Especially Day 2, it was the first time Jade really looked happy and excited performing her dance. I’ve always enjoyed her floor routines and have never been too bothered by her gentle robot look, but she seems to have really grown in confidence and seemed to enjoy performing to the crowd - brought a tear to my eye. Can’t wait to watch her in Paris!!!
>gentle robot look
OMG this is cracking me up. It's so accurate, but in the best way.
On the broadcast, Sam called her "robotic" and meant it as a compliment -- just that she is super consistent, calm, and reliable. It was awkward and I loved it.
Personally, I loved the title another Redditor gave Jade yesterday -- Serene Queen of Doing Her Thing.
FREAKING LOVE HER!❤️❤️❤️
Yes, 7/22/21 podium training. I found a picture of her with the team and Myk. The team were wearing black and gold and she and Myk were wearing the lilac.
it existed before this post but I think this post helped haha -
https://old.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/ouz9sz/when_gymnastics_and_mit_collide_gentle_shiny/
It was from the live thread I’m pretty sure. If anyone cared to sift through my comments from 3 years ago you could probably find who coined the term 🤣
Lmao I went through all your posts/comments and also all the comments on that podium training thread & I couldn't find it!! The parent comment must have gotten deleted or something
I like Jade's improvement on floor. I can see that she's trying very hard to be well-rounded.
Tumbling: Insane as always at her peak. Perhaps she will continue to upgrade.
Dance element: we ripped her L hop full, but she already took it out. The precise switch full to Popa is so diva-coded.
Music: IMO the music structure is good, and her movements match the flow and tempo of the music. But I know there are different interpretation by people.
I like both. I’m still amazed by Jade’s amplitude on leaps and jumps. There are many slightly under rotated switch fulls, but she fully (and precisely!) rotate it in direct combination!
I agree. Her new routine is such a good fit for her style-wise.
Where do you think she might upgrade? The double tuck at the end looks super comfortable and easy for her, yet that’s probably necessary at the end. Double pike perhaps? (Can’t recall her dismount passes from last cycle.) I doubt we’ll see the TTDLO again.
There are two possible paths:
1. changes double tuck to full in. She did it in 2019.
2. her Tokyo tumbling composition. Didn't she do the front layout + full in at US classic? I believe it can convert to front layout + double double.
If she just makes the front tuck into a front lay she gets .1 CV even if she keeps the double tuck. I think that’s the most likely composition change at this point.
either front lay to double tuck or front lay to full in, depending on how she feeling endurance wise. i think the layout will make an appearance for sure and then save the full in for event finals??
She paces very well. She began at Chusa in her first competition. Then added the front layout at classic. Then added back a Moors (and count an A) at champ. Then added back the double double at trials. So the remaining is the front layout and / or the last pass.
I’ve been thinking about this and I can’t help but wonder if she can upgrade her punch front to double tuck. Then again I bet she’s so tired by the time she gets to that pass
I was really impressed with her Trials performances on floor. You can tell that she enjoys the music and she connects to it so much better than any of her previous routines. I don't think I'll ever enjoy her dancing just for itself like I do for e.g. Andrade or Chae Campbell, but I can say I now enjoy watching her whole routine, not just the tumbling!
Also I love the addition of the straddle jump full - she gets so high!
She is who people should point to when you talk about NCAA benefiting elite gymnasts. Truly helped her come out of her shell which has helped her dance elements massively in my opinion. Also, the fact she competed ALL season of NCAA and done so well in the few months since it wrapped in preparation for trials and the Olympics is truly amazing. I think it’s truly astounding because so many took either the season off or post season off.
I totally agree. She is still jade and she’s never going to be a great dancer. I myself am rhythm challenged so I get it. But the conscious effort is all there—body waves, high to low elements, different speeds, etc. I hope the international judges reward her efforts instead of just slapping their standard jade artistry deductions on it, because her hard work really shows!
credit to Tanya Chaplin for improving Jade's confidence and dance on both floor and beam. Oregon State has had great floor routines over the years always in the shadow of UCLA, but i have always enjoyed her work more. great music cuts, great choreography. look up Melanie Jones for a classic example.
