Bhaṅgṛā (Punjabi: ਭੰਗੜਾ (Gurmukhi), بھنگڑا (Perso-Arabic); pronounced [pə̀ŋɡɽaː]) refers to several types of Punjabi-style dance. The earliest developed of these was a folk dance conducted by Punjabis in the central northern areas of the region to celebrate the harvest, and whose general practice had ended by the Partition, 1947. In the 1950s, a new folkloric dance, representative of the state of Punjab and composed of glimpses of men's Punjabi dance styles, was created and eventually received the title of bhangra. First developed in India and attaining a rather standardized form by the 1980s, the folkloric bhangra was exported to other counties by Punjabi emigrants. By the 1990s, a still newer style of dance called bhangra was being staged in the Punjabi Diaspora, often characterized by a fusion with Western dance styles and the use of prerecorded audio mixes. Aside from these specific dance genres, Punjabi dancing in general, especially when done to popular bhangra music, is often casually called "bhangra."

Varieties[link]

Community dance[link]

A participatory community dance called bhangra is attested since the 1880s in northern areas of the Punjab region. Bhangra was a seasonal dance, practiced in the month leading up to the festival of Visakhi. During this month, the harvest, especially wheat crop, was gradually reaped. Local fairs marked the festival of Visakhi. It was after days of harvesting and at Visakhi fairs that bhangra was performed, as a dance of men alone. The 1947 Partition of the Punjab region, in which millions in population relocated between the new nations of Pakistan and India, disrupted the practice of these Visakhi fairs. Most of the area in which community bhangra had been practiced became contained within Pakistan, however the Sikh and Hindu participants were at this time compelled to move to areas in India. Bhangra as a "folk" dance of villages essentially ceased at this time.

Folkloric dance[link]

The 1950s saw the development of a folkloric dance routine in the Indian side of Punjab. The first significant developers of this style were a dance troupe led by brothers from the Deepak family of Sunam.

Bhangra competitions have been held in Punjab for many decades. They are especially associated with college youth festivals.

Diaspora teams[link]

Since the 1990s^{[citation needed]}, universities and other organizations have held annual bhangra dance competitions in many of the main cities of the United States, Canada, and England as well. At these competitions, young Punjabis, other South Asians, and people with no South Asian background compete for money and trophies.

North America[link]

Bhangra dance performance in Canada, 2010.

Bruin Bhangra in Los Angeles has become one of the biggest bhangra competitions in the U.S. Teams from all over United States and Canada come together to compete and show their talent. Every year, Bruin Bhangra also invites different well-known Punjabi singers.

2010 was the first year for Elite 8 Bhangra Invitational, in Washington, D.C. This event invited eight of the top teams from North America to showcase their routines and compete for the number one spot. Virginia Commonwealth University of Richmond, Virginia, was crowned champion. Sonay Gabroo Punjab De (SGPD) from Toronto, Canada took the title in 2011.^[1]

In the West, unlike in the Punjab, there is less emphasis on traditional songs and more focus on the flow of a mix; an easy example of this is a team such as Da Real Punjabis, which is notorious for mixing traditional bhangra music with hip-hop or rock songs. This synergy of the bhangra dance with other cultures parallels the music's fusion with different genres. University competitions have experienced an explosion in popularity over the last five years and have helped to promote the dance and music in today's mainstream culture.

U.K.[link]

In the UK, the first ever major bhangra competition, The Bhangra Showdown,^[2] was organised by students from Imperial College London and held on 1 December 2007. The competition was held at Indigo2 in the O2 in Greenwich and was attended by over 1000 people. Kings College London won the inaugural Bhangra Showdown, followed by Brunel and Imperial College. All proceeds from this show were donated to two charities, Wateraid and The Child Welfare Trust, and the show looks to continue on an annual basis. The show was held once again on 31 January 2009 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, with proceeds going to the MND Association and The Child Welfare Trust, and was attended by around 1,500 people. Six universities took part: Imperial, Queen Mary's, Kingston, Brunel, Birmingham and Leicester/DMU. Birmingham came in 3rd place, Imperial came a very close 2nd, and Queen Mary's took 1st place. This was followed by another sell-out show at London Palladium in January 2010, with crowds of around 2400, where Imperial won, followed by Queen Mary and Barts in second place and Brunel in third.

