um, no. “ballet technique” is definitely not a part of the code, nor should it be. If you want to see ballet, go watch ballet. Also the second part just confused me so much I don’t even want to answer. The code? What does that have to do with anything other than being the reason power is favored over artistry in most situations. Are we going to ridicule the “artistic” gymnasts for not having as good of tumbling as Aly? After all, they’re competing under the same code so they should be doing it as well as she is.
^^^^ Amen.
The only US gymnast who can be described as having anything CLOSE to resembling ballet technique in recent years is Sabrina Vega. She’s the only one with any concept of turn-out, i.e. the foundation on which ballet technique is built. Everyone always compares Nastia to a ballerina and say that THEREFORE she has artistry but long lines alone do not equal ballet. Nor do they equal artistry. Nor does “ballet” equal artistry. As a fan of the ballet who attends NYCB productions regularly and as a fan of gymnastics who attends elite and NCAA meets regularly, I’m fairly confident that ballet and gymnastics have very little to do with one another and I’d like to keep it that way.
LAUREN. First of all, yes, I agree. Secondly, you totally edited this after you posted it. Because I read it, and was like “YEAH!” and then I glanced at it again and was like “THAT’S NOT WHAT SHE SAID BEFORE”
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Source: gymfanconfessions