http://www.teamworkersusa.com/gymnastics-cartwheel/
Gymnastics Choreography In A Snap!
Do you have a gymnast who needs a floor routine right away? Here are some quick tips for putting together a quality floor routine that will be a hit!
#1.) Pick the right music. This will be your guide throughout the process, so choose wisely. Whether you use recycled music from the gym, or you went to great lengths to find just the right piece, make sure the gymnast really likes it and can connect with it. Make sure she listens to it over and over before her choroegraphy session.
#2.) Choose your required skills wisely. For example, if your gymnast does not have a particularly good straddle jump, don’t use it, for it will work against her. Make sure your gymnast is banking on her efforts by picking skills that showcase her talents. Also, have an idea of where they would fit well in the music. Look at the timer on your stereo to see where the tumbling passes fall, as well as the dance skills. Is there a “spinny” sounding part of the music that would be a perfect place to do a double turn? Is there a “big bang” in the music that would accentuate a split leap? Your goal is to effectively complement the moves and skills to the music.
#3.) Come up with some dance steps. You’ve already found a musical piece for her, and with that, hopefully a style of dance that works for her. If she has a Latin piece, put a cha-cha step in; if she has Irish music, perhaps have some “hopping-kicks”, or if she has Big Band, include a charleston step.
#4.) Create more material, or “combos”. Make up some fun dance/acro combinations. Identify what basic tumbling skills she does well, and change them up. Let’s say she has a nice cartwheel. Have her try doing it to her knees to end in an abstract pose on the floor. Maybe her back extension roll is nice. In that case, experiment with having her change her leg positioning once she comes to handstand. Start by choreographing to just parts of the music by combining ”dolled up” basic acro moves with dance moves. I like to call these “combos”. Just play with the music and see what moves you can get to match up. In doing this, you will go into the choreographic process with lots of ideas, and have a better chance of finishing quickly and doing a better job. Keep a notebook to jot down the ideas you come up with. Vidoetaping is a great way to preserve your creative moves as well.
#5.) Create a beginning and an ending pose. You can even start with this. It will help tie the routine together if you know how it starts and ends. It also makes getting the rest of the routine done less intimidating. Make sure you begin and end with great poses, as they leave lasting impressions.
#6.) Tie it all together. By now, you have an excited gymnast, great music, and lots of creative material to work with. Take your time, and match all the movements with the music. Make sure to write down descriptions of the moves and where the go in relation to the music. Try to do 2 sessions, no more than 2 hrs. in length. Many gymnasts get tired mentally & physically around this point, but everyone is different. Bottom line: Don’t stress yourself or your gymnast-this is supposed to be FUN!
Helpful tips: If you hit a road block, or just need more ideas, try some of solutions listed below:
Watch a dance program on TV-there are lots of them out there!
Look through gymnastics magazines for cool poses
Watch You Tube Videos for dance and gymnastics performances
Watch a musical that might have dance in it that relates to your music
If you still have trouble—–Take a dance class! It might be just the motivation you need. It doesn’t matter what kind, whatever appeals to you. Even a yoga class could give you some great ideas for poses, since most of them are gymnastic in nature.
Finally, if all else fails, find a routine you like, learn it yourself, and teach it to your gymnast. I did this the very first time I had to choreograph. I had no experience choreographing, and didn’t know where to start. So, I taught myself a routine performed by a national team member that I had taped on tv, got the music, and taught it to my gymnast. It came out great, and got me started on becoming a confident and creative choreographer!
In conclusion, my favorite quote from Maya Angelou that had helped get me through many a floor routine–”You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have”.
Respectfully submitted,
Ellen McDermott-a.k.a.”The GymArtist”
About the Author
Ellen “The GymArtist” McDermott has nearly 30 years experience in the sport of gymnastics as a performer, coach and choreographer. Ellen has worked in numerous clubs throught the U.S. and Canada, specializing in women’s artistic. In addition to producing several state, regional, provincial and national champions, Ellen has also choreographed well over 1,000 floor and beam routines. After realizing that her natural talent as a choreographer was in high demand, Ellen founded GymArtist Choreography in 2004. She has since been travelling to gyms throught North America, helping the next generation of gymnasts use music to blend skill and dance, and in the end produce a beautiful, creative and winning work of gymnastic art. For more information or to book choreography, contact Ellen at: ellen@thegymartist.com.
Gymnastics : Steps to Do a Cartwheel
|
|
Girl cart-wheeling Photo Mugs MODEL RELEASED. Girl cart-wheeling in a woodin autumn….. |
|
|
Acrobatics for Everybody: Acrobatic Workout for the General Public The video on this DVD was shot during a typical workout for the general public (not for acrobats!), run by coach Obrebski and his assistant coach Pawel Grzybczyk-expert instructors of acrobatics. Anyone can come to such a workout and have the use of the gym and the coaches’ instruction and help. Coaches Obrebski and Grzybczyk teach at the acrobatic club DKS Targówek in Warsaw, Poland. This clu… |
|
|
Pink Children’s Gymnastics Cartwheel / Beam Training Mat $39.00 Brand New! Professionally Made for the Best Quality Guaranteed!… |
|
|
Children’s Gymnastics Cartwheel / Beam Training Mat $39.00 Brand New! Professionally Made for the Best Quality Guaranteed!… |
|
|
Fisher-Price Tumble Time Tigger $499.99 This Tumble Time Tigger’s a wonderful thing! He performs amazing cartwheels and wacky handstands, all activated by your child’s clapping hands that call to him after pressing his ear to start. Kids will never know what zany feat Tigger will do next, so they’ll keep clapping to keep him moving to the musical sound track, zippy Tigger phrases and wacky sound effects. Requires 6 “AA” batteries (inclu… |
|
|
Karen’s Cartwheel (Baby-Sitters Little Sister, No. 29) $3.50 Eager to make her school’s special gymnastics team, for only the very best gymnasts, Karen practices to perfect the one thing she cannot do–a cartwheel…. |
|
|
Cartwheel (Gymnastics) $48.00 Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. In gymnastics, a cartwheel is a sideways rotary movement performed by bringing the hands to the ground while the body inverts and the legs travel over the body, coming down to a standing position. The name cartwheel is used because, when a human performs this, their limbs… |
|
|
Cartwheels (Sprint books) … |
|
|
Tumbl Trak Purple and Lime Green Cartwheel Beam Mat, Hands and Feet on Purple Side and Beam Line on Lime Green Side, 2-Feet Width x 6-Feet Length x 5/8-Inch Height $74.63 Our Cartwheel Beam Mat adds functionality by providing a white practice âbeam stripeâ on one side as well as hand/foot cartwheel guides on the other. They are made with 18 oz. vinyl and 5/8â industry standard, cross-linked polyethylene foam. On the purple side use the hand/foot prints to practice left- or right-handed cartwheels and practice beam skills on the lime green side. Th… |
|
|
Black Cartwheel Crocheted Hair Bun Cover- MEDIUM They are made from the highest quality 100% Mercerized cotton string and have an elastic (No damage/No snag) hair band in the same or coordinating shade worked into the cover. All you do is stretch these over your bun(s) and voila- it hugs your hair for a snug secure fit! You can either wear one over a bun at the back of the head or both at the same time over two buns placed on either side of … |