I’ve always enjoyed watching Jade but her day 1 floor looked like she was really enjoying the performance aspect of it for the first time ever. And then she killed it day 2 as well. So so happy for her
Her floor is so good and her dance is so much better this quad. It also just fits her. We also know that she is scores well abroad so I expect it will be a good showing. If she does her 2021 upgrades she’s going to be getting a medal
I credit so much of this to Tanya Chaplin who has been doing incredible choreography work at OSU for years. She’s especially skilled with matching movement to gymnast styles and working with a lot of athletes who aren’t natural dancers. Go Jade!!
I am absolutely in love with Jade's floor this season. She has improved so much in choreo/artistry. It's still not good enough for some, but I don't care. I think she's just awesome and deserves so much credit.
Love her music, her tumbling is awesome, and to see her just come alive in her last Trials fx? Incredible. She’s never looked so comfortable and confident.
I really love her floor routine this quad!! I was never a fan of her floor routine during Tokyo even though I recognize the difficulty of that routine. This time around she just looks more relaxed and looks like she’s having fun. I loved seeing her so happy and bubbly and emotional when they announced the team 🥹 Definitely rooting for her!!
I keep seeing the series of photos of Jade and Simone talking about vault and Jade making hilarious faces. I really believe if she brought even half that facial expression into her routine her score would go up. I feel like that’s a little what we saw in Day 2 of Trials — she grinned when hitting the Moors and all of the sudden it seemed like she — and everyone else in the arena — was really feeling it.
I'm a little worried about Jordan's current choreography - some sections are soooo slow and sleepy looking, so I don't know that she's going to get the artistry credit we all know she can easily get. There's something missing in this routine RE matching the music and complex movement and I'm so puzzled by it.
I totally agree. We've seen such impeccable greatness from her. Even her ending pose looks so half hearted. Waaaaaave. Done. Yawn.
I know there's some racist BS in USAG's fear of real dancing, and that Jordan received guidance to take out the hip hop, but we've seen these athletes go to worlds and we've seen what scores well and it's not just European Ballet anymore. It's time for USAG to stop hiding behind FIG's racism and realize it's the problem.
I was wondering the same thing. Her new routine seems like it may not get as few artistry deductions. But I am not sure how any of the Americans will score.
I'm not quite certain about the artistry deductions. I agree she misses some 3-5 second complex movements (or that her choreography is not complex enough throughout), but often time when gymnasts do a wolf turn, there is little to no time left for a 3-5 second complex movement that covers a variety of body movements and emphasis of foot work.
Which part of the music do you think she doesn't match, to the point it's worth a deduction?
There’s a section where she’s moving her arms slowly and just stepping sideways and it doesn’t even seem to be on beat. Then there’s another section right after a tumbling pass where she’s just sort of walking and moving her arms in a perfunctory way in opposition to the energy of the music.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not up to her performance and artistry standards by a long shot.
I really like Hezley, but I'm kinda hoping she doesn't compete in quals so Jade, Jordan, and Suni all have the chance to try qualifying for AA. It's unlikely it'll happen that way, but Jade and Jordan are both very competitive AAers and I think they deserve a real shot at it.
The best part of Tokyo's messy team + individual scenario was everyone got to do AA.
I know some people want this, but it would be insanely stupid not to have Hezly on at least beam in quals. Like there’s zero chance lol. Her first time competing on the Olympic stage being in TFs would be one of the worst decisions ever.
If the whole point is winning a team Gold, then be as draconian as you want.
Either pick in the feels/storyline or pick on number crunching the best results and let people feel yucky emotions.
I'd like to see Jade compete more, but if Helzy has better numbers, no problems with her knocking someone out. That's if the team gold campaign trumps everything else.
It’s not even that team gold is the priority (although they’ve pretty much said it is). I think Jade doing AA just doesn’t make sense for the team needs as a whole. You could theoretically let Jade go on BB instead of Jordan, but you wouldn’t put her on bars instead of Jordan or Hezly. Jade doing AA would only really benefit her (which she isn’t even the favorite to be in the AA final), whereas other scenarios would benefit the team: experience, the TF, knowing scoring potential, etc. Suni is my fav but I’d say the same thing about her if Shi and Skye were in the team (because you wouldn’t have had Shi not do AA or Skye not do vault)
I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but Rivera beat Carey's all-around score at nationals (both nights), and beat Carey's all-around score night 2 at trials. Why should someone who regularly outscores Carey in the AA be denied an Olympic experience for Carey's AA benefit?