Most recently, the 4th Bhangra Showdown was held at HMV Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday, 5 February, featuring 10 teams (Imperial College, Kings College, UCL & LSE, Manchester, Brunel, Kingston, Birmingham, Queen Mary and Barts, Leicester and St Georges). The number one spot went to Birmingham, followed closely by Imperial in 2nd place. They performed in front of yet another sell-out crowd of 3500. In 2012, the 5th Bhangra Showdown was held, once again at HMV Hammersmith Apollo, in front of another sold out crowd of 3500. Leicester were awarded the title, however following controversy, they were retrospectively removed as champions and banned for 5 years from entering the competition. Subsequently, Queen Mary's were instated as the winners and University of Birmingham came second.

Following the success of The Bhangra Showdown, 2011 saw the introduction of a new UK bhangra competition - Bhangra Wars, hosted in Leicester. 2012 has also seen the addition of Capital Bhangra (hosted in London, by Naujawani) to the UK Bhangra competition calender. One further invitational competition is in the pipeline for 2012, Folk Stars.

Description[link]

Movements[link]

Musical accompaniment[link]

Bhangra dance is based on music from a dhol, folk singing, and the chimta. The accompanying songs are small couplets written in the Punjabi language called bolis.

Bhangra singers employ a high, energetic tone of voice. Singing fiercely and with great pride, they typically add nonsensical, random noises to their singing. Likewise, often people dancing to Bhangra will yell phrases such as hoi, hoi, hoi; balle balle; chak de; oye hoi; bruah (for an extended length of about 2–5 seconds); haripa; or ch-ch (mostly used as slow beats called Jhummar) to the music.

Dress[link]

Traditional men wear a chaadra while doing bhangra. A chaadra is a piece of cloth wrapped around the waist. Men also wear a kurta, which is a long shirt. In addition, men wear pagri (turban) to cover their heads.

In modern times, men also wear turla, the fan attached to the pagri. Colorful vests are worn above the kurta. Phummans (small balls attached to ropes) are worn on each arm.

Women wear a traditional Punjabi dress known as a salwar kameez, long baggy pants tight at the ankle (salwar) and a long colorful shirt (kameez). Women also wear chunnis, colorful pieces of cloth wrapped around the neck.

These items are all very colorful and vibrant, representing the rich rural colors of Punjab.^[3] Besides the above, the bhangra dress has different parts that are listed below in detail:

• Pag (turban, a sign of pride/honor in Punjab). This is tied differently than the traditional turban one sees Sikhs wearing in the street. This turban has to be tied before each show.
• Kurta, similar to a silk shirt, with about four buttons, very loose with embroidered patterns
• Lungi or chadar, a loose loincloth tied around the dancer's waist, which is usually very decorated
• Jugi, a waistcoat with no buttons
• Rumāl, small "scarves" worn on the fingers. They look very elegant and are effective when the hands move during the course of bhangra performance.

Impact in mainstream Western culture[link]

Bhangra dance has expanded into the world of fitness. Fitness instructors like television host Sarina Jain have developed fitness routines based on bhangra dance moves for their workout programs.^[4]

Bhangra Empire, a bhangra dance group from California, has appeared on America's Got Talent and in Harper's Bazaar.

