Everything you need to know about aesthetic group gymnastics

Many people have heard of rhythmic gymnastics, but very few have heard of aesthetic gymnastics. What is so special about this sport? Let us take a detailed look at aesthetic gymnastics.

General information

Aesthetic gymnastics is a competitive sport that is based on movements of the whole body that are a little bit stylized. This sport includes harmonic, rhythmic and energetic elements performed with natural grace and strength. Movements continuously flow from one to another, as if each new movement starts with the previous one.

All movements should be performed smoothly, varying significantly in both dynamics and speed. Aesthetic gymnastics performances usually contain versatile body movements, including waves and swings, jumps and hops, spiral turns and dance steps.

This requires flexibility, speed, strength, coordination and the ability to move effortlessly. A variety of supports and interactions of gymnasts are allowed as well.

Aesthetic gymnastics is practiced from the age of 4 years. A team consists of six or more gymnasts. The exercise is performed to music and lasts from 2.15 to 2.45 minutes. Being able to demonstrate teamwork and unity is an especially meaningful characteristic of this sport. By means of teamwork, performers tell a story using an expressive interpretation of music through movement.

Movements

All movements are smooth and are performed in groups. Aesthetic gymnastics has a number of requirements and basic movements, which must contain the program of the performance. What are these moves?

• Jumps;
• Pivots;
• Supports;
• Swings;
• Twisting;
• Dance steps.

Of course, all of these elements require special preparation, but when evaluating the performance, judges pay attention to many factors aside from technique.

Evaluation

Performances of the groups are evaluated by three teams of judges. They evaluate the technical value of the composition, the artistic value of the composition and the execution respectively. Each team consists of a minimum of three judges. The minimum allowable number of judges in a field is nine and the maximum is 12.

The technical value of a composition is the sum of compulsory elements and additional difficulties. Obligatory elements and additional difficulties must be performed by the entire group.

The artistic value of a competition composition is composed of several main components, each summarizing different aspects of the composition: the skill of the gymnast in the composition, the structure of the composition, the originality and expressiveness of the composition. The exercise may also include acrobatic elements, supports and interactions permitted by the rules.

The execution of the exercise is evaluated according to the following criteria: synchrony, conformity to the technique of aesthetic gymnastics, individual physical skills of the gymnasts, expressiveness and aesthetic direction, correspondence to the dynamics and rhythm of the music, conformity of the elements of the composition to the aspects of health.

History

Surprisingly, this kind of gymnastics appeared not so long ago. The history of aesthetic gymnastics begins in the late 20th century, and the ancestor is considered Isadora Duncan, the famous dancer and wife of the great poet Sergey Yesenin. At that time, all dances were quite strict, i.e. they were necessarily performed in ballet slippers, had strict conditions, limits and restrictions. However, the American introduced a new kind of dancing – barefoot, with free, graceful movements and high dedication.

Such a seemingly provocation of one person in just a hundred years has become the Estonian and Finnish national sport, and nowadays, many other countries hold international competitions and world championships in aesthetic gymnastics, which means that this sport has a wonderful future.