1980s Soviet Floor

I commented to choreographer / artistic preparation expert Julia Spivak that Floor has never been less “artistic” than in 2012.

… She didn’t disagree. 😦

Young gymnasts today assume that she with the highest start value, should win.

But dinosaurs like me recall the golden age of women’s gymnastics, the 1980s. In that era Floor choreography was as important as tumbling. The Soviet girls were trained in classical ballet — and could entrance with dance.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. (poor video quality)

… Svetlana Baitova, Irina Baraksanova, Olga Bicherova, Svetlana Boguinskaya, Olga Chudina, Elena Davydova, Olesya Dudnik, Natalia Frolova, Tatiana Godenko, Tatiana Groshkova, Natalia Ilienko, Vera Kolesnikova, Natalia Laschenova, Olga Mostepanova, Elena Naimushina, Oksana Omelianchik, Alevtina Pryakhina, Elena Sazonenkova, Elena Shevchenko, Albina Shishova, Elena Shushunova, Olga Strazheva, Tatiana Tuzhukova, Natalia Yurchenko, and Stella Zakharova.

If Shushunova can dance, anyone COULD dance.

… But they’d have to train for it.