Acrobatic gymnastics (sports acrobatics) is a competitive sport performed by women’s, mixed and men’s pairs, women’s or men’s group (triples) and men's group of four athletes, performing acrobatic moves, dance and tumbling
The word "acrobat" comes from the Greek "akróbatos", which means "walking on tiptoe, climbing up". Acrobatics as a form of physical exercise arose in ancient times. The images on the preserved monuments, vessels and frescoes indicate that this sport was known in ancient Egypt 2300 years BC. Acrobatics were practiced in ancient Greece and composed part of games with the bulls in Crete.
Acrobat of ancient Egypt. 2300–2000 BC
Source: "Acrobatics" manual
Acrobatic exercise on a moving bull. 1580–1450 BC
Source: "Acrobatics" manual
In ancient Rome strolling actors showed acrobatic exercises and other performances: walking on a tightrope, training, complex exercises for flexibility, dancing on a spinning pottery wheel. At the time of the Renaissance, the Venetian Republic organized "contests of living architecture", where participants competed in building acrobatic pyramids.
In Russia, acrobatics were very popular and an indispensable part of the entertainment shows. In Russia skomorochs were dancers, illusionists, jugglers and acrobats.
Skomorochs
At the end of the 18th century acrobatic exercises have become an integral part of circus performances, and in the 19th century they were included in national gymnastic systems. Than acrobatics developed in two ways: professional in circuses and as amateur sports. Acrobatic gymnastics on horseback, power acrobatics, vault (shoulder) acrobatics, “Carian games” and jumping acrobatics (with and without gymnastic apparatus) appeared in the circus.
Circus acrobatics
The sports acrobatics is connected with the inclusion of acrobatic elements in gymnastics, starting of use of gymnastic apparatus and emergence of sections of amateur acrobatics.
The First World War and the Civil War delayed the development of acrobatics for a long time. For the first time the acrobatic gymnastics tournament was included in the program of gymnastics competitions at the 1932 Summer Olympics. The World Cup in acrobatic gymnastics was played for the first time in 1975. Gymnastic demonstration were held at the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
In the mid-1920s there was a group of acrobatic amateurs performing power acrobatics, balancing act and eccentricity in cultural and workers clubs.
Acrobatics sections were opened in Gomel in the pre-war years. In 1939, a Gomel resident, Alexander Ginzburg, took part in the Republic Acrobatic Gymnastics Championship. The honored trainer of the BSSR, Alexander Ginzburg, trained more than 30 masters of sports, including the first performer of a double flip with pirouette Viktor Rodzianko, coaches Gregory Roberman, Leonid Rodzianko, Zhanna Yushko.
The development of sports acrobatics began in Minsk in the late 1940s at the gymnastics department of the Belarusian State Institute of Physical Culture. In 1947–1968 Mikhail Tseitin, professor of the Belarusian State University of Physical Education and Culture became chairman of the acrobatics federation and the senior coach of the national team of Belarus.
Mikhail Tseitin
Source: http://mishpoha.org
Mikhail Tseitin takes part in the parade of physical culture in Moscow (1939)
Source: “Mir sporta” magazine
The Vitebsk College of Physical Culture was opened in 1951. There masters of sports in acrobatics were trained: Igor Krapin, Evgeny Rudoy, Nikolai Babkin, Petr Cherepanov and others. In the 1960–1980s work on the preparation of the Vitebsk acrobats was continued by Vladimir Schwalbo and Semyon Blyakhman. Their trainees are Alexander Moskalenko, Olga Veshetkova, Nelli Sherman, Alexander Yakushev, adequately represented Belarus at the republican and all-union championships, and later became talented coaches.
Since the early 1970s Leonid Yanushko, Honored Coach of Belarus, has trained more than 20 acrobats - masters of sports. His trainees are Lyudmila Bulyga, Irina Laisha, Irina Kovalchuk, Igor and Vitaly Chersunov won the Belarus Championship, became winners and prize-winners of All Union Spartakiads.
Acrobatics in the USSR
At the European Championships in 1996, the Belarusian men's pair Dolnikovsky and Bogdasarov won bronze medals. Silver medalists of the European Championships in 1999 and 2001 became the four men goup (Alexei Buynyakov, Denis Moskalenko, Ruslan Zalessky and Vladimir Malyutin). The same team won bronze medals at the World Championships in 1999.
In 2008 Alina Yushko and Ekaterina Murashko won a gold medal at the World Championships; bronze medals were won by a women’s group consisting of Maria Guirut, Tatyana Motuz and Alina Starevich. At the 2012 World Championships, Yana Yanusik and Svetlana Mikhnevich won silver medals in women's pairs competitions. World Cup bronze was won by a men’s pair Ruslan Fedchenko and Yevgeny Kalachev and the women’s goup consisting of Yulia Kovalenko, Anna Kobyzeva and Yulia Khripach.
In 2013, the pair consisting of Margarita Bartashevich and Victoria Mikhnovich became the silver medalist of the European Championship; the women’s goup consisting of Yulia Kovalenko, Anna Kobyzeva and Yulia Khripach won the bronze medal, the men's group including Kirill Shatov, Eduard Volchetsky, Kirill Zhdanovich and Artem Khvalko won two silver and one bronze medals. Bronze medals in all three disciplines of the championship were awarded to the men’s pair Ilya Rybinsky and Evgeny Novikov. In 2014 Evgeny Novikov and Ilya Rybinsky became silver medalists at the World Championships, in 2016 they won bronze medals.
