22 Years Later, the Bulgarian Style Lives and Evolves

Over the decades, rhythmic gymnastic has evolved into a much more physically demanding sport, which is also a lot more exciting to watch. The athletes display both flexibility and strength, more complex routines, new and original music choices, including music with voice and words, very elaborate leotards and make up, even new hairstyles to bring more excitement into the sport.

What has remained the same is the value of strong choreography, original elements and risky, spectacular routines.

In the 80s, the gymnastics of the Bulgarian Dilyana Georgieva was innovative and ground-breaking. She was the first athlete to show certain elements that had not been performed in competition. She was also known for her deeply personal and passionate interpretation of the music, great speed and very clean performance, even of the smallest movements. As many in the Bulgarian school, her technique with the apparatus, especially with ball and clubs,  was way ahead of her time. While the gymnasts in the 1990s and later took gymnastics to an even higher level, some of Dilyana's routines remain unforgettable as stepping stones to new levels in the sport.

So, the two-time world champion Dilyana Georgieva performed this absolute piece of art back in 1985. Notice the speed of the two forward rolls, the high throws, and how the gymnast handles the ball so that it literally never stops moving:



In 2017, set against the same music choice, a modern routine with great risk and a lot of drama takes up the carpet. This time it is performed by Bulgaria's best gymnast currently, Neviana Vladinova:



Same music, different difficulty and different audiences, the same deep passion. And most importantly, the same universal language of sports as a form of art.

Happy Birthday to Tamara Yerofeeva!

The 2001 world all around champion Tamara Yerofeeva is one of the gymnasts who continued to perform long after she retired from gymnastics. She is part of the cast of V-The Ultimate Variety Show where she dazzles with her flexibility, her hoop skills, and her overall graceful presence.

She has stayed in amazing shape after retiring and can be a role model for many as a dedicated performer. During her career, Tamara also won the  all around gold at the 2001 Summer Universiade  won the 2002 Grand Prix final, and took 6th place at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.

The Superhero Gymnasts from Team Egypt

The African continent is very under-represented in gymnastics, especially in the types of gymnastics where females compete, like rhythmic. This is not news. What is also not news is that, in the beginning of each season, very few of the teams, even from countries with  a great gymnastics tradition, are ready to show their group routines. Only three groups went to Grand Prix Moscow in the winter of 2017 and some teams will not showcase their new work until late spring. Among the first to be ready to perform this year were the athletes from Russia, the Bulgarians, and...unexpectedly.. Egypt! It was very brave of team Egypt to perform at an early season event, which most teams in the world often miss including medal winners such as Italy, Spain, Belarus, Israel, Greece, China and Ukraine, who have all have had claims for top spots at the world level.

When we consider how many long decades of training, tradition and podium standings countries like Russia and Bulgaria have, for this team to have come out as the third team in the event was absolutely superhero material. In fairness, all three teams made mistakes but Egypt showed that it is never too late, nor to early, to start something new if you have passion, and have courage.

When I was watching triple-world champion Petrova compete in the 1990s, I became aware that some gymnasts from Egypt had come to train at the "Gerena" gym with legendary coach Neshka Robeva  from Bylgaria and her team at the time. Many years passed and though we have seen individual gymnasts from Egypt, I think building both a senior and a junior group is a spectacular achievement for their country. The routines they showed had complexity and potential, especially for a team that is so young and new to the big scene.

My impression from Egypt was that the hoop routine was well crafted to show the gymnasts' abilities but they were somewhat more nervous in performing it than in the mixed routine with ropes and balls, which they just did with smiles on their faces. I enjoyed the music in this routine very much and the general positive mood that the team radiated to the audience. I also thought the leotards and the make up were looking great for a brand new group. It is very challenging to use rope in a senior routine because it has been a while since we have seen rope included in the program for both individuals and groups. This team did a great job for a start of the season, which is, for them, also a start of a new endeavor altogether.