As part of our Performance program we train all our athletes in Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (AGG).
All of them are involved in a group routine that follows the principle of this new discipline of gymnastics. Our head coach, is a certified AGG coach and one of the current International licensed judges in Aesthetic group Gymnastics in Canada and the only one in BC.
The sport takes it origin in Finland that is one of the strongest countries internationally in the competitive and recreational aspect of the sport. Even if AGG is not an Olympic sport, it has a World Championships every year as well as Continental Championships, World Cups, and various invitational events.
In 2003 Evelyn Koop from Canada and 12 other country representatives founded the International Federation of Aesthetic Group Gymnastics (IFAGG). Since then the sport has grown considerably and now is practiced in many countries such as Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czek Republic, Denmark, Estonia, the Faroe Islands, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and Spain (Wikipedia).
In Canada the sport started to develop in Ontario and is now practiced in other provinces including BC.
AGG routines are made up of jumps, leaps, balance and pivots and so is a good way to develop the basic body movements used in rhythmics.
But the sport is different in many ways:
- The moves are less extreme than in rhythmic gymnastics
- The routines are always performed in groups (7-10 participants)
- There is no manipulation of apparatus
- The routine contains some lifts
- There is a strong insistence on developing continuous and fluid movements such as waves, swings, leans, twists, bends and contractions that involved the whole body.
- A strong attention is given to the artistic performance, expression, musicality and sense of rhythm
The focus is put on the coherence of the group through synchronisation, coordination and collaboration of all the members of the group.
This emphasis on fluidity based on agility, natural levels of flexibility and natural flow between movements serves as an artistic preparation for rhythmic gymnastics. It is also a type of gymnastics that can be practiced