Rhythmic gymnastics
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which single competitors or pairs, trios or even more manipulate one or two apparatuses: Ball, Clubs, Hoop, Ribbon, and Rope. It combines elements of ballet, gymnastics, theatrical dance, and apparatus manipulation. The victor is the participant who earns the most points, as awarded by a panel of judges, for leaps, balances, pivots, flexibility, apparatus handling, and artistic effect.
The sport's governing body, the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), changed the Code of Points in 2001, 2003 and 2005 to emphasize technical elements and reduce the subjectivity of judging. Before 2001, judging was on a scale of 10 like that of Artistic Gymnastics. It was changed to a 30-point scale in 2003 and in 2005 was changed to 20. There are three values adding up to be the final points—technical, artistic and execution.
International competitions are split between Juniors, under sixteen by their year of birth ; and Seniors, for girls 16 and over again by their year of birth. Gymnasts typically start training at a very young age and those at their peak are typically in their late teens or early twenties. The largest events in the sport are the Olympic Games, World Championships, and Grand-Prix Tournaments.
Rhythmic gymnastics is largely a sport for women and girls, but a growing number of men participate in a few countries. The Japanese's version of men's rhythmic gymnastics includes tumbling and is performed on a spring floor. Points are awarded based a 10-point scale that measures the level of difficulty of the tumbling and apparatus handling. Individuals compete in four types of apparatus: rope, stick, double rings, and clubs. Groups do not use any apparatus. Japan hosted the first men's world championships in 2003, drawing teams from Canada, Korea, Malaysia, and the United States.
Contents |
[edit] History
Rhythmic gymnastics grew out of the ideas of I.G. Noverre (1722-1810), Francois Delsart (1811-1871), and R. Bode (1881), who all believed in movement expression, where one used dance to express oneself and exercise various body parts. Peter Henry Ling further developed this idea in his 19th-century Swedish system of free exercise, which promoted "aesthetic gymnastics", in which students expressed their feelings and emotions through bodily movement. This idea was extended by Catherine E. Beecher, who founded the Western Female Institute in Ohio, United States, in 1837. In Beecher's gymnastics program, called grace without dancing, the young women exercised to music, moving from simple calisthenics to more strenuous activities. During the 1880s, Emil Dalcroze of Switzerland developed eurhythmics, a form of physical training for musicians and dancers. George Demeny of France created exercises to music that were designed to promote grace of movement, muscular flexibility, and good posture. All of these styles were combined around 1900 into the Swedish school of rhythmic gymnastics, which would later add dance elements from Finland. Around this time, Ernest Idla of Estonia established a degree of difficulty for each movement. In 1929, Henrich Medau founded The Medau School in Berlin to train gymnasts in "modern gymnastics", and to develop the use of the apparatus.
Rhythmic gymnastics as a sport began in the 1940s in the Soviet Union. It was there that for the first time, the spirit of sports was combined with the sensuous art of classical ballet. (To Isadora Duncan, we credit the famous rebellion against the dogma of classical ballet and the shift toward the creation of a new discipline that would blend art and sport.)
The FIG recognized this discipline in 1961, first as modern gymnastics, then as rhythmic sportive gymnastics, and finally as rhythmic gymnastics. The first World Championships for individual gymnasts took place in 1963 in Budapest, Hungary. Groups were introduced at the same level in 1967 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Rhythmic gymnastics was added to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, with an Individual All Around competition. However, many federations from the Eastern European countries were forced to boycott. The Canadian Lori Fung was the first rhythmic gymnast to earn an Olympic gold medal. The Group competition was added to the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.
[edit] See also
[edit] In Popular Culture
- The manga and anime Hikari no Densetsu focuses on the main character trying to become a national rhythmic gymnastics champion.
- In the Super Sentai series Dai Sentai Goggle V (Goggle V: Great Squadron), rhythmic gymnastics were half of the motif of the heroes (the other half was gemstones).
- Kimberly Hart's secondary weapon in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episode #66 Bloom of Doom was a pink rhythmic gymnastics ribbon.
- Ranma 1/2 features a story arc involving "Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics".
- In the 2003 movie "Old School", Will Ferrell's character Frank Ricard uses rythmic gymnastic (the ribbon) in an attempt to save his fraternity from closure.
[edit] External links
- Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique in English/en Français
- Rhythmic Gymnastics in English/auf Deutsch
- The Art of Gymnastics - The Israeli site of Rhythmic Gimnastic (English)
| World Gymnastics Championships |
|---|
| Artistic |
| 1903 | 1905 | 1907 | 1909 | 1911 | 1913 | 1922 | 1926 | 1930 | 1934 | 1938 | 1950 | 1954 | 1958 | 1962 | 1966 | 1970 | 1974 | 1978 | 1979 | 1981 | 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2009 |
| Rhythmic |
| 1963 | 1965 | 1967 | 1969 | 1971 | 1973 | 1975 | 1977 | 1979 | 1981 | 1983 | 1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2005 |
