1. “I do not value dance or artistry that much in gymnastics. If I wanted to watch great dance, I would watch trained dancers. But I want to watch gymnastics. Artistry is just an added bonus when done well. But I am not going to tell a Simone Biles to take time out of training a triple double so I can watch her do some balletic-style dancing. On the other hand, if someone HAD told her to take time out from training a triple double to do more ballet, maybe that could have saved her ankles!!”
2. “I think the "dance" elements for building up difficulty make it hard for even the most artistic gymnast to do a coherent floor routine. Kind of breaks the spell when they have to do one of those straight-leg, lumbering runs into a triple twisting switch leap or whatever. This is probably THE area where I could see ballet training making a real difference in presentation. Forget barre work, just drill them on plié-chassé till they discover that their knees bend.”
