This article is about the Euskalgym 2019 gala performed by Aleksandra Soldatova.
Update August 2022: At the time of writing, Soldatova was a member of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team. She announced her retirement in 2020.
A promising gymnast since her junior years, Soldatova slowly paved her way to her senior debut in 2014. Her extraordinary mastery of Body Difficulty (BD) and rich artistry aligned with the then Code of Points (CoP). As a result, she sailed smoothly to the Top 3 podium of any competition, both nationally and internationally.
P/S Code of Points (CoP) is a scoring system of Rhythmic Gymnastics, where gymnasts are judged and evaluated according to the specified categories and criteria. The CoP changes every Olympic cycle i.e. every four years. Read my RG 101 Introduction if you haven't already!
Even though Soldatova was not the final contender for the 2016 Rio Olympics, she was still a fan favourite.
Everyone expected this star to continue shining after the 2016 Rio Olympics; in fact, she'll shine brighter after the retirement of her fellow Russian No. 1 and 2 companions, Margarita Mamun and Yana Kudryatseva.
The 2017-2021 CoP, however, now favours Apparatus Difficulty (AD) much more than BD's and artistry. The tables have turned and Soldatova is pushed to the sport's grey area: the good and the bad.
The good: most gymnasts now sacrificed artistry for higher AD's. Soldatova's rich expression made her stand out as a highly artistic gymnast.
The bad: Soldatova's competitive edge (BD's) are now shunned by the CoP, turning her into the centre of criticism.
Suddenly, Soldatova is the victim of body shaming and toxic comparison.
Check any Rhythmic Gymnastics' confession accounts on Instagram. Soldatova is the definite star of such and such. Some of the numerous discussions include:
"Aleksandra Soldatova need to lose weight!"
"Why is Soldatova selected to XX Competition? She's worse than Girl E."
"Soldatova is overscored, Girl A performed better."
"Soldatova ain't going to Tokyo Olympics; look at her zero improvement and inconsistent performance."
And recently after her gala in Euskalgym 2019...
"Aleksandra Soldatova is retiring!"
My, my, my. This escalated rather quickly, didn't it?
Soldatova was performing Gregory Porter's "Smile", the trailer song for the new "Joker" movie. The chosen rhythmic gymnastics apparatus is the ball.
Before diving into her gala, let's have a look at its lyrics first:
What do Gregory Porter's "Smile" lyrics mean?
I would describe such lyrics as ambiguous and open to everyone's interpretation, which usually reflects one's psychological state and mindset. It's either:
Persevere, put up a strong fight and you'll come to the light.
Or...
Hide your sorrow, wear a happy-face mask and reality will not be as bad as it seems.
Get what I mean by open-ended interpretation?
Soldatova's gala seems to have divided the rhythmic gymnastics community in two!
After the gala, non-fans concluded Soldatova's retirement because she wasn't doing much gymnastics throughout the gala. Soldatova's *diehard* fans, meanwhile, defended she's trying to express her emotions.
After watching her performance, I'd say both arguments are valid. The gala was three minutes long, and it was, indeed, dominated by dance and expression. The ball was unutilised completely to fulfil its gymnastics purpose.
Just like how the current CoP doesn't have equal allowances for gymnastics and emotions.
My impression after watching her gala, however, is that she is conveying her story.
Soldatova's Rhythmic Gymnastics journey: her the joys and sorrows.
Joaquin Phoenix's new "Joker" movie is a backstory of Batman's nemesis. Though I have not watched the movie, the trailer already suggests this is a dark movie about how society drives "pre-Joker" to the chaotic evil Joker everyone knows today.
This is similar to Soldatova's story *and no, I'm not saying she's turning evil LOL*.
Her story resonates: back then she was the face of the sport and part of the "golden trio" gang. Now, not only has the CoP turned its back on her... she is also unkindly judged by the social media community!
In 2017, Soldatova's didn't shine the way the *Instagram* community wanted. Highly competent Russian gymnasts have emerged and some come in double (pun intended, shoutouts if you get it).
Since then, we've seen less and less of her in major competitions. She kept changing her routine but they didn't contribute much to the scoreboard. Even her exquisite BD's seem to be failing!
In other words...
Soldatova is struggling to cope.
A point to note, however:
I do not know the real backstory to her "Smile". I wrote this article purely from my interpretation of the chosen music.
Just to be clear, I'm not saying Soldatova is staying or retiring. She has yet to provide any official statements.
This is her career; we as the spectator should never pressure her into doing something against her will. Whether she chose to fight for recognition or to retire with passionate fans on her side, it's her choice.
And we should support her, whichever option she takes.
By now, it's fair to say her backstory resonates with the Joker's "Smile".
And like "Smile" too, her ending is rather ambiguous: the smile she forced on her face as she raised her ball.
The "Smile" lyrics itself are open for multiple interpretations and so is Soldatova's ending. Is it...
A hopeful smile because it'll all fall into place, eventually?
Or...
A bitter smile as she masks her inner-self and plays along with her struggle?
Regardless! Look at her as she exits the carpet:
A genuine smile of an expression of joy.
And to me, that's all that matters.
Do you agree with my interpretation of her gala? How do you perceive the lyrics and the way Soldatova adapts them to her gala? Let me know!
Check out Aleksandra Soldatova's Euskalsym 2019 gala here:
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Cover photo information:
"Aleksandra Soldatova" by Janire C. Photography
Images information:
"Aleksandra Soldatova" by Janire C. Photography & Irene da Rocha
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