See also[link]

• Dhol
• Music of Punjab
• Punjabi folk dances

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Dhillon, Iqbal Singh. 1998. Folk Dances of Panjab. Delhi: National Book Shop.
• Schreffler, Gibb Stuart. 2010. Signs of Separation: Dhol in Punjabi Culture. University of California, Santa Barbara.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bhangra

• Bhangra (dance) at the Open Directory Project
• www.Bhangra.org
• Bhangra News, Music Videos & Interviews -

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2011)

Dance
Modern dance
Originating culture	various
Originating era	Antiquity

Dance is a type of art that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music,^[1] performed in many different cultures and used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.

Dance may also be regarded as a form of nonverbal communication between humans, and is also performed by other animals (bee dance, patterns of behaviour such as a mating dance). Gymnastics, figure skating and synchronized swimming are sports that incorporate dance, while martial arts kata are often compared to dances. Motion in ordinarily inanimate objects may also be described as dances (the leaves danced in the wind).

Definitions of what constitutes dance are dependent on social, cultural, aesthetic, artistic and moral constraints and range from functional movement (such as folk dance) to virtuoso techniques such as ballet. Dance can be participatory, social or performed for an audience. It can also be ceremonial, competitive or erotic. Dance movements may be without significance in themselves, such as in ballet or European folk dance, or have a gestural vocabulary/symbolic system as in many Asian dances. Dance can embody or express ideas, emotions or tell a story.

Dancing has evolved many styles. Breakdancing and Krumping are related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance while Square Dance and the Electric Slide are forms of step dances.

Every dance, no matter what style, has something in common. It not only involves flexibility and body movement, but also physics. If the proper physics are not taken into consideration, injuries may occur.

Choreography is the art of creating dances. The person who creates (i.e., choreographs) a dance is known as the choreographer.

Origins and history[link]

Ancient Greek bronze statuette of a veiled and masked dancer, 3rd - 2nd century BC, found in Alexandria, Egypt.

Dance does not leave behind clearly identifiable physical artifacts such as stone tools, hunting implements or cave paintings. It is not possible to say when dance became part of human culture.

Joseph Jordania recently suggested, that dance, together with rhythmic music and body painting, was designed by the forces of natural selection at the early stage of hominid evolution as a potent tool to put groups of human ancestors in a battle trance, a specific altered state of consciousness. In this state hominids were losing their individual identity and were acquiring collective identity.^[2] Jonathan Pieslak's research shows, that some contemporary military units use loud group singing and dancing in order to prepare themselves for the dangerous combat missions.^[3] According to Jordania, this trance-inducing ability of dance comes from human evolutionary past and includes as well a phenomenon of military drill^[4] which is also based on shared rhythmic and monotonous group activity.

Dance has certainly been an important part of ceremony, rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of the earliest human civilizations. Archeology delivers traces of dance from prehistoric times such as the 9,000 year old Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka paintings in India and Egyptian tomb paintings depicting dancing figures from c. 3300 BC.

One of the earliest structured uses of dances may have been in the performance and in the telling of myths. It was also sometimes used to show feelings for one of the opposite gender. It is also linked to the origin of "love making." Before the production of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing these stories down from generation to generation.^[5]

Another early use of dance may have been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals. Dance is still used for this purpose by many cultures from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert.^[6]

Sri Lankan dances goes back to the mythological times of aboriginal yingyang twins and "yakkas" (devils). According to a Sinhalese legend, Kandyan dances originated 250 years ago, from a magic ritual that broke the spell on a bewitched king. Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dance.

Partner Dancing in Art

Dance at Bougival by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1882–83)

Eadweard Muybridge's phenakistoscope "A Couple Waltzing" (c.1893)

Classification and genres[link]

Dance categories by number of interacting dancers are mainly solo dance, partner dance and group dance. Dance is performed for various purposes like ceremonial dance, erotic dance, performance dance, social dance etc.

Dancing and music[link]

Many early forms of music and dance were created and performed together. This paired development has continued through the ages with dance/music forms such as: jig, waltz, tango, disco, salsa, electronica and hip-hop. Some musical genres have a parallel dance form such as baroque music and baroque dance; others, such as classical music and classical ballet, developed separately.

