Music has been a part of gymnastics since its very beginning. On this page, the relationship between the two is explored along with the future directions of music’s role in the sport. This page specifically argues for its addition to Men’s Artistic Gymnastics as a catalyst for continued aesthetic growth and change.
History of Gymnastics
Gymnastics originated with the Greeks, and it is linked to the concept of Paideia (Maddox 2). Paideia itself was the Greek concept of perfection and the means by which one was educated and trained to reach such excellence (“Paideia”). The Greek gymnastics was a means of enriching both body and mind, and it was typically reserved only for men, partially due to the tradition of practicing the nude (Maddox 2). The earliest versions of the Olympics included this version of gymnastics as well.
More modern versions of the sport first appeared in the early 1700s, again focusing on the involvement of men instead of women (Maddox 8). During this time period, the underlying goals of gymnastics were heavily based on military training and patriotism, and the connection to music was no longer prevalent (Maddox 11-12).
The early Greeks with their concept of aesthetics, beauty and self-discipline succeeded in attaining excellence physically, mentally, morally and socially through the medium of gymnastics and music.
Hartly Price, QTD in Maddox 3
Moving into the 1900s, trends in gymnastics are quite well summed up by Ernestine Carter and Fred Orlovsky.
“After World War I, the trend in American physical education programs was toward recreational activity. The popular team games started to push out gymnastics from the program. By World War II, the strength and fitness of the American male had dropped to a new low, and the need for a more strenuous conditioning program was apparent. More colleges and high schools began adopting programs that included gymnastics and tumbling activities.”
Ernestine Carter and Fred Orlovsky, QTd in maddox 11
Women’s involvement in the sport came about quite differently than men’s. Women typically were very involved in dance, especially traditional ballet (Maddox 14). With ballet and dance relying heavily on music and the ideals of being graceful and feminine, these ideals were adopted into Women’s Artistic Gymnastics (WAG) from the very beginning. Much of these differences also had to do with the ideas of the time that women were weaker and more fragile (Maddox 13).
Evolution of Women’s Floor Routines
1950s-1990s
WAG, as it is today, was implemented for the first time in the Helsinki Olympic games of 1952 (Maddox 17). The sport has grown dramatically since its foundation in Helsinki, especially in terms of the floor exercise. During the 1950s, routines were very simplistic and accompanied by classical music, typically played on the piano. The dance was rather similar to its ballet routes with an emphasis on turns, toe points, and arm flourishes (Artistics Gymnastics 0:20).
Moving into the 1970s, some of the grace begins to diminish, and the athletes add an aspect of power to their routines. They begin to add more difficulty overall to their skills and focus a little less on their dance. This is well seen in Nadia Comanci’s 1976 routine at the American Cup.
Comaneci’s routine is a wonderful example of the typical WAG floor routine in the 1970s. Her routine includes very graceful movements like that of ballet or contemporary dance. She also performs a series of little hops throughout the routine (0:52). Her music remains classic for the time with it being a gentle piano with a ragtime feel. Comaneci also plays to her young age and appearance with some cutesy aspects of her dance.
A Comparison to Today
In 1988, Phoebe Mills competed a floor routine to the Adams Family theme song, a music choice that is still rather popular today. Compared to routines from other gymnasts during the 1988 U.S Gymnastics Championships, Mills had one of the more interesting ones, showing more personality than the others (1988 U.S Gymnastics Championships – Full Broadcast 56:12).
28 years later, Ragan Smith competed a routine to the same music at the P&G Gymnastics Gymnastics Championships.
The music gives the two routines many similarities; however, the routines have a very different feel from one another. Smith’s routine is far more high-energy; she is moving faster overall, and the emphasis is more so on the tumbling than with Mills’s routine. She also has more tumbling passes than Mills. All in all, Smith continues to show grace in the routine, but her routine demonstrates body control more so than it does gracefulness. Mills is dancing for a larger proportion of the routine than Smith, and the movements are in her routine are generally slower. Mills also displays more kicks and sashes in her routine, which was typical of the style of the time.