I think the difference is Jade has some D she can add in. That is Hezly’s current peak. Though I agree that not having Hezly on beam is silly but I think it isn’t clear cut if Jade of Jo is the 3rd AA until closer to the games
I don't see why Hezly can't compete in qualification. The team will probably put her beam in TF. So it's better to be evaluated by judges in QF first. Her beam is a good backup for EF. Also, she may also compete on bars in TF given that her D score is 6.1 with good execution.
The music is excellent for her and I most enjoyed seeing it on night 2, because she was already pumped up to be finishing the meet on a great note and she was radiating happiness when she hit the final pose.
I'm a Jade fan. I think she is still a robot but a more upgraded model lol. Like those dolls whose packages say with "life-like" movements.
She's just not a dancer. I was really hoping she leaned into that though! Like someone could have come up with something more creative. Art can be a lot of things as long as it still ticked all the other boxes like syncing with the music, etc.
I really, really wish she had played into the narrative around her and gone full robot, barbie, baby doll kind of route. Not saying this was the idea she should have gone with, but I was looking for something like mimicking a doll breaking out of the box. Act out the motions that a child doesn't want to play with her because she's a doll that's not like the other dolls in their pretty ballerina costumes but she chooses to break out of the box and finds beauty in herself beyond the norm. It would be a literal performance of breaking out of the box on the floor but also figurative as in she is also breaking out of the box of traditional "artistry".
I don't think I cared for Jade when I first saw her (maybe 2018 or '19), because yeah, her robotic-ness was quite jarring—but over time, and seeing her evolve, I've come to appreciate her more: amidst a sea of gymnasts that lean towards graceful and elegant, I like that Jade is something a little different, and her music choices and choreography have improved to suit her better. In fact, in terms of just artistry, Jade's routine actually might be my favourite of this Olympic group!
Speaking of which... Does anyone know the track's title/artist?? I know it’s “Seven Nation Army” but I can’t find the exact cover 😫
I remember watching Gracie Kramer's UCLA routines and thinking "Why doesn't Jade do something like this?" Not to the same level of energy and theatricality that Gracie brings, of course—but embodying a sort of darker, sharper mood or character, I think that's right up Jade's alley. Hope she can keep discovering the artistic styles that are best for her!
This is exactly right. She's not a dancer, and you can't become one overnight. As dancers, we train in artistry from the cradle like these women train in acrobatics. There are some gymnasts who manage quite well despite built-in gymnast habits that break their lines and spoil illusions, but very, very few of them display genuine artistic intention that communicates something clear, though impossible to capture in words (hence why movement is the medium of choice).
Where the gymnast is in the majority who don't have strong artistry, or in the subset who are even more limited in that respect, strategy has to come into play. That's where your idea would have been great. As it stands, she and/or her team selected a piece of music that comes pre-packaged with its own meaning, a meaning she completely fails either to convey or to complement in a kind of harmonizing approach. Musicality goes so far beyond just speeding up and slowing down alongside the beat. You have to deal with what the music conveys, either by cosigning it (which I'd recommend for gymnasts) or providing a counterpoint. Now, Seven Nation Army is not a pretty song. It snarls and growls and comes from a super low centre of gravity. There's a little smile to it, but a spiteful one that takes joy in an enemy's downfall. If you can't portray that...choose something different! There's a vast universe of music out there. Choose something that goes along with what you're able to convey. Embrace the robot and choose techno, maybe!
While I think Simone has a touch more artistry than people give her credit for (they get confused and think you can't be artistic if you're powerful, I think), her choreographer(s) also do her a great service by meeting her where she's at in this way. Don't force her into freaking Les Sylphides or some Romantic-era mess like that. Play to the gymnast's strengths. Same *could* go for Jade. Meet her where she's at, give her music and movement that gel with her pre-existing style, and let her be Jade.