Although dance is often accompanied by music, it can also be presented independently or provide its own accompaniment (tap dance). Dance presented with music may or may not be performed in time to the music depending on the style of dance. Dance performed without music is said to be danced to its own rhythm^{[citation needed]}.

Ballroom dancing is a dance art form which combines athletic fitness with artistically skillful dance steps.

Saman Dance from Gayo people of Sumatra, Indonesia

Morris dancing in the grounds of Wells Cathedral, Wells, England

An amateur dancesport competition at MIT

Professional dancers at the Tropicana Club, Havana, Cuba, in 2008

Dance studies and techniques[link]

In the early 1920s, dance studies (dance practice, critical theory, Musical analysis and history) began to be considered an academic discipline. Today these studies are an integral part of many universities' arts and humanities programs. By the late 20th century the recognition of practical knowledge as equal to academic knowledge led to the emergence of practice research and practice as research. A large range of dance courses are available including:

• Professional practice: performance and technical skills
• Practice research: choreography and performance
• Ethnochoreology, encompassing the dance-related aspects of: anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, area studies, postcolonial theory, ethnography, etc.
• Dance therapy, or dance-movement therapy
• Dance and technology: new media and performance technologies
• Laban Movement Analysis and somatic studies

Academic degrees are available from BA (Hons) to PhD and other postdoctoral fellowships, with some dance scholars taking up their studies as mature students after a professional dance career.

Dance competitions[link]

A dance competition is an organized event in which contestants perform dances before a judge or judges for awards, and in some cases, monetary prizes. There are several major types of dance competitions, distinguished primarily by the style or styles of dances performed. Major types of dance competitions include:

• Competitive dance, in which a variety of theater dance styles such as: acro, ballet, jazz, hip-hop, lyrical, and tap, are permitted.
• Open competitions, that permit a wide variety of dance styles. A popular example of this is the TV program So You Think You Can Dance.
• Dancesport, which is focused exclusively on ballroom and latin dance. Popular examples of this are TV programs Dancing with the Stars and Strictly Come Dancing.
• Single-style competitions, such as; highland dance, dance team, and Irish dance, that only permit a single dance style.

Today, there are various dances and dance show competitions on television and the Internet.

Occupations[link]

There are several careers connected with dancing: Dancer, dance teacher, dance sport coach, dance therapist and choreographer.

Dancer

Dance training differs depending on the dance form. There are university programs and schools associated with professional dance companies for specialised training in classical dance (e.g. Ballet) and modern dance. There are also smaller, privately owned dance studios where students may train in a variety of dance forms including competitive dance forms (e.g. Latin dance, ballroom dance, etc.) as well as ethnic/traditional dance forms.

Professional dancers are usually employed on contract or for particular performances/productions. The professional life of a dancer is generally one of constantly changing work situations, strong competition pressure and low pay. Professional dancers often need to supplement their income, either in dance related roles (e.g., dance teaching, dance sport coaches, yoga) or Pilates instruction to achieve financial stability.

In the U.S. many professional dancers are members of unions such as the American Guild of Musical Artists, the Screen Actors Guild and Actors' Equity Association. The unions help determine working conditions and minimum salaries for their members.

Dance teachers

Dance teacher and operators of dance schools rely on reputation and marketing. For dance forms without an association structure such as Salsa or Tango Argentino they may not have formal training. Most dance teachers are self employed.

Dancesport coaches

Dancesport coaches are tournament dancers or former dancesports people, and may be recognised by a dance sport federation.

Choreographer

Choreographers are generally university trained and are typically employed for particular projects or, more rarely may work on contract as the resident choreographer for a specific dance company. A choreographic work is protected intellectual property. Dancers may undertake their own choreography.

