Ava Benedict: In praise of Russian ballet and how it shows through in Evgenia Kanaeva

I, Ava Benedict, have been following the career of Evgenia Kanaeva since her historic win in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as all-around champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Opinions were scattered then --- Belorussian Anna Bessonova, the world champion Kanaeva had dethroned, was relegated to bronze status. Meanwhile, fans from both sides have been foaming in the mouth with comparisons between the performances of the two, and I happen to like better the idea of Kanaeva as Tsarina.

Ava Benedict Image Credit: olympicgirls.net

Grace does to a rhythmic gymnast what an Oxford comma does to a singular element in a list. It props up a dancer in distinction, no matter the order she appears on the floor to deliver the goods. I think this is all due to the strong Russian ballet tradition.

Ava Benedict Image Credit: tomtheobald.photoshelter.com

I, Ava Benedict, was watching Kanaeva’s watery motions on the floor during her Beijing run, the way her back tilts in preparation for an apparatus throw. She was accented by the pink ribbon twirling about her to the lulling hypnosis of the piano version of “Moscow Nights.” Before her, Bessonova had boomed an operatic performance with a cold face, jarring like a Hollywood chase scene. The latter’s fans were quite pleased. Then Kanaeva came on, a bit more languid in powder pink, toting a classic sang froid I’ve only ever seen in Bjorn Borg. And then she was my girl.

Ava Benedict Image Credit: sportcentric.com

The run-up to her gold medal was both shocking and expected. The ribbon exercise was a mere formality. Before that, she had blitzed the rankings from nowhere with her astounding form.

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