It might sound like I hate her given how much I just wrote. I adore her tumbling, her skills are incandescent. She might even be artistic in other media than dance. But this isn't where she's at, and failing to meet her where she's at does this great gymnast a disservice.
I want to love her floor soooo bad and I agree that her dance is a lot better with this routine and this new music, but i still feel like everything aside from the tumbling is so boring and almost feels like it's in slow motion. If she would just hit the poses a little harder/be a little snappier it would help so much!
(Apologies to my former coaches whose exact same feedback fell on deaf ears)
NCAA has done wonders for her and I love it. Been a fan since 2017 and I'm so excited she gets this opportunity. A testament to the value of not overtraining when you're young, too.
Especially Day 2, it was the first time Jade really looked happy and excited performing her dance. I’ve always enjoyed her floor routines and have never been too bothered by her gentle robot look, but she seems to have really grown in confidence and seemed to enjoy performing to the crowd - brought a tear to my eye. Can’t wait to watch her in Paris!!!
>gentle robot look OMG this is cracking me up. It's so accurate, but in the best way. On the broadcast, Sam called her "robotic" and meant it as a compliment -- just that she is super consistent, calm, and reliable. It was awkward and I loved it. Personally, I loved the title another Redditor gave Jade yesterday -- Serene Queen of Doing Her Thing. FREAKING LOVE HER!❤️❤️❤️
She won me by doing the work around for qualifying for Tokyo. That fact makes her Queen in my book.
Sam called Jordan’s vault “robotic” in a great way, did she use the same term for Jade?
Maybe that's what I was thinking of.
YES, GENTLE ROBOT 💗
I need to know who is responsible for coining the term gentle robot 💀
It originated during the live discussion thread from the night Jade wore the shiny lilac leotard in Tokyo. 😁
Wasn't that podium training? Or am I remembering wrong...
Yes, 7/22/21 podium training. I found a picture of her with the team and Myk. The team were wearing black and gold and she and Myk were wearing the lilac.
Now I need to look it up.
Definitely can’t take credit for it! I first saw it used on this page during Tokyo
it existed before this post but I think this post helped haha - https://old.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/comments/ouz9sz/when_gymnastics_and_mit_collide_gentle_shiny/
It was from the live thread I’m pretty sure. If anyone cared to sift through my comments from 3 years ago you could probably find who coined the term 🤣
Yes! I remember it well. It was the live discussion when Jade wore the shiny lilac leotard during Tokyo. ☺️
Lmao I went through all your posts/comments and also all the comments on that podium training thread & I couldn't find it!! The parent comment must have gotten deleted or something
I found it! https://www.reddit.com/r/Gymnastics/s/n5fQIoMCPS
I like Jade's improvement on floor. I can see that she's trying very hard to be well-rounded. Tumbling: Insane as always at her peak. Perhaps she will continue to upgrade. Dance element: we ripped her L hop full, but she already took it out. The precise switch full to Popa is so diva-coded. Music: IMO the music structure is good, and her movements match the flow and tempo of the music. But I know there are different interpretation by people.
Jade’s switch full to Popa is one of my absolute favorite dance elements this season. It’s just so good.
Yes! Maybe tied with Rebeca's mustifina for my fave dance change/upgrade of the entire quad!
I like both. I’m still amazed by Jade’s amplitude on leaps and jumps. There are many slightly under rotated switch fulls, but she fully (and precisely!) rotate it in direct combination!
I agree. Her new routine is such a good fit for her style-wise. Where do you think she might upgrade? The double tuck at the end looks super comfortable and easy for her, yet that’s probably necessary at the end. Double pike perhaps? (Can’t recall her dismount passes from last cycle.) I doubt we’ll see the TTDLO again.
There are two possible paths: 1. changes double tuck to full in. She did it in 2019. 2. her Tokyo tumbling composition. Didn't she do the front layout + full in at US classic? I believe it can convert to front layout + double double.