By ethnicity or region[link]

India[link]

South indian folk dance like a horse known as Poi Kal Kudirai

During the first millennium BCE in India, many texts were composed which attempted to codify aspects of daily life. In the matter of dance, Bharata Muni's Natyashastra (literally "the text of dramaturgy") is one of the earlier texts. Though the main theme of Natyashastra deals with drama, dance is also widely featured, and indeed the two concepts have ever since been linked in Indian culture. The text elaborates various hand-gestures or mudras and classifies movements of the various limbs of the body, gait, and so on. The Natyashastra categorised dance into four groups and into four regional varieties, naming the groups: secular, ritual, abstract, and, interpretive. However, concepts of regional geography has altered and so have regional varieties of Indian dances. Dances like "Odra Magadhi", which after decades long debate, has been traced to present day Mithila, Orissa region's dance form of Odissi (Orissi), indicate influence of dances in cultural interactions between different regions.^[7]

From these beginnings rose the various classical styles which are recognised today. Therefore, all Indian classical dances are to varying degrees rooted in the Natyashastra and therefore share common features: for example, the mudras, some body positions, and the inclusion of dramatic or expressive acting or abhinaya. The Indian classical music tradition provides the accompaniment for the dance, and as percussion is such an integral part of the tradition, the dancers of nearly all the styles wear bells around their ankles to counterpoint and complement the percussion.

Bhangra in the Punjab[link]

The Punjab area overlapping India and Pakistan is the place of origin of Bhangra. It is widely known both as a style of music and a dance. It is mostly related to ancient harvest celebrations, love, patriotism or social issues. Its music is coordinated by a musical instrument called the 'Dhol'. Bhangra is not just music but a dance, a celebration of the harvest where people beat the dhol (drum), sing Boliyaan (lyrics) and dance.It developed further with the Vaisakhi festival of the Sikhs.

Dances of Sri Lanka[link]

The devil dances of Sri Lanka or "yakun natima" are a carefully crafted ritual with a history reaching far back into Sri Lanka's pre-Buddhist past. It combines ancient "Ayurvedic" concepts of disease causation with psychological manipulation. The dance combines many aspects including Sinhalese cosmology, the dances also has an impact on the classical dances of Sri Lanka.^[8]

Harlequin and Columbine from the mime theater at Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen, Denmark

In Europe and North America[link]

Concert (or performance) dance[link]

Ballet[link]

Ballet developed first in Italy and then in France from lavish court spectacles that combined music, drama, poetry, song, costumes and dance. Members of the court nobility took part as performers. During the reign of Louis XIV, himself a dancer, dance became more codified. Professional dancers began to take the place of court amateurs, and ballet masters were licensed by the French government. The first ballet dance academy was the Académie Royale de Danse (Royal Dance Academy), opened in Paris in 1661. Shortly thereafter, the first institutionalized ballet troupe, associated with the Academy, was formed; this troupe began as an all-male ensemble but by 1681 opened to include women as well.^[5]

A small dance company rehearses for an outdoor performance in Stuyvesant Cove Park in Manhattan, New York City

20th-century concert dance[link]

At the beginning of the 20th century, there was an explosion of innovation in dance style characterized by an exploration of freer technique. Early pioneers of what became known as modern dance include Loie Fuller, Isadora Duncan, Mary Wigman and Ruth St. Denis. The relationship of music to dance serves as the basis for Eurhythmics, devised by Emile Jaques-Dalcroze, which was influential to the development of Modern dance and modern ballet through artists such as Marie Rambert. Eurythmy, developed by Rudolf Steiner and Marie Steiner-von Sivers, combines formal elements reminiscent of traditional dance with the new freer style, and introduced a complex new vocabulary to dance. In the 1920s, important founders of the new style such as Martha Graham and Doris Humphrey began their work. Since this time, a wide variety of dance styles have been developed; see Modern dance.

The influence of African American dance[link]

African American dances are those dances which have developed within African American communities in everyday spaces, rather than in dance studios, schools or companies and its derivatives, tap dance, disco, jazz dance, swing dance, hip hop dance and breakdance. Other dances, such as the lindy hop with its relationship to rock and roll music and rock and roll dance have also had a global influence.

