Another Day Another Victory: Group AA Recap

Dun dun dun. The best girls in Europe

A lot of charismatic group routines were on display for the all around group competition, held on Friday (Day 1 of Euros). The Russian team captured the gold with a combined score of 37.408, almost six tenths higher than second place victors, Belarus. Overall, I was pleased with their execution both individually and as a team, even as Bliznyuk continues to struggle with the synchronization of body elements. While complex and spunkily upbeat, I find their ribbon routine to stylistically be a major disappointment, because it's void of something group routines should always have: a concept. Five people working in tandem on a carpet, with a journey that has no beginning and no end destination, is not my opinion of good rhythmic gymnastics. To add salt to the wound, their current ribbon is just a mashup of past tricks but without the buildup of ideas that made those past routines fantastic. Currently, their ribbon conveys nothing to me and renders all their movements unimportant; I don't feel like I'm watching a dance that moves the story along. Others are free to argue with me on this point (I welcome the debate!) but I feel like Russia often struggles to balance an idea, and rhythm, with the difficult work that must get done to maintain their advantage over other teams. Below is the ribbon routine that clinched gold (a big thanks to gutsufan for the crisp recording and apologies for the erratic camera work. It seems no one understands the angles that best suit gymnastics):

And below is an example of a ribbon routine I found worthy of praise. The Bulgarian group- masters of performance sensibility- used 'Yuvigi Krum' to emphasize two points: energy and order. The music, written by Bulgarian composer Georgi Andreev, is about Krum, ruler of Bulgaria from 803-814, who brought law and order to his land and through vigorous efforts organized his territories into one modern state (see the opening of the routine). Even before I knew any of this, this routine stood out to me for how it intertwined the chanting of Krum's name with traditional Bulgarian folk music, which was so light and whimsical and free, and it all seemed to emphasize a point that dance is both an impulse and a choreographed art form. It's evocative work, and was a great release of energy, I'm sure, for a group that's had to deal with the tragic condition of their teammate, Tsvetelina Stoyanova. 

Now, Russia's 6 clubs+2 hoops routine is another matter entirely. I'm in LOOOOOOOVE. When Viner announced that the 2016 choreography would be "traditionally Russian" I groaned because you know what that generally means: badly remixed versions of Kalinka done to cutsey head bobbing and beginners guide to Russian footwork type of dancing. Instead we've been given a masterpiece, for real. They appeared on the screen like forest sprite's, a new costume designed to engage the Brazilian audience come Rio. I love the use of Stravinski with other music choices that kept within the same frenetic pace. No other team does apparatus handling like the innovative Russians- fast intricate tosses blend seamlessly with the dancing and the clubs and hoops seem like extensions of their own bodies. My favorite part is the opening 20 seconds because it sets the perfect tone for what's to come. They really did a good job interpreting the themes of primitivism, with rapid fire work that matched the drum thumping music. Erratic and unexpected directional changes in choreography reinforced the idea of a ritual coming to a hectic conclusion. The music builds in speed and reaches a triumphant climax when Tatareva, (the sacrificial girl?), is lifted for a second time to catch the hoop with her leg. One of the major plots in the Rite of Spring is the sacrificial girl dancing herself to death, but I think all these girls have just about done that with the many camps, rehearsals, and competitions they've been in this year. All of them have sacrificed their personal lives for years and all for what's happening, not in spring, but this summer. Without this routine, Russia would be overshadowed by many other groups this season and it would be hard to justify their wins. But they do have this routine so BYE. 

Another rouitne I found to be really interesting was the Israeli group's clubs/hoops. Their choreography had A LOT of acrobatics involved (see 1:14, 1:51, 2:09, 2:25, 2:43, 3:07) and the dancing was not the typical genteel stuff of fashion. I don't know, I like it. Nice to see some fire brought to the classical sport of RG. Take note, Germany, this is dubstep done right (even though I'll give you points for a tightly synchronised ribbon routine).

The Belarusians are making a big impact at these Championships with a second place finish from the juniors that some think deserved gold over the Russians, and again in senior groups they finished second behind the Russians. They are noticeably more synchronized than the Russians- it's almost embarrassing- but two minor mistakes when they had to run [just a little] after the ribbon widened the gap between them and Russia. A little more cleaning up of this routine and this could be trouble for Russia. The team dynamic among the Belarusians is so amazing. Enjoy both their ribbon and clubs+hoops routine because I think they deserve full recognition:

I normally love everything the Italians do with ribbon but something has been really off with them this season; I love that their ribbon is an ode to Italian art and everything they've contributed to culture, but I'm not blown away with the masteries. It's doubtless because I have such high expectations. Their clubs/hoops was very energetic and risky but in addition to mistakes they did not have the difficulty to overcome the cleaner working Bulgarians or Israelis for bronze. 

I am so distressed regarding Ukraine. First, the camera(wo)man insisted on super closeups of each girl so we cannot even enjoy the best thing about Ukrainian routines, the composition of how everything is arranged. The camera needs to be positioned far enough away, (and static, not moving every which way) so that we can see the whole landscape, since many different interactions are happening that are lost to the viewer when the camera person is trying to be all artsy with the filming. But then, perhaps it was all for the best, since Ukraine decided to have a complete meltdown and drop the apparatus as many times as is legal. I'm sympathetic to them because the captain of the group had to temporarily leave the team to take a test at these Euros in order to fill the judging vacancy coming in 2017. I so badly want the Ukrainian girls to get out of their own heads and just live in the moment of each performance. They seem so burdened despite no one having any expectations for them to be a major contender for a medal. So beautiful, so artistic, so headcasey. 

What were your favorite routines from the Group AA Final? Did you agree with the scores? The rankings? Is it worth asking who you think will win at the Olympics?

Well deserved. Molodets champions of Europe!

Group team edits designed by Russian Daily VK. Videos by Gutsufan. Duplicate videos will be copied to my YT (sash bib) to preserve the videos if their original source is ever taken down.