Looking back over my childhood, some of my fondest memories involve my time in calisthenics. Training, competitions, family days, and most of all, our annual trip to Ballarat for the Royal South Street Society (RSSS) Eisteddfod. RSSS was the highlight of the year, and while I was nervous about the competition, I was also full of excitement.

Many people I meet don't know what calisthenics is all about, and it is hard to explain. It is a bit of everything, and there is something for everyone! Calisthenics is a multi-discipline dance sport involving dance, gymnastics, apparatus, ballet, singing, marching, and acting. It offers a variety of many different dance sports all under the one umbrella, but also allows you to show your talents in some items if you find one type of genre is more up your alley.

While you learn many skills doing calisthenics, such as splits, walkovers, leaps, turns, club, and rod manipulation, there is so much more than calisthenics teaches you that you will carry with you for the rest of your life.

CONFIDENCE

As a coach, I often have parents comment on how their child's confidence has improved since starting calisthenics. I will always remember one mum telling me, before beginning calisthenics, her daughter couldn't even do 'Show and Tell' to her classmates without her back to the class. The turn around in her confidence after one year of calisthenics was terrific. Not only was she confidently doing 'Show and Tell' facing the class, but she was also performing on stage in front of an audience.

Teaching our Tiny Tots (2-4 years) and Tinies (5-7 years) is one of the most rewarding experiences; this is where you can see their confidence grow. Within a couple of lessons, they aren't clinging onto Mum's leg when they are coming to class; they are happily waving good-bye to Mum while they run in to meet their friends.

Recently I received an email from the mum of one of our Tinies. Unfortunately, due to the current situation with COVID-19, she has had to withdraw her daughter from classes until things are back to normal, however, her comments are a testament to starting calisthenics at a young age.

As disappointing as it is that we have to cancel, I just wanted to let you know that Kimmy really enjoyed her classes in the short time that she attended. She is usually quite shy when trying new things and often does rely one parent sitting in on her classes; the fact she didn't, I feel, is a testament to Michele's and the assistant teachers' patience and attentiveness. We could even see her confidence growing each time she attended class.

RESILIENCE

For those of you that have participated in any type of dancesport, you will know that anything can happen on competition day. You may have trained so hard, perfected every movement, but something goes wrong when you are on stage, or you have a significant black-out and forget the next steps! Guaranteed, we have all experienced an epic fail on stage. Calisthenics pupils compete in up to 6 items in a competition; if one routine doesn't quite go to plan, you still have five more. Mistakes will happen, and that is perfectly fine. The most important thing that we teach the girls is to keep going, put on your brave face, and get back on the stage for the next routine. You will often hear me saying to our pupil's, "it's not the mistake that matters; it's how you recover!" The adjudicator knows that mistakes can happen; what she wants to see is that you keep going.

DISCIPLINE

It is without saying that calisthenics is a disciplined sport. Pupils are required to learn 5-6 routines as well as master some complex apparatus manipulation and floor patterning. It takes lots of practice, dedication, and commitment. The execution of the routines they perform is paramount to the overall success of the item; they need to master music appreciation, the precision of timing, not only with the music but also with other members of the team. Like synchronized swimming, the routines are mostly a series of athletic movements choreographed to a piece of chosen music; however, the precision of every action needs to be synchronized with the other members of the team. It takes a lot of perseverance, but when the routines come together, it is like magic to watch.

LIFE LONG FRIENDS

There is something different about your Cali Friends. You share a special bond that you will carry with you for life. You have experienced unbelievable highs together, but also many lows. Your friends picked you back up when you were down and cheered you on when you were trying to master that new trick. Together you were part of a team, and everyone knew that you needed to do your part for it all to work. Together you made magic happen, and there is no better feeling!

I am incredibly grateful to my parents for allowing me to participate in calisthenics and be part of such a fantastic club back in Melbourne. Now, after moving to Brisbane and taking over a club up here, I enjoy watching the same joy on my daughter's face that I had many years ago. I love that she loves this sport as much as I did, and we get to share something special. Growing the sport of calisthenics up here in South East Queensland is a goal of mine, it is such a great sport to get your children involved in not only for the skills they learn but the life-long lessons they learn along the way. Come along for a trial class; I am positive you will never look back!

Michele Pink

Principal Coach & President 

Rosemore Calisthenics Dance College