See also[link]

Dance portal

References[link]

Notes

Further reading

• Adshead-Lansdale, J. (Ed.) (1994) Dance History: An Introduction. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-09030-X.
• Carter, A. (1998) The Routledge Dance Studies Reader. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-16447-8.
• Charman, S. Kraus, R, G. Chapman, S. and Dixon-Stowall, B. (1990) History of the Dance in Art and Education. Pearson Education. ISBN 0-13-389362-6.
• Cohen, S, J. (1992) Dance As a Theatre Art: Source Readings in Dance History from 1581 to the Present. Princeton Book Co. ISBN 0-87127-173-7.
• Daly, A. (2002) Critical Gestures: Writings on Dance and Culture. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6566-0.
• Dils, A. (2001) Moving History/Dancing Cultures: A Dance History Reader. Wesleyan University Press. ISBN 0-8195-6413-3.
• Miller, James, L. (1986) Measures of Wisdom: The Cosmic Dance in Classical and Christian Antiquity, University of Toronto Press. ISBN 0-8020-2553-6.

External links[link]

Find more about Dance on Wikipedia's sister projects:
	Definitions and translations from Wiktionary
	Images and media from Commons
	Learning resources from Wikiversity
	News stories from Wikinews
	Quotations from Wikiquote
	Source texts from Wikisource
	Textbooks from Wikibooks

•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Dance". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 
• Historic illustrations of dancing from 3300 B.C. to 1911 A.D. from Project Gutenberg
• United States National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame

Shawn Johnson
Johnson at "Frosted Pink With a Twist" (breast cancer benefit) held in San Diego, California on September 14, 2008
Personal information
Full name	Shawn Machel Johnson
Nickname(s)	Peanut, Bubbly (ShawnJohnson on Twitter)[1][2]
Country represented	United States
Born	(1992-01-19) January 19, 1992 (age 20)[3] Des Moines, Iowa
Hometown	West Des Moines, Iowa
Height	4 feet 9 inches (1.45 m)[4]
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2004–2008, 2011
Club	Chow's Gymnastics and Dance Institute
Head coach(es)	Liang Chow
Assistant coach(es)	Liwen Zhuang
Music	August's Rhapsody from August Rush
Medal record Women's gymnastics Competitor for the  United States Summer Olympics Gold 2008 Beijing Balance beam Silver 2008 Beijing Team Silver 2008 Beijing All-around Silver 2008 Beijing Floor World Championships Gold 2007 Stuttgart Team Gold 2007 Stuttgart All-around Gold 2007 Stuttgart Floor Pan American Games Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Team Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro All-around Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Uneven bars Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro Balance beam Gold 2011 Guadalajara Team Silver 2007 Rio de Janeiro Floor Silver 2011 Guadalajara Uneven Bars

Shawn Machel Johnson (born January 19, 1992) is an American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic balance beam gold medalist and all-around, and floor exercise silver medalist, the 2007 all-around World Champion, and the 2007 and 2008 U.S. all-around champion. In 2009, Johnson became the winner of the season eight edition of Dancing with the Stars.

Personal life[link]

Johnson was born in Des Moines, Iowa, the only child of Doug and Teri Johnson. Her parents enrolled her in a gymnastics class at age three after they noticed her climbing cabinets and jumping off tables. At age six, Johnson was one of Liang Chow's first students when he opened a gymnastics school in West Des Moines.^[5]

Johnson attended a public school, Valley High School.^[6] She was on the honor roll, attended football games, and participated in extra-curriculars.^[7] Through 2008, Johnson maintained a more balanced lifestyle than typical of elite female gymnasts.^[8] She limited her gymnastics training to 25 hours per week, as opposed to the more typical 40 hours.^[9]

Johnson left public school in the spring of 2009. She and her mother relocated to Los Angeles, California and she appeared on Dancing With the Stars. As of 2010, she finished high school with a private tutor.^[10][11]

