" International Tournament in Sofia in the mid 1990s. I thought she had nice pivots and jumps and showed lot of elegance.
With this, I really hope that our favorite sport will earn more fans here in America...
...so that more people can create and admire beauty and athleticism!
