Nastia Liukin, Aly Raisman, Jordyn Weiber, Kyla Ross, Mckayla Maroney and Gabby Douglas all received gold. The Kellogg’s gymnastics tour at the American Airlines center was a sight to see. The beginning was a barrage of black and green lights. Shapes, colors and even people flew. The contorting dancers and aerial gymnasts flowed together in a precise rhythmic routine. This was no sixth grade social playing the Beach Boys either from the moody sound of “Paradise” by Coldplay to the catchy beats in “I’m Sexy and I Know It” by LMFAO, the Kellogg’s tour had the crowd tapping their feet and on the edge of their seats.
The performers’ acts included suspension rings, floor performances, gymnastic bars and dance routines. Even from the nosebleed section, the intense and loud movements of all performers could be seen. During every second of a performance, there was something to be watched and enjoyed by the audience. The dancers were a magnificent addition to the gymnasts. Routines were all performed in big groups, gliding between each other and pumping up the crowd.
Every act had its own theme and style to it with corresponding music and lights. Nonstop movement and seamless steps shared by all the dancers kept the illusion of the show alive. During the first dance, a planted dancer busted out of his seat with the spotlight on him and shuffled down the stairs, interacting with audience members. When all the dancers had assembled on the stage, a rope dropped down from the catwalk high above the performers. Dancers would lay their arms over the rope loop and take to the skies to twirl and express their dances on a whole new level.
To see humans fly up three times their height is a magical surprise every time their feet leave the mat. The gymnasts had to perform their moves to a tee while being aware of all the performers around them.
During a performance, with the accompaniment of “Sail” by AWOLNATION, the male dancers threw themselves left and right on the bars. The routine consisted of 360s, 360 flips, 360s with a spin and 360s with a fall. It got monotonous. After a very delicate routine using shadows and large pieces of cloth, half of the female performers fell off their pommel horses. A speedy recovery followed, but in that instance the illusion died.
The part of any performance which gets the least amount of credit, the lights and music created the mood and feel of the show. The lights used in this show ranged from red, showing evil and corruption in correspondence with the costumes of those performing to a blank white light used to create a shadow. The lights were not only beacons to be displayed, but dancers in their own way. When the dancers sped up and began to move with more intensity, the lights would fly to and fro to compliment the thrusts and flips of those on the mat. When the music would hit a heavy note or a climax, the lights would flash and clash in an array over all the dancers.
The biggest crowd pleasers were the comedy bits and appearances by Gabby Douglas. After every other performance, Douglas would come out to meet two young gymnasts and sign their clothes. A smile and a wave were given to the audience each time, to the crowds’ enthusiasm. Before Gabby performed there was a comic relief bit, starring an adult child doing gymnastics with his “da da” and poking fun at an awkwardly-moving father trying to follow along with his aspiring man-child.
The Kellogg’s gymnastics tour of 2012 was an event I will look back at and be glad I experienced, rather than watching re-runs of the Olympics on TV.
