A Dozen Young Russian Girls Mesmerize With Intricate Jump Rope Dance

Jul 10, 2020

Jumping rope usually elicits memories of fond schoolyard days when friends played simple games and ran around on the playground. However, what if you or a group of friends continued to practice at the same game that you played ever since you were young? Then you might just find yourself in a similar situation as these 12 young Russian girls did with their mesmerizing and intricate jump rope dancing performance that took place back in 2018.

The video highlights the amazing talents of a group of Russian girls that specialize in dancing with jump ropes. They all look quite similar, and they begin to approach the stage from the right-hand side. They prance out with large smiles and elegantly balancing on the tips of their toes. Each girl wears a violet top and snow-white stockings. In each girl's hand rests a single jump rope. Although looking more like a ballet than a hopscotch show, nobody could predict the incredible routine they were about to witness.

The ballet-like dance begins with the jump ropes around their necks. However, the ropes simply lay across their shoulders and are not wrapped around their chests or face. After a bit of stereotypical prancing about, the jump ropes begin to be utilized. It all starts with one lone skipper and her jump rope.

The clips of the rope as it taps against the ground are perfectly paired with traditional Russian dancing music. True to the young girl’s talent, she's not merely jumping rope in perfect form but also pointing her toes downward and wiggling her feet with each leap into the air.

With perfectly straight posture, the entire group joins in with their jump ropes in time with the song. It's a rather incredible sight to witness such precise coordination as every girl uses her rope in such a talented way. There's a certain degree of mesmerizing attention demanded from the audience; the performers skip and dance in complete unity. As the timing of the music changes, so does the speed of the girls, and they continue to stir in more and more ballet.

The performance is infused with a bit of acting as well; there are three girls that skip across the stage in a short line while the rest of the troop appear to whisper mockingly amongst themselves. They begin almost a sort of “skip-off” with the rest of the girls in a rather inventive bout of storytelling.

Far from simple jump ropes, the girls utilize the ropes as props. An incredibly choreographed sequence shows the girls spiraling with ropes around them; they’re all almost interconnected at a point until one girl in the center becomes the focus of attention. She spins while holding every other girl's handle, and the other girls perform a low-kneeling series of kicks as they march in a circle around the pirouetting center figure.

As soon as it appears as though they are reaching a climax, the troupe steps up the tempo and skips faster and faster along with the music. The audience picks up on the energy in the air and begins to clap along. As the audience can barely keep in time with the rate of choreographed skipping, the girls begin to have larger and larger smiles creep onto their faces once the audience bursts out into general applause!

Did you or your friends ever jump rope as a child? Did you ever practice any unique or fancy routines with them? What do you think about combining skipping rope with various forms of dance and classical performance? Let us know your thoughts, and pass this unique performance on to friends and family members.