Moving Forward
Today, WAG floor routines are about more than just grace and power; they have become a means of expression for both the gymnast’s personality and greater causes. College gymnastics specifically has been a place where gymnasts have strayed from the traditional routine. One well-known example is Katelyn Ohashi, a gymnast with a number of fabulous and unique routines. Her 2019 floor routine, was especially well received and went viral on social media.
Katelyn Ohashi demonstrates incredible power, control, and swag in this routine. Forgoing the typical grace and ballet style of the ’60s-’90s, she incorporates modern influences of hip hop. She performs drops, hair flips, and struts around the floor captivating the audience. Her routine was well-received by all scoring a 10.0 and her teammates can be seen in the background doing some moves along with her. Ohashi’s coach, Kondos Field, told Richardson “I had a few people say … ‘Even though I am a more traditional fan … I can’t help but be joyful when I watch her routine.’ ” (Richardson). Even those who prefer a more traditional routine were in awe, as her pure joy and love for the sport are clear throughout her performance (Richardson). She shows incredible control of her body and is expressive throughout the routine. Most importantly you can see Ohashi’s personality throughout the routine and her clear passion for the sport.
This year another UCLA gymnast had a viral routine. Nia Dennis had a fabulous routine this season, that was praised for demonstrating black excellence.
The high-energy routine incorporates “Greek life-inspired stepping”, along with modern dance trends (0:36). Similar to Ohashi, Dennis’s routine contains many modern influences. The dance moves are those which could be seen in many other common settings (1:02). Her music is just as unique as her dance, with a mashup of songs by “Beyoncé, Tupac Shakur, Missy Elliott, Soulja Boy, and Megan Thee Stallion” (Schelenz). Dennis says her routine “reflects everything that [she is] today as a woman”, and she has been praised for using her platform to show off her culture and black excellence (Schelenz). Overall this phenomenal routine encompasses the direction that WAG floor routines are headed, and where MAG floor routines hopefully will end up.
Men’s Routines and Music
Without the inclusion of music, men’s floor routines have changed very little in comparison to women’s. The overall make-up of the routine is the same, with the only real difference being a progression in skill difficulty over the years. The abundant aesthetic similarities become very apparent in a comparison between the 1980 U.S. National Championships, and Sam Mikulak’s 2018 floor routine.
Mikulak’s routine and those of the 1980s are overall quite similar; aesthetically, the only real difference is the slightly increased pace of Mikulak’s routine. Men’s routines have become stagnant in terms of artistry, something that barely exists in the first place. It is curious to see how MAG has strayed from its Greek origins and musical ties, although not at all surprising. Moving into the modern era, the large differences between MAG and WAG floor routines comes “from an outdated perception of women’s abilities” (Oswald).
It is clear just from the manner in which MAG and WAG floor is described that WAG floor routines have become significantly more difficult than their MAG counterparts. USA Gymnastics describes each event on their website along with what makes it difficult. For WAG, gymnasts must “harmoniously blend dance elements and tumbling while making versatile use of floor space, changing both the direction and level of movement” (“Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Event Descriptions”). The difficulty of the event stems from the requirements for “beauty, strength, power, and stamina to continue at peak performance throughout the entire exercise” (“Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Event Descriptions”). MAG, on the other hand, requires the gymnast simply to perform their tumbling passes while using most of the floor space. USA Gymnastics states that “It is one of the more difficult events to achieve a high difficulty value. The best routines will include difficult tumbling passes with connected bounding skills and will look near-effortless to the spectators” (“Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Event Descriptions”).
The entirety of the MAG floor excerise is encompassed within WAG floor routines, making the women’s routines far more difficult. They do all that the men do and have the same basic requirements, all while having to demonstrate beauty and keep up with dance. The women also must dedicate a proportion of their practice time to perfecting their dance, whereas the men can simply focus on their tumbling and skills.
