This is a performance by some Russian gymnasts in Moscow from 2004. They do some nice work with long ropes. Long ropes are great for performances where the audience is seated far back from the action, like at a basketball halftime show. It’s big and easy to see from far away. One of the nice things about long rope tricks is that they don’t have to be overly difficult to look really cool and make a good impression on an audience. Tricks like the rainbow and the umbrella are good examples of long rope tricks that aren’t very difficult, but make a nice visual spectacle for the audience.
Here is video of “The World’s Strongest Jumper”, James Brewster Thompson. James Thompson is a motivational speaker and performer that delivers a great message on the value of hard work and the importance of staying drug-free. His demonstrations combine jump rope with feats of strength that border on super-human. James is a very entertaining performer. He certainly knows how to ham it up. I had a chance to watch him perform many years ago at an IRSO camp in Colorado. He has a larger than life personality that the kids at camp loved. One of his most popular tricks is jumping rope while supporting the weight of three other people that are hanging on to him as seen in this video.
Here is a great video of pro rope skipper Rene Bibaud. Rene is a lot of fun to watch. Her movements are very crisp and graceful. She’s so smooth and quick that it is difficult to tell when she misses. Rene is one of a handful of pros in the world. She is an amazing performer. Rene is a 5-time world champion. She does commentary for the USAJR Nationals on ESPN. She has even coached and performed with Cirque Du Soleil. You can contact Rene through her website at jumpropenet.com.
This is Japanese Double Dutch team Noroshi’s performance at Tokyo University in Japan. This is what is known as a Fusion routine. Once again, this is an expertly crafted routine. Everything is in constant motion and everyone gets involved. These routines are just plain fun to watch. Sometimes it takes watching routines like this several times to catch all of the intricacies. I challenge you to just focus on just one jumper and follow only that jumper for the entire routine. It’s extremely difficult to do. Make sure you don’t just focus on the jumpers, watch the turners too. There is some great turner involvement going on in this routine. In particular pay attention to what the turners do on the final speed step. That’s some pretty cool stuff.
This is a Japanese Double Dutch team performing at Tokyo University in 2006. It is an amazing performance. Their routine is very tight. All of their movements are perfectly synchronized to the music. They move very fluidly and jump with attitude and confidence. This is how you do Double Dutch.
This is a pretty sweet jump rope demonstration at the Ritsumeikan University entrance ceremony in 2006. Ritsumeikan University is located in Kyoto, Japan. Once again, the Japanese Double Dutch teams demonstrate a very high level of excellence in their performance and production values. It’s very difficult to perform synchronized choreographed double dutch routines. It’s hard enough to do a single choreographed double dutch routine, but to have 3 sets of ropes and keep them perfectly synchronized is extremely difficult.
Jump Rope continues to get even more publicity around the world. DDF recently appeared on the New Paul O’Grady Show in the UK. When Paul is introducing the segment he says that “rope jumping is the world’s biggest craze at the moment.” I think he’s on to something. The momentum for Jump Rope to break through into the mainstream is building, and I think teams like DDF are leading the push into this brave new world. The coming years are going to be a very interesting time for our sport.
Here is another great example of what I was talking about in my last post. DDF is a team that really understands what it means to perform. They put on a great show from beginning to end. I love watching them jump.
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