If she just makes the front tuck into a front lay she gets .1 CV even if she keeps the double tuck. I think that’s the most likely composition change at this point.
either front lay to double tuck or front lay to full in, depending on how she feeling endurance wise. i think the layout will make an appearance for sure and then save the full in for event finals??
what kind of tumbling upgrade that is still possible within a month for her? (genuinely asking)
I think either her 2019 or 2021 tumbling composition. She slowly adds more difficult tumblings in each competition.
& that strategy has NEVER looked SMARTER than right about NOW.
She paces very well. She began at Chusa in her first competition. Then added the front layout at classic. Then added back a Moors (and count an A) at champ. Then added back the double double at trials. So the remaining is the front layout and / or the last pass.
I’ve been thinking about this and I can’t help but wonder if she can upgrade her punch front to double tuck. Then again I bet she’s so tired by the time she gets to that pass
I was really impressed with her Trials performances on floor. You can tell that she enjoys the music and she connects to it so much better than any of her previous routines. I don't think I'll ever enjoy her dancing just for itself like I do for e.g. Andrade or Chae Campbell, but I can say I now enjoy watching her whole routine, not just the tumbling! Also I love the addition of the straddle jump full - she gets so high!
Yeah that straddle is sky high!
She is who people should point to when you talk about NCAA benefiting elite gymnasts. Truly helped her come out of her shell which has helped her dance elements massively in my opinion. Also, the fact she competed ALL season of NCAA and done so well in the few months since it wrapped in preparation for trials and the Olympics is truly amazing. I think it’s truly astounding because so many took either the season off or post season off.
I totally agree. She is still jade and she’s never going to be a great dancer. I myself am rhythm challenged so I get it. But the conscious effort is all there—body waves, high to low elements, different speeds, etc. I hope the international judges reward her efforts instead of just slapping their standard jade artistry deductions on it, because her hard work really shows!
credit to Tanya Chaplin for improving Jade's confidence and dance on both floor and beam. Oregon State has had great floor routines over the years always in the shadow of UCLA, but i have always enjoyed her work more. great music cuts, great choreography. look up Melanie Jones for a classic example.
I really enjoyed Madi Dagen's floor!
I’ve always enjoyed watching Jade but her day 1 floor looked like she was really enjoying the performance aspect of it for the first time ever. And then she killed it day 2 as well. So so happy for her
I hav3 always loved Jade from the get go, but Amanar is one of my favorite FX workers too.
Her floor is so good and her dance is so much better this quad. It also just fits her. We also know that she is scores well abroad so I expect it will be a good showing. If she does her 2021 upgrades she’s going to be getting a medal
I credit so much of this to Tanya Chaplin who has been doing incredible choreography work at OSU for years. She’s especially skilled with matching movement to gymnast styles and working with a lot of athletes who aren’t natural dancers. Go Jade!!
I am absolutely in love with Jade's floor this season. She has improved so much in choreo/artistry. It's still not good enough for some, but I don't care. I think she's just awesome and deserves so much credit.
I'm obsessd with the move she does after the third pass
Love her music, her tumbling is awesome, and to see her just come alive in her last Trials fx? Incredible. She’s never looked so comfortable and confident.
I am so hoping for floor and vault silver for Jade in Paris! (because with a healthy Simone competing, a silver behind the 🐐is the best you can do)
IDK if she can beat peak-Andrade on vault, but I hope we get to find out!
Is it bad I kinda hope Andrade beats Simone? 🙊
Can she realistically do this without a Simone injury or big mistake?
That I don't know. My gut says probably not...?
Simone is vulnerable if she falls on the YDP, which is very possible especially after multiple days of competition.
Jade is aiming for bronze on vault. Simone and Rebeca are untouchable. But I hope for silver on floor!
I really love her floor routine this quad!! I was never a fan of her floor routine during Tokyo even though I recognize the difficulty of that routine. This time around she just looks more relaxed and looks like she’s having fun. I loved seeing her so happy and bubbly and emotional when they announced the team 🥹 Definitely rooting for her!!
I woke up in the middle of the night with her floor music in my head after trials!
Agreed she looks so good! She really seemed to respond to the crowd too so I think it will be fun for her to perform it at Paris
She is the Becky “The Icebox” O’Shea of WAG and I could not love it more
College was so good for her. She’s still reserved but her performances have improved. And her tumbling is always silky smooth and powerful.