Gymnastics career[link]

Junior career[link]

Pre-elite[link]

In 2004, Johnson competed in the Junior Olympics (U.S. Level 10) National Championships, finishing fourth in the all-around, first on beam, and second on floor.^[12]

As a youngster, Johnson was not scouted by USAG and her coach, Chow, had no interactions with the national staff. In 2005, Chow reached out to the National Team Coordinator, Marta Karolyi, sending her a video of Johnson, with the comment "I believe this kid will help the US team."^[13] Karolyi felt the action was audacious, "Wow, this coach is pretty confident",^[9] but she soon invited Johnson to national team training camps.

Junior elite[link]

Johnson qualified Junior International Elite on her first attempt^{[citation needed]}. She attracted widespread attention at the 2005 U.S. Classic, where she placed third. At the 2005 U.S. National Championships, Johnson fell from the beam on the first day of competition and finished tenth all-around.

In 2006, Johnson added several new tricks, including a Jaeger on bars, and two top-difficulty (G) skills, a full-in back-out dismount off beam and a double-twisting double back on floor. She won the 2006 U.S. Junior National All-Around Championship with a score higher than any of her senior elite competitors.^[14]

Senior career[link]

2007 pre-Worlds[link]

Johnson became a senior in 2007 and continued to show new skills, including a double-twisting double layout dismount off the uneven bars. She competed at the 2007 Tyson American Cup, winning the all-around over teammate Natasha Kelley. Johnson also competed in the 2007 Pan American Games, winning four gold medals (team, all-around, beam and bars) and a silver on floor.

Johnson won the all-around at the 2007 Visa U.S. National Championships, beating Shayla Worley by more than three points. Johnson also finished more than five points ahead of two-time National Champion Nastia Liukin, in the first of a series of face-offs over the next two years.^{[citation needed]}

2007 Panamerican Games[link]

Johnson took part in 2007 Panamerican Games. She won the team title, the all around title, the balance beam title and the uneven bars title. She was the silver medalist on floor.^[15]

2007 World Championships[link]

Johnson represented the U.S. at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships along with Nastia Liukin, Shayla Worley, Alicia Sacramone, Ivana Hong and Samantha Peszek.

In prelims (qualification), Johnson scored 16.250 on beam, 15.150 on floor, 15.175 on vault, and (with a fall on her dismount) 14.625 on bars. The U.S. finished first in prelims and Johnson qualified to the all-around, beam and floor finals.

Johnson performed all four events in the team finals; the only U.S. athlete to do this. Johnson scored 15.375 on bars and floor, and 15.150 on vault. She fell on the beam on her handspring-handspring-layout series and scored 15.025. The team won gold with 184.400 points, 0.950 ahead of silver-medal China. It was the second U.S. team gold in the World Championships.^[16][17]

In the all-around finals, Johnson scored a 15.175 on vault, 15.375 on bars, 15.900 on beam and 15.425 on floor. Her 61.875 total made her the fourth American woman to win the all-around gold medal.^[18]

During event finals, Johnson first competed on the balance beam, where she fell on her standing full and on her switch side leap, scoring a 14.475 and finishing last. In floor exercise, she went out-of-bounds on her first tumbling pass, but won the gold with a 15.250, just eclipsing teammate Sacramone.^[19]

2008 pre-Olympics[link]

Johnson competed again in the American Cup on March 1, 2008 in Madison Square Garden. On vault, she fell on her Amanar vault, scoring a 15.175. She stated^{[citation needed]} that her attempt to "stick" the vault caused the fall. On the other apparatus, she scored 15.625 on bars, 16.325 on beam, and 15.975 on floor. Although Johnson scored first on the vault, balance beam, and floor, she finished second in the all-around. Nastia Liukin, with an uneven bars score nearly a point higher than Johnson's^{[citation needed]} won gold.^{[citation needed]}

