Gymnastic Classes

Elements of dance steps, jumps and leaps, pivots and turns, balances, body waves and body bends are the listed essentials. They must be performed with control, lightness, elevation, suppleness and full extension as well as elegance and poise. Whilst there are specific named movements which are recognizable in rhythmic gymnastics (the split leap, the arabesque and the pivot turn, for example) there are endless other movement possibilities within the categories listed, so allowing much freedom for expression and room for originality and invention. The movement combination possible between body and apparatus are seemingly infinite, and the creation of new and unusual movement patterns is both exciting and challenging for the gymnast and for the coach. The recognized pivot turn requires tension and leg strength as with the leaps plus good balance. It is essential that the body stays upright with the weight over the supporting leg; otherwise the gymnast will not maintain balance throughout …

And so it was with Young-Joo Lee, a Korean pianist. She gave her concert to the Amigos de la Musica de la Marina Baixa on November 9 2007 in Altea’s Palau on Spain’s Costa Blanca. In summary, her programme looked rather conventional. It featured Haydn, Rachmaninov, List, Ravel and Prokofiev. I envisaged a classical sonata played as a loosener, a couple of preludes, a showpiece, perhaps a little dead princess and then something from the tuneful end of Prokofiev to round things off. I am not suggesting that concert programmes offered to the Amigos de la Musica tend to be predictable. Quite the contrary, they tend to the ambitions, but then I am always sceptical of programmes that list only the composers’ names. Young-Joo Lee did start with a Haydn sonata, but it was much more than the predicted loosener. She played the piece, Hob XVI:34 in E-minor, with charm, wit and real invention, with some of the rhythmic turns and cadences being delivered with an air of unexpected surprise. Haydn s …