Georgian Salome Pazhava Brings a Powerful Dance Heritage into Gymnastics

This year, 16-year old Salome Pazhava from Georgia, who was a bronze medalist at the junior European Championships in 2012, has showcased an absolutely unique choreography with clubs, which stands out with speed, rhythm and originality. I think this is one of the few routines with clubs  not set to Latin dance music. It looks decisively, unforgivingly better than the other choreographies, because it comes alive with the music's tremendous energy and it takes gymnastics into a different territory.

 Salome represents the inspiring tradition of Georgian folk dances, which have astonished audiences all over the world.  She spins, she jumps, she adds fast step sequences, and she doesn't take a breath:




This routine is from an earlier competition where she received a bit under 17 points for it, but at this year's European Championships in Baku, Salome deservingly got a 17.400 mark, which was the 6th highest score with clubs. Congratulations to Salome's family and friends, and to her coaches and choreographers!

Here is Salome dazzling everyone at Georgia's got talent:




And, finally, if you have not experienced the world treasure that is Georgian folk dance, here is a treat you should not have missed. It will elevate your spirit and speed up the beat of your heart:




One of the most unforgettable experiences in life is to observe a young person reaching the depth of her peoples' roots and growing from them. Salome represents her ancestry with mastery and absolutely contagious emotion. She shows everything a gymnast needs to be: an athlete and an actress at the same time, but also someone who is able to both appreciate and enrich the world's culture.

Here is a photo collage in honor of Salome prepared by my friend Lidia Rozdilsky. With ribbon, Salome performs another very exciting routine, this time to music by Michael Jackson, which I hope to discuss in another blog post.

Don't Tell Them About the Piano

Once I watched an interview with a classical ballet dancer and choreographer, who shared that, during most of his life he knew he could paint well but he didn't try. One day, he told his wife, "I think I can paint." So, she bought him brushes, a canvass and lots of paint. Next in the interview he showed this amazing self-portrait, the very first piece he did, reminiscent of the works of Chagall.

I think many creative people function in the same way: they know they have a lot to give but they need someone to put a brush in their hands or just push them along. Very rarely one meets an artist who stays motivated to explore different realms. I think one such artist, who ventured into dance, movie-making, coaching advertising and even blogging is Stella Angelova. I found one of her very old routine which shows her truly well-rounded athleticism and talent.



To go back to the story about the choreographer, I also remember they interviewed one of his best friends who commented: "When I saw his self-portrait, I remembered that, as a child he played the piano and he had a lot of potential, so I warned him not to share that secret or else his family will go buy him a piano, too. Stay quiet, just this one time. Don't tell them about the piano."

Talented people often ask a lot, without even asking explicitly. They go into careers that require time, effort, constant support and dedication. Beautiful paintings or great classical lines do not always lead to a lot of zeros in your bank account. But they may lead to some mild to moderate envy. Because, after all, even men of great power aspire to paint, and act, and even play an instrument, even if it doesn't bring them more luxury or more authority. Sometimes real talent is best acknowledged by those who can embrace it without secretly thinking, "Why am I not this good at anything?"

So, if you happen to do many things well and people know it, don't tell them about the piano. ;-)

The Impossible Mission of Always Igniting the Crowd

Happy 35th birthday to a gymnast, who made everything exciting, including the rope:



The perfect combination between Russian technique and Bulgarian choreography.It makes me wonder how someone like Titova or Selezneva would look, if a more daring choreographer created their routines.

Watch her pirouettes! She would have easily won medals in 2014, under the new code, which puts high value on the change of leg position while turning.

If you are looking to engage the audience, look no further than perfect technique and bold choice of music, but, also, of course, a strong personality.