One week later, Johnson represented the U.S. in Jesolo, Italy against Italy, Spain, and Poland, along with Jana Bieger, Olivia Courtney, Chelsea Davis, Bridget Sloan, and Samantha Peszek. The U.S. won the junior and senior all-around team titles. Johnson won the all-around with a 61.7, earning the highest scores on vault (15.2), beam (16.2), and floor (15.0^[20]).^{[citation needed]}

On June 7, 2008, Johnson won the 2008 U.S. National Championships. Johnson scored 127.5, winning the all-around title by one point ahead of Liukin. Johnson also won the floor exercise.^{[citation needed]}

Two weeks later, Johnson won the all-around at the Olympic Trials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, again finishing ahead of Liukin. Because of their top placements, Johnson and Liukin were named to the 2008 U.S. Olympic gymnastics team immediately after the Trials. The other four 2008 team members earned their spots after two additional selection camps.^[21]

2008 Summer Olympics[link]

Johnson performs on the floor at the 2008 Beijing Olympics

At the 2008 Summer Olympics Johnson competed in all four events during the team competition,^[22] in which the United States won the silver medal.^[23] Johnson also won the silver medal in the individual all-around competition, receiving a score of 62.725.^[24] Johnson's teammate and roommate at the Olympic Village,^[25] Nastia Liukin, won the gold medal, receiving a score of 63.325.^[26] With Liukin taking gold and Johnson silver, this competition was the first time that the United States Women's Gymnastics team took both the gold and silver medals in the individual all-around competition; this competition also marks the fourth time a country won both gold and silver medals in the individual all-around competition.^[27]

She won the silver medal in floor exercise, with teammate Liukin taking bronze. She won a gold medal on the balance beam apparatus.^[28] Like the individual all-around, she and Liukin took the top two medals in this event.,^[29][30]

Comeback[link]

Shawn Johnson in San Diego just after her Olympic victory

In January 2010, Johnson tore her ACL while skiing. She had reconstructive knee surgery the following month.

In May 2010, Johnson announced her return to gymnastics training with a goal of making 2012 U.S. Olympic team.^[31]

In August 2010, Johnson communicated that her knee recovered to allow full training and that she had learned a new difficult skill.^[32]

In September 2010, Johnson released videos showing the following skills (training status):^[33] Johnson is planning on starting her comeback at the 2011 Covergirl Classics, and the 2011 Visa Championships, hopeful to make the 2011 World Championships Team.

Vault

• Yurchenko 2.5 "Amanar" (into pit)
• Yurchenko 2.0 (into pit)

Uneven bars

• double twisting double layout dismount (into pit)
• toe-on full pirouette, connected to Geinger salto

Beam

• back handspring, back handspring, full twisting layout (floor line)
• standing full twisting back salto (floor line)
• back handspring, back handspring, layout (low beam)
• switch leap, layout step-out, back pike
• front tuck

Floor exercise

• full twisting double layout (spotted onto pit mat, also unassisted on tumbletrack)
• double layout (unassisted onto pit mat and on tumbletrack)
• whip, double twisting back layout (tumbletrack)
• double pike
• double layout (unassisted on the spring floor)

In November 2010, Johnson performed her first post-Olympics National Team Training Camp. Although she expected to return to the "ranch" later in her comeback, Martha Karolyi requested she appear, based on her demonstrated progress in video. Johnson mentioned that her reconstructed knee still hindered high training volume.^[34]

In February 2011, Johnson became an official member of the USA Senior National team once again, this allows her to compete in international competitions. She has stated that she wishes to return to competition later in 2011.^[35]

In September 2011, Johnson was named as a non-traveling alternate to the 2011 USA Women's World Championships Team.^[36]

In October 2011, Johnson was named to the 2011 Pan American Games Team. She won a gold medal in the team competition and also won a silver medal for her uneven bars performance.^[37]

Honors[link]

Johnson was one of two female