To finish off my artistry roundup of the Nanning Worlds, I decided to end with some of my personal favorites from Worlds which weren't from major competitors. Obviously, since these are my favorites, I'll think they're all pretty amazing artistically.
Anna Pavlova
The last of an era. I debated as whether to include Anna because with her it's basically, Duh, of course it's artistic, but I went ahead and did it anyway. It's not the grandeur of the majestic 2008 routine, but I like it better than most of her earlier routines. The flowing piano music is not what we typically associate with Anna, but she really did a beautiful delicate and lyrical routine. Thank goodness Azerbaijan is scouting for athletes so we can continue to watch Anna's beautiful gymnastics! Perfect line, lovely classic style, better choreography than has been coming from Round Lake recently (GET THE RODS OUT OF THERE)... just a dream of a routine. The ending is my favorite part of the routine, I love how she seems to replicate two deep breaths. It's just beautiful, there's really no other way to put it.
Claire Martin
Another classical routine. The combination of strings and piano music is gorgeous. I especially love 0:59-1:10. A great combination of strong, short movements and smooth transitions. I love how the music, and Claire's interpretation, is pulsating and dramatic but delicate and lyrical at the same time. Another flourish I am very fond of is the use of balances throughout the routine. It makes for sharp transitions between movements which make you really sit up and take notice of what she's doing as well as a very cohesive routine. It's a really great classical routine with a very strong presence. The ending is also very intriguing to me. The sharp and dramatic routine is capped off with a quiet ending which just sort of hangs there. It really keeps you wrapped in the routine for just a moment after it ends.
Celine van Gerner
It won't embed, sorry. Celine's is such an innovative routine. There's really not a second of this routine I don't love. She has great variation of tempo and rhythm here. She also has lots of full body movement with great changes between extension and more compacted shapes. My favorite part is 0:47-1:07. I love the theme of twisting elements of choreography there. The beginning of the sequence where she hops out of the turn is just a small thing but really eye-catching. I also love the part of her low-to-floor section where she bends and re-extends her leg as she is rolling over her shoulder. When she runs into the corner and bends her knees as she jumps is another eye-catching flourish. Another clever moment of the routine is at 1:19 when she changes plane without warning. The ending at 1:29 when she rolls over her legs to lie on the ground makes a great mounting tension which she releases with her fun heart ending. It's just such an innovative and exciting routine, and I LOVE IT!
Ruby Harrold
The drum solo was a really unique music choice, but Ruby rocks it. Her percussive movements really accentuate the pulse of the music. I also love how she includes arm circles with one arm as a unifying element in the routine. The switch between sharp percussive movements and waving arm motions before the third pass is nicely done is does a good job of switching up the routine. I also love how she has a unifying element of dramatically plunging her fist down to the chest and ends with her fist over her heart. This routine is a great example of what the Code should be encouraging for navigating the corners. Ruby always enters them smoothly in her dance and never linger, but she doesn't overuse the stork stand either. Never does the momentum stop and it's not awkwardly obvious she's trying to avoid the deduction for waiting in the corner. I'm also a sucker for a twisting leap to the ground for an ending. Also a shoutout to her for getting up from her low-to-floor in a way that isn't awkward. One of my big beefs with floor is how awkwardly many of the gymnasts navigate exiting the low-to-floor, so if a gymnast can make it a smooth transition, she automatically gets brownie points from me. Ruby clearly loves this routine and expertly navigates the line between being playful and intense.
As I said at the beginning of the post, seeing as they are my favorites, I obviously find all these routines super artistic. All these gymnasts have incredible presence while they are on the floor and draw you into the routine immediately. These routines are a mix of smooth, flowing, classical, and elegant routines and innovative ones. Most of the routines here are dramatic, but Anna's delicate routine is just as engaging and beautiful. They all represent different directions a highly artistic routine can follow and, most importantly, the gymnasts all clearly love performing them. All these routines are tailored to their performers, which is precisely what makes them so enjoyable to watch.
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