https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idcvOTzGpVI No competition for me. It is the oddest floor routine I have ever seen in gymnastics, and trust me, it's even weirder in person (I went to Stuttgart) This is why I will always prefer old school routines, gymnasts had time to express themselves instead of cramming their routines to get higher difficulty scores.

Oooo! I was going to mention that one! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the choreo in that routine...pure awesome. Excellent interpretation of a very daring choice of music.

Oksana O.'s 'Birdie' is a classic, of course.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIf8Cu1Hesk

Oksana was one with the birds. And I will always be amazed by her choreography while being so young. Heck so many Soviets (dare I say all?) showed immense passion on the floor. It was like those great dreams where you aren't ready to wake up from.

Yes, watching some of the docus that VityaFan posted down in videos, I can see that the Soviets received incredibly rigorous dance training. And it shows! Their routines are—dare I say this—still a significant cut above today's. IMHO, of course.

I should probably go watch some of those. I only got around to watching the Rhythmic one and the Yurchenko one (I think?) Do you remember which ones showed their dance training?

Hehe, I only watched the first one actually ('You in Gymnastics'). But that's where I saw it...and a lot of footage of work with the choreographer too. Wish I understood Russian.

I'm going to watch more tonight!

[edit] On second thought, it might have been in another docu that I have seen before, where the dance training was. Might have been that Olga Korbut one...

My favourite in classical style would be a tie between:
Natalia Frolova 1986
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LYXsVuAkvM&feature=related
BAraksanova 1985
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGlBeYVRtw0&feature=related
Boginskaya compulsory routine 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaKxA0fZvHc

Flamenco style Cristina Fraguas (92)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1Da1rr72P4&playnext_from=TL&videos=vY2iCdvkcaM

Oriental dancing style:
Yang Yun 2000
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08HjhZviAMo

Contemporary style: tie between the aforementioned Strazheva,
Yvonne Tousek 1999
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9P3yJbc42Y4
and Sylvia Mitova 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AyBdvUti-o&feature=related

I almost forgot to mention Boginskayas Carmen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtNLBbRMfdo IMO, this was her best routine.

P.S. Welcome to the forum Mr. Yang

SBF (: wrote:

I almost forgot to mention Boginskayas Carmen! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtNLBbRMfdo IMO, this was her best routine.

My favourite from Bogi as well (other than compulsories 88).
I love the bolero routine she had in 1991 too
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71gM_mjKLQ4&feature=related

Camelia Voinea's 1986-87 routine was always one of my favorites. I still think that she should have won the 1986 World Cup FX title over Shushunova.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnphvy_aqlo&feature=related

Hmmm.... good question. There's too many, but I'll go with:

Filatova circa 1979
Naimushina 1980 worlds tf
Omelianchik 1985 euros ef (i know the worlds routine is harder, but the angles on the youtube video just look better... i'm weird like that) - video above
Voinea 1987 worlds tf - video above
Mitova 1992 euros (thanks SBF!)
Frolova (kraft invite)

I've always liked Ludivine Furnon's 2000 euros routine too (maybe it was all the hype on the day, it was after all, in france). not exactly "Old school" but yeah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9JVwQNbz-g

Ah, too many great ones!

Here's one from Lydia Gorbik, who was the 1976 Soviet Olympic alternate. Her arms are lovely, especially when she's on the floor. I also like her first tumbling pass. You just don't see grace on floor like that today. Sigh! The video quality isn't the greatest, but it's still good enough to see Gorbik's beautiful work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnZ1lcDuTNY

Another one that has been growing on me recently.

Elvire Teza 1996.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c1ZMv5AoBI

Although she's remembered for her beam work (if she's remembered at all), I really enjoy Ekaterina Vandisheva's 1993 floor. I love all of the jumps and how the punch front on her second pass seems to go with the music. It's too bad that this was pretty much the only competition she ever went to as a senior.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZMMqZm7LbA

That was an excellent routine! What happened to her career? Seems odd that such a talent would be forgotten. Headcase?

thepianist wrote:

That was an excellent routine! What happened to her career? Seems odd that such a talent would be forgotten. Headcase?

That and injury, if I recall correctly. Have you seen her beam yet?

No, I haven't. So many videos to watch, so little time to watch them in.

thepianist wrote:

No, I haven't. So many videos to watch, so little time to watch them in.

It's totally worth watching. She has a gainer onodi, and it's beautiful:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R_zVUik2P0

I guess I should be posting this in the favorite beam routines thread

Omelianchik 1985, always. Specifically this routine: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRAF0iMvbuc

The entire routine, from the stunning dance to the innovative tumbling, is one of the greatest works of art the sport has ever seen. Cathy Rigby shouting "Now that's artistic gymnastics!" at the end of the routine just seals it.

Welcome to the forum!

I love that routine...especially the part right after the opening full in double back where the dance is so perfectly in time to the music. It's not just stunning dance IMHO—it's virtuoso dance!

I must go with MrYang here in terms of Silvia Mitova. I think her floor routine was absolutely stunning!!!
I was and still is one of my favorites ever since I became a gymnastics fan.

Svetlana Baitova Worlds 87!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLIEizyrzQU

and I also think about Olga Strazheva Floor work.

Here at the '88 Dual meet Usa-Ussr

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbpYx6xcums

olga mosteponova !!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rKbwNLnxxw
i add to my list daniela silivas 1987 routine she is really cute and she looks like flowing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfZzZfhET8k
aaaaaand mo huilan, my favorite of hers is 1995 routine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rc_m8mNtdYQ&feature=related

These two floor compulsories are my favorites. If only the FIG would bring back compulsories.

Henrietta Onodi 1992
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx7tjVZtCbI

Daniela Silivas 1988
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXSSSWlcjdw