What is Calisthenics?


What is Calisthenics? "Calisthenics (Greek: "Kallos" for beauty and "sthenos" for strength) is a uniquely Australian sport. Calisthenics is an enjoyable solo and team sport that encourages physical development, co-ordination and self discipline through a series of light dance, march, ballet and gymnastic routines, some with the use of apparatus all musically choreographed with singing and acting performed on a theatre stage for an Adjudicator, much like an Eisteddfod. Calisthenics promotes team work and friendship, it also helps improve participants deportment and overall grooming, which continues to help them throughout their life. Students develop an appreciation for music, rhythms and melodies of all kinds. Stage presentation, make-up and hair design are also taught. Performances at competitions involve wearing stunning costumes, making the performances very dynamic and exciting both for the participants and the audience. Between 5 and 8 routines are learnt by the participants during the year. Each routine lasts between 1.5 - 4 minutes. All routines are taught and performed with the emphasis of teamwork and uniformity. Calisthenics is defined as: Gymnastic exercises to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement. Originating from the Greek word meaning: beauty- kallos and strength- sthenos. Calisthenics is a widely practiced sport and art form in Australia and is recognised as a fun and healthy way to keep fit for girls of all ages. It is a uniquely Australian sport that requires discipline of mind and body, teamwork, a competitive spirit and a sense of responsibility. Calisthenics, actually originated in Ancient Greece and is the combination of Gymnastics, Ballet, Folk Dance, Jazz Ballet, apparatus (Clubs, Rods) Figure Marching and Song. It has many assets, involving many thousands of young girls across Australia. Not only does it help to improve their posture and deportment, it also helps to maintain a healthy body, mind and widens their musical knowledge. The word "calisthenics" comes from the Greek words 'kallos' for beauty and 'thenos' for strength. The components of the sport aim at achieving those physical attributes, but the sport also influences the emotional and social development of girls through friendship and teamwork. Pupils learn approximately six routines concurrently throughout a year, and this is where the diversity of the sport is seen. Calisthenics, as we know it today, involves a team of pupils learning routines choreographed to music - each of about three to four minutes duration - and presenting those routines at competitions. WHAT WILL YOU LEARN? Girls learn to appreciate cultures of other ethnic groups through folk dancing and can add to their co-ordination and skills by the use of apparatus. Learning figure marching assists in mental stimulation while keeping them physically active as well as teaching them the discipline of working as part of a team. Calisthenics is performed on a stage therefore requiring detailed choreography and often under limited space conditions. In addition to the team events there is also a solo activity known as the Graceful Calisthenic Competitor or Graceful girl. "Graceful girl" is designed to enhance the dancers grace and poise, flexibility, appearance, ability to interpret music into dance and dance ability. Thus, a trained Calisthenic girl can display a varied repertoire and in doing so can develop self-confidence, self-discipline, grace, poise and all the while enjoying a healthy sport organised under supervised conditions. Because Calisthenics consists of a large variety of disciplines, students can become very diversified in their talents. Therefore this has led girls to perform at a variety of events such as the AFL Grand Final, the Australian Grand Prix, Olympic Journey Parades, Dance Week at the College of Arts, Melbourne Phoenix Cheersquad and at the Bodyworks Festival of Moving Arts. HOW CALISTHENICS ORIGINATED IN AUSTRALIA Calisthenics has been followed in Australia for more than 60 years. Reasons for its success includes its recognition as a sporting medium that enhances and compliments the physical attributes and gracefulness of girls. A career in Music, Ballet or Gymnastics is open to few but the most talented and dedicated, but all girls, talented or otherwise, benefit from participation in Calisthenics. The poise and general well being of girls who have undertaken Calisthenics is often evident. Calisthenics actually began in the late 1800s as the culture of being physical in Victoria during the Gold Rush days. Originally, both women AND men participated during the Industrial Revolution and this participation was to provide exercise and entertainment within confined areas. The women and men would be split into separate groups to partake, at the beginning of the World War; and then over time mens teams eventually faded out. The Australian Calisthenic's Association has been involved in many other activities to promote Calisthenics in the wider community. The annual "Calisthenics Spectacular" is a highlight of the year as is the involvement in community affairs. Look out for your local Calisthenic Club or College, there are many around in every state of Australia and each will differ, some catering for a greater or lesser level of capability. If you want to participate in a sport that offers many forms of conditioning, variety and the opportunity to dress up...Calisthenics is for you! Calisthenics is a uniquely Australian sport which helps to develop discipline of mind and body, team work, a competitive spirit and a sense of commitment. Calisthenics is a dynamic combination of Gymnastics, Dance, apparatus (Clubs &Rods) Marching, Singing and Acting. There are thousands of participants throughout Australia. Calisthenics has a strong focus on deportment and presentation, helping participants to develop confidence in movement and performance and to enjoy the thrill of competing on stage in front of an audience several times a year. Participants learn to appreciate and interpret different styles of music with different styles of movement and dance. There is a strong focus on flexibility, strength and control, grace and poise, expression through both the body and the face and simply just enjoying different forms of dance and movement. Unlike gymnastics, calisthenics competitions are held in a theatre - participants perform routines choreographed to music, on stage with costumes and lighting. Calisthenics is regarded as a team sport, but participants can also compete in solo and duo sections. The Graceful Calisthenic Solo is aligned with aesthetic and balletic movement and is intended to enhance the soloist's poise and grace, flexibility, appearance and presentation and the ability to interpret music into dance. Best Type Solo and Duo sections have a greater emphasis on jazz and contemporary dance and incorporates more gymnastic and strength work. The name Calisthenics comes from the Greek words 'kallos' for beauty and 'sthenos' for strength. While this is the basic aim of the sport, the social aspect, and the confidence and self esteem building of its participants is considered to be just as important. Calisthenics is widely practiced in Australia and is recognised as a fun and healthy way to keep fit for children of all ages. It is a uniquely Australian sport which requires discipline of mind and body, team work, a competitive spirit and a sense of responsibility. Calisthenics, whose roots lie in games originating in Ancient Greece, is the combination of Gymnastics, Ballet, Folk Dance, Jazz Ballet, Apparatus (Clubs and Rods), Figure Marching, Mime and Singing, Its assets are many, involving many thousands of young children across the country, improving their health and deportment and widening their musical knowledge. They are learning to appreciate the cultures of other ethnic groups and are adding to their skills by the use of apparatus, enjoying the mental and physical stimulation of a figure march and the discipline of working as part of a team. Calisthenics is performed on a stage and therefore requires detailed choreography under limited space conditions. In addition to the team events there are also solo activities known as Graceful Calisthenics Solo, Calisthenics Solo, and Calisthenics Duos. The Graceful Solos is designed to enhance the competitor's poise and grace, flexibility, musical interpretation and dance technique. Thus the trained calisthenics competitor has a wide repertoire, but more importantly has developed self discipline, self confidence, poise and grace, while enjoying a healthy sport under organised conditions. Teamwork is what it is all about. A team of at least 8, working as one in every way. Every leg height, every head angle, the placement of all positions are executed in a manner that makes a team of many look like one person. Therefore timing is critical to a performance. Team members learn from the earliest days that they have to work as one and that without team-work they will not be successful. This is an important 'life' attitude to have developed as children. The syllabus is designed to develop: - Fitness - Flexibility - Co-ordination & rhythm - Sense of achievement - Musicality - Deportment and poise and at the same time promoting self esteem and self discipline.