I keep seeing the series of photos of Jade and Simone talking about vault and Jade making hilarious faces. I really believe if she brought even half that facial expression into her routine her score would go up. I feel like that’s a little what we saw in Day 2 of Trials — she grinned when hitting the Moors and all of the sudden it seemed like she — and everyone else in the arena — was really feeling it.
I'm so excited for Jade and Jordan to battle it out on floor during qualifications. Too bad they can't both make event finals (along with Simone)! 💔
I'm a little worried about Jordan's current choreography - some sections are soooo slow and sleepy looking, so I don't know that she's going to get the artistry credit we all know she can easily get. There's something missing in this routine RE matching the music and complex movement and I'm so puzzled by it.
Jordan deserves so much better. She's capable of more.
I totally agree. We've seen such impeccable greatness from her. Even her ending pose looks so half hearted. Waaaaaave. Done. Yawn. I know there's some racist BS in USAG's fear of real dancing, and that Jordan received guidance to take out the hip hop, but we've seen these athletes go to worlds and we've seen what scores well and it's not just European Ballet anymore. It's time for USAG to stop hiding behind FIG's racism and realize it's the problem.
I was wondering the same thing. Her new routine seems like it may not get as few artistry deductions. But I am not sure how any of the Americans will score.
I'm not quite certain about the artistry deductions. I agree she misses some 3-5 second complex movements (or that her choreography is not complex enough throughout), but often time when gymnasts do a wolf turn, there is little to no time left for a 3-5 second complex movement that covers a variety of body movements and emphasis of foot work. Which part of the music do you think she doesn't match, to the point it's worth a deduction?
There’s a section where she’s moving her arms slowly and just stepping sideways and it doesn’t even seem to be on beat. Then there’s another section right after a tumbling pass where she’s just sort of walking and moving her arms in a perfunctory way in opposition to the energy of the music. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not up to her performance and artistry standards by a long shot.
I really like Hezley, but I'm kinda hoping she doesn't compete in quals so Jade, Jordan, and Suni all have the chance to try qualifying for AA. It's unlikely it'll happen that way, but Jade and Jordan are both very competitive AAers and I think they deserve a real shot at it. The best part of Tokyo's messy team + individual scenario was everyone got to do AA.
I know some people want this, but it would be insanely stupid not to have Hezly on at least beam in quals. Like there’s zero chance lol. Her first time competing on the Olympic stage being in TFs would be one of the worst decisions ever.
It would be massively unfair to Hezly to bench her just so the 4th best AAer (whoever that ends up being) can try all four events.
If the whole point is winning a team Gold, then be as draconian as you want. Either pick in the feels/storyline or pick on number crunching the best results and let people feel yucky emotions. I'd like to see Jade compete more, but if Helzy has better numbers, no problems with her knocking someone out. That's if the team gold campaign trumps everything else.
It’s not even that team gold is the priority (although they’ve pretty much said it is). I think Jade doing AA just doesn’t make sense for the team needs as a whole. You could theoretically let Jade go on BB instead of Jordan, but you wouldn’t put her on bars instead of Jordan or Hezly. Jade doing AA would only really benefit her (which she isn’t even the favorite to be in the AA final), whereas other scenarios would benefit the team: experience, the TF, knowing scoring potential, etc. Suni is my fav but I’d say the same thing about her if Shi and Skye were in the team (because you wouldn’t have had Shi not do AA or Skye not do vault)
I mean, not to put too fine a point on it, but Rivera beat Carey's all-around score at nationals (both nights), and beat Carey's all-around score night 2 at trials. Why should someone who regularly outscores Carey in the AA be denied an Olympic experience for Carey's AA benefit?
I think the difference is Jade has some D she can add in. That is Hezly’s current peak. Though I agree that not having Hezly on beam is silly but I think it isn’t clear cut if Jade of Jo is the 3rd AA until closer to the games
I don't see why Hezly can't compete in qualification. The team will probably put her beam in TF. So it's better to be evaluated by judges in QF first. Her beam is a good backup for EF. Also, she may also compete on bars in TF given that her D score is 6.1 with good execution.
this is also my secret hope. i know it's silly but i want it lol.
