Best of Floor

Here’s some of my favorite floor routines.  Sorry there are so many, but I have a hard time choosing favorites.  This list is in a haphazard order and by no means exhaustive.  I’m positive I’ve left off some fabulous routines.  All the same, enjoy, and see if you see any of your favorites!

Floor Exercise

Irina Baraksanova (USSR)

• 1984- My absolute favorite routine of ALL time. I love the grace, the music, the expression, the fluidity, and there’s even some pretty great tumbling runs. Here’s her routine from the Alternate Games in Olomouc in 1984. It’s black and white, but has the best tumbling runs.

• 1986 Routine- Also has great expression and dance.  Love her!

Naimushina's charming routine

 

Elena Naimushina (USSR)

• 1980 Kalinka Routine- FABULOUS dance.  Definitely an all-time favorite.  I think the dance and charm is at least on par with Omelianchik’s routines.  She’s overlooked sometimes though.

Svetlana Boguinskaia (USSR/BEL)

• 1988 Carmen Routine- So dramatic! I love the music, the drama, the expression, the bitchface!
• 1989 “Guitar” Routine- Classic Bogi.
• 1988 Compulsories- I loved the compulsory floor routine in 88 and she performed a lovely routine.
• 1986 “Double-Double”-Baby Bogi was fierce.  A double-double AND nonstop dance.  Here’s the same routine in better quality (1985), but with simpler tumbling.

Simona Amanar (ROM)

• 1996 Nutcracker Routine- I’m pretty sure her tumbling here is better than any present day gymnast.

Onodi's West Side Story

 

Henrietta Onodi (HUN)

• 1992 West Side Story- You’ve gotta love her for this!
• 1992 Hungarian Rhapsody- Such great music, choreography, and tumbles.

Tatiana Ignatova (USSR)

• 1992 Euros- Beautiful dance.  Unfortunately she was left off major teams because of inconsistency. I don’t know why, but her floor music often gets stuck in my head.

Yelena Shushunova (USSR)

• 1988 Olympics- Such power and confidence.  While not the most graceful dancer, she still paid attention to detail and was such a great performer.

Natalia Frolova (USSR)

• 1986 Kraft Invitational- Beautiful dance- one of the best.

Khorkina

 

Svetlana Khorkina (RUS)

• 1994 Carmen Routine- Beautiful! I love young Khorkina.
• 1997 Worlds- Graceful beyond belief.
• 2000 Olympics- So dramatic.  Even the tumbling is choreographed to the music!
• 2003 Worlds- Grace, drama, and I adore the ending.

Natalia Ilienko (USSR)

• 1981 Worlds- One of the most elegant performers ever.

Gina Gogean (ROM)

• 1992 Euros- Fast, fast, fast, and adorable.  Lively dance and great tumbles.
• 1996 Olympics- She has good dance technique and great tumbling.

Elena Davydova (USSR)

• 1980 Olympics- The charming routine that beat Nadia.  Need I say more?  A year later she performed this routine beautifully for her team after breaking her neck(!) in warmups.

Silvia Mitova (BUL)

• 1992 Blues Routine- Lovely tumbling and dance.  Seriously underrated.

Aurelia Dobre (ROM)

• 1987 Worlds Routine- One of the best gymnasts ever.  Had she not been injured in 88 I wonder what would’ve happened.

Olga Mostepanova (USSR)

• 1983 Nutcracker Routine- Amazing choreography.
• 1980 Flight of the Bumblebees- Even at 10 or 12, whatever they listed her age as.. she was such a great dancer and had some pretty good tumbling.

Lilia Podkopayeva (UKR)

• 1996 Olympics- I love the toe point and the double front half out.

Natalia Shaposhnikova (USSR)

• 1980 Saber Dance- Daring tumbles for the time and great dance.
• 1979 Routine- Charming dance and daring tumbles.

Groshkova

 

Tatiana Groshkova (USSR)

• 1990 Routine- Her double full-in is AMAZING.  I love her choreography too.  I could go on all day about her.

Tatiana Gutsu (USSR)

• 1992 Euros- An amazing split-leg double layout! It’s too bad she was too injured in the Olympics to get it fully around, but I guess that didn’t stop her.

Elena Mukhina (USSR)

• 1978 Worlds- All the grace of a ballet dancer and a full-in. The first for a woman, and it was even on the old floor.

Oksana Omelianchik (USSR)

• “Birdie” Routine- The most adorable thing I’ve ever seen. I love the back-to-back tumbling.
• 1987 Worlds- Love the tumbles and the dance.

Daniela Silivas (ROM)

• 1987 Worlds- Lovely dance and tumbles.  Silivas is one of the greatest floor workers.
• 1988 Olympics- The music is terribly 80s, but I actually really like it, and it still has the great dance.
• 1989 Worlds- The same lovely dance and tumbles as always.  I’m so glad she kept going and did so well here

Ksenia Semenova (RUS)

• 2009 Euros- She’s one of the best dancers out there today.  Such attitude!

Alina Kozich (UKR)

• 2004 Olympics- Elegant, beautiful, artistic.  Great double front.  Take note Nastia…

Anna Pavlova (RUS)

• 2008 Exodus Routine- I love the music, the dance, the power, the double layout! Without a doubt, the best routine in Beijing.
• 2004 Olympics- Power and grace, so rare today.  Another gorgeous Pavlova routine.

Maria Olaru (ROM)

• 2000 Olympics- The music’s so fun.  Her dance is actually somewhat Boguinskaya-ish

Ekaterina Lobaznyuk (RUS)

• 2000 Olympics- She’s so cute.  Adorable dance and difficult tumbles.

Camelia Voinea (ROM)

• 1986 “Breakdancing” Routine- Groundbreaking dance and awesome tumbling.  You can even see that all the guys waiting around to compete are watching.

1989 USSR Worlds Team:

The best floor lineup in history, and most likely the best team in history. Elena Sazonenkova didn’t do floor here but she was also wonderful.

• Natalia Laschenova- Huge double layout right back to a double back!
• Olessia Dudnik- Beautiful choreography.
• Svetlana Boguinskaia- Her classic guitar routine.
• Olga Strazheva- She spends half of it on the ground, but it’s still awesome.
• Svetlana Baitova- I think she was the most underrated here.  Her routine is gorgeous.