The Artistry Debate

It's one of the most talked about topics in this sport, so perhaps I'm just beating the subject to death more by writing this post. But I wanted to talk about this (again) because of the rude things I read on tumblr, YouTube, etc on a daily basis. I honestly can't believe that this is still a topic that is being talked about after the multiple good debates I've seen . (There are some pretty good points out there.)

Before you begin reading this, I want to make it clear that this post is not in any way trying to persuade you that what I'm saying is the right answer. I just want to share my opinion on this topic because I think some people are looking at the with a closed mind. I always see people complaining about artistry (or lack thereof) and people have even gone as far to say certain gymnasts shouldn't win because they "can't dance." That statement in particular makes me angry for several reasons.

1. Artistry does not define who should win. In this day and age, it's about what you do and how you do it. The one who throws the biggest tricks and does them cleanly and consistently will win. I don't know about you, but I love the crazy-difficult skills! I'm not watching this sport to see the dancing! Besides, these girls are gymnasts...not dancers. Who says they have to move like professional ballet/contemporary dancers? They are suppose to be gymnasts!

2. What is artistry? Your answer is just an opinion. What you think is artistic might be totally different from what I think is artistic. A year ago I asked people to define what artistry is to them. Here is some of the responses I received. Again...these are all just personal opinions.

And as the king of choreography put it (Yes, I'm talking about Dominic Zito) "A floor routine doesn't need to 'be only elegant' to be considered artistic. Artistry is made up of several components: technique, musicality, movement quality, creativity, and performance ability." (Inside Gymnastics)

To me, artistry is the ability to perform and sell the routine- while being in sync with the music. Simone Biles does this. Laurie Hernandez does this. Llomincia Hall does this. Catherine Lyons does this. I could go on forever! My point is- artistry is not always about being the most graceful or having beautiful balletic lines. Sure it's nice to see, but unfortunately not everybody can move like that. I don't want to see Simone Biles doing Aliya Mustafina's floor routine! It just wouldn't look right! Every gymnast has to do a routine that works for them. Which leads me to my final point.

3. It's not that certain gymnasts are horrible dancers or that they aren't artistic, but a lot of the times the gymnast does not have the best choreography. (Which isn't necessarily their fault.) Sometimes that's all a gymnast needs! Look at Kyla Ross for example. She's a great dancer and has a beautiful routine that really suits her well. But as a kid, she use to be very stiff and boring. All it took was for someone to choreograph a routine that works for her style and bam- you have a masterpiece! People need to understand that everyone is different...especially when it comes to the artistic component of the sport.

So the next time you want to insult an athlete who works incredibly hard every single day and downgrade her accomplishments because you think she is a horrible dancer...please think again. There are so many different branches of artistry...and it's not fair to belittle someone and their accomplishments because they don't fit your standards. I now rest my case.