Same
The music is excellent for her and I most enjoyed seeing it on night 2, because she was already pumped up to be finishing the meet on a great note and she was radiating happiness when she hit the final pose.
I'm a Jade fan. I think she is still a robot but a more upgraded model lol. Like those dolls whose packages say with "life-like" movements. She's just not a dancer. I was really hoping she leaned into that though! Like someone could have come up with something more creative. Art can be a lot of things as long as it still ticked all the other boxes like syncing with the music, etc. I really, really wish she had played into the narrative around her and gone full robot, barbie, baby doll kind of route. Not saying this was the idea she should have gone with, but I was looking for something like mimicking a doll breaking out of the box. Act out the motions that a child doesn't want to play with her because she's a doll that's not like the other dolls in their pretty ballerina costumes but she chooses to break out of the box and finds beauty in herself beyond the norm. It would be a literal performance of breaking out of the box on the floor but also figurative as in she is also breaking out of the box of traditional "artistry".
I don't think I cared for Jade when I first saw her (maybe 2018 or '19), because yeah, her robotic-ness was quite jarring—but over time, and seeing her evolve, I've come to appreciate her more: amidst a sea of gymnasts that lean towards graceful and elegant, I like that Jade is something a little different, and her music choices and choreography have improved to suit her better. In fact, in terms of just artistry, Jade's routine actually might be my favourite of this Olympic group! Speaking of which... Does anyone know the track's title/artist?? I know it’s “Seven Nation Army” but I can’t find the exact cover 😫 I remember watching Gracie Kramer's UCLA routines and thinking "Why doesn't Jade do something like this?" Not to the same level of energy and theatricality that Gracie brings, of course—but embodying a sort of darker, sharper mood or character, I think that's right up Jade's alley. Hope she can keep discovering the artistic styles that are best for her!
I think it’s the instrumental of the White Stripes song.
This is exactly right. She's not a dancer, and you can't become one overnight. As dancers, we train in artistry from the cradle like these women train in acrobatics. There are some gymnasts who manage quite well despite built-in gymnast habits that break their lines and spoil illusions, but very, very few of them display genuine artistic intention that communicates something clear, though impossible to capture in words (hence why movement is the medium of choice). Where the gymnast is in the majority who don't have strong artistry, or in the subset who are even more limited in that respect, strategy has to come into play. That's where your idea would have been great. As it stands, she and/or her team selected a piece of music that comes pre-packaged with its own meaning, a meaning she completely fails either to convey or to complement in a kind of harmonizing approach. Musicality goes so far beyond just speeding up and slowing down alongside the beat. You have to deal with what the music conveys, either by cosigning it (which I'd recommend for gymnasts) or providing a counterpoint. Now, Seven Nation Army is not a pretty song. It snarls and growls and comes from a super low centre of gravity. There's a little smile to it, but a spiteful one that takes joy in an enemy's downfall. If you can't portray that...choose something different! There's a vast universe of music out there. Choose something that goes along with what you're able to convey. Embrace the robot and choose techno, maybe! While I think Simone has a touch more artistry than people give her credit for (they get confused and think you can't be artistic if you're powerful, I think), her choreographer(s) also do her a great service by meeting her where she's at in this way. Don't force her into freaking Les Sylphides or some Romantic-era mess like that. Play to the gymnast's strengths. Same *could* go for Jade. Meet her where she's at, give her music and movement that gel with her pre-existing style, and let her be Jade. It might sound like I hate her given how much I just wrote. I adore her tumbling, her skills are incandescent. She might even be artistic in other media than dance. But this isn't where she's at, and failing to meet her where she's at does this great gymnast a disservice.
I want to love her floor soooo bad and I agree that her dance is a lot better with this routine and this new music, but i still feel like everything aside from the tumbling is so boring and almost feels like it's in slow motion. If she would just hit the poses a little harder/be a little snappier it would help so much! (Apologies to my former coaches whose exact same feedback fell on deaf ears)
NCAA has done wonders for her and I love it. Been a fan since 2017 and I'm so excited she gets this opportunity. A testament to the value of not overtraining when you're young, too.