Acrobatics in the Republic of Belarus
In October 2016 Belarusian athletes won two gold awards at the third stage of the World Cup. The women’s group consisting of Julia Ivonchik, Veronika Nabokina and Karina Sandovich and a mixed pair Artur Belyakov and Olga Melnik get on the upper step of the competition. At the 2016 World Championships in China, Margarita Bartashevich and Viktoria Mikhnovich became silver medalists in the pairs competition, and the group consisting of Karina Sandovich, Veronika Nabokina and Ekaterina Borisevich won bronze medals in the group competitions. According to the results of the competition, the team of Belarus won the bronze medal at the World Championship.
In April 2018, the silver medals of the World Championship were won by a mixed pair Anna Kasyan and Konstantin Evstafeev and the women's group Ivonchik, Nabokina and Sandovich, which allowed Belarus to take 3rd place in the team tournament.
The team of Belarus in sports acrobatics performed well at the World Cup in sports acrobatics in March 2019 in Portugal and the USA. Yulia Ivonchik, Veronika Nabokina and Karina Sandovich won gold and bronze medals in women's group competition, Sofia Belmach, Daria Nemarskaya and Angelina Tyukha became silver medalists. Arthur Belyakov and Olga Melnik won silver in mixed pairs, while Artyom Yashchenko and Alexey Zayats won bronze at the men's pairs.
Acrobatics 2019
Logo of the Belarusian Gymnastics Association
Source: http://www.bga.by/
Popular organization and development of acrobatic gymnastics in the Republic of Belarus, the preparation of athletes, the organization and holding of different competitions is engaged in the public organization "Belarusian Gymnastics Association" (OO "BAG"). It brings together athletes, coaches, judges and specialists in gymnastic sports: gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics, acrobatics, sports aerobics, trampolining and gymnastics. Official website: http://www.bga.by/
The Belarusian team in acrobatic gymnastics successfully performed at the 2015 European Games in Baku in 2015. Ekaterina Borisevich, Veronika Nabokina and Karina Sandovich were third in group spins, group balance and women's all-around.
Ekaterina Borisevich, Veronika Nabokina, Karina Sandovich are bronze medalists of the 2015 European Games
Source: http://www.noc.by
Karina Sandovich
Source: https://www.belta.by
Karina Sandovich (11.09.1999, Minsk). World Class Master of Sports in acrobatic gymnastics, multiple winner of the European Championships, winner of the World Cup (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), silver (2018) and bronze (2016) winner of the World Championships, three-time bronze medalist of the 2015 European Games (2015).
Ekaterina Borisevich
Source: https://www.belta.by
Ekaterina Borisevich (12.06.1995, Minsk). World Class Master of Sports in acrobatic gymnastics, bronze medalist of the World Championship (2016), three-time bronze medalist of the 2015 European Games (2015).
Veronica Nabokina
Source: https://www.belta.by
Veronika Nabokina (17.10.1995, Gomel). World Class Master of Sports in acrobatic gymnastics, multiple winner of the European Championships, winner of the World Cup (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), silver (2018) and bronze (2016) medalist of the World Championships, three-time bronze medalist of the 2015 European Games (2015 ).
Literature:
- Коркин, В. П. Юбилей спортивной акробатики : История, факты, люди / В. П. Коркин, Ассоциация любительского и профессионального спорта «Кубань». – Краснодар : Краснодарское книжное издательство, 1993. – С. 15–27, 98–112.
- Рябушко, В. Витебские акробаты : развитие акробатики на Витебщине / Валерий Рябушко ; Витебское областное отделение Общественного объединения Белорусской федерации акробатики. – Витебск : Витебская областная типография, 2007. – 43 с.
Information resources:
- Общественная организация «Белорусская ассоциация гимнастики» (БАГ) http://www.bga.by/rus/sport_acrobat/about/
- Учреждение «Специализированная детско-юношеская школа олимпийского резерва по прыжкам на батуте и акробатике» г. Минск http://minskacrobatut.by/
- Государственное учреждение «Специализированная детско-юношеская школа олимпийского резерва по спортивной гимнастике и акробатике главного управления спорта и туризма Мингорисполкома» http://minsksport.by/sdushoracrobatics
- Европейский центр гимнастики г. Минск http://sportgym.by/
- Учреждение «Брестская специализированная детско-юношеская школа олимпийского резерва профсоюзов по акробатике и бадминтону» http://sportfpb.by/katalog/summer/uchrezhdenie-brestskaya-specialaizrovannaya-detsko-yunosheskaya-shkola-olimpijskogo-rezerva-profsoyuzov-po-akrobatike-i-badmintonu
- Государственное учебно-спортивное учреждение «Витебская специализированная детско-юношеская школа олимпийского резерва № 1» http://sportshkola1.by/acroinfo.html
- Государственное учреждение «Специализированная детско-юношеская школа олимпийского резерва № 4 г. Гомеля» http://www.sdushor4.guo.by/treneryi/akrobatika
- Государственное специализированное учебно-спортивное учреждение «Могилёвская городская СДЮШОР "Багима" им. О.Г. Мищенко» http://bagima.by/akrobatika-sportivnaya