If MAG were to include dance and music, it would not only enrich the floor event, but it would allow for continued aesthetic growth within the event. Floor music forces the gymnast to be constantly moving and to fit more elements into the same amount of time. As seen with women gymnastics, there are many more options when it comes to floor routines, and it allows for better expression of personality and can create a better appreciation of the event entirely.
Many people may not want this change to occur. As mentioned in Richardson’s article about Kaitlyn Ohashi, many people prefer a more traditional approach to gymnastics. From personal experience, I can confirm this bias, as certain judges have given lower scores to my more unique and outgoing routines, arguing that the artistry was lacking. Adding music to MAG would be a major change to the sport; however, change is essential for growth. Through bringing in a new level of creativity and challenge, gymnasts will be able to grow in a new manner.
Works Cited
1988 U.S Gymnastics Championships – Full Broadcast. 2013. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWEVfkf5oX0. —.
Artistics Gymnastics. Learn The Evolution of Gymnastics: Floor Development. 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgl9DEYHBv0.
“Guide to Gymnastics.” USA Gymnastics, https://issuu.com/usagymnastics/docs/gymnasticsguide2018?e=1843697/57806809. —.
Li, Rou Mai. The Study of All-around Results’in Grey Interrelation of All Excellent Women’s Gymnastics Athletes of the World. South China Normal University, 2009, http://unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu/dissertations-theses/study-all-around-resultsin-grey-interrelation/docview/1869036574/se-2?accountid=8117.
Maddox, Arthur Lindon. MUSIC IN WOMEN’S ARTISTIC GYMNASTICS–FLOOR EXERCISE (WITH ORIGINAL COMPOSITION) “GATHER”: CONCERTINO FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1979, http://unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu:2048/login?url=https://www-proquest-com.unh-proxy01.newhaven.edu/dissertations-theses/music-womens-artistic-gymnastics-floor-exercise/docview/302917022/se-2?accountid=8117.
“Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Event Descriptions.” USA Gymnastics, https://usagym.org/pages/gymnastics101/men/events.html. —.
Nadia Comaneci – Floor Exercise – 1976 American Cup. 2009. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y87BO6tnB08. —.
Oswald, Anjelica. “The Infuriating Reason Male Gymnasts Aren’t Allowed to Compete to Music.” Business Insider, 17 Aug. 2016, https://www.insider.com/why-do-male-gymnasts-perform-without-music-2016-8.
“Paideia.” Wikipedia, 15 Mar. 2021. Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Paideia&oldid=1012351976.
Ragan Smith – Floor Exercise – 2016 P&G Gymnastics Championships – Sr. Women Day 2. 2016. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffSz835ZWTA. —.
Richardson, Blake. “Must Reads: UCLA’s Katelyn Ohashi Rediscovers Her Joy of Gymnastics and Becomes an Internet Sensation.” Los Angeles Times, 17 Jan. 2019, https://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-ucla-katelyn-ohashi-20190117-story.html.
Schelenz, Robyn. “Watch UCLA Gymnast Nia Dennis Thrill with Her Viral ‘Black Excellence’ Floor Routine.” University of California, 25 Jan. 2021, https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/watch-ucla-gymnast-nia-dennis-thrill-her-viral-black-excellence-floor-routine.
UCLA Athletics. Katelyn Ohashi – 10.0 Floor (1-12-19). 2019. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ic7RNS4Dfo.
UCLA Athletics. Nia Dennis – 2021 Floor Exercise (1-23-21). 2021. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYZ4GvoZih8.
USA Gymnastics. 1980 U.S. National Championships – Men – Full Broadcast. 2013. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwvofneKoHc. —.
USA Gymnastics. Sam Mikulak – Floor Exercise – 2018 U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Senior Men Day 2. 2018. YouTube, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IrrgKLrWHA.
“Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Event Descriptions.” USA Gymnastics, https://usagym.org/pages/gymnastics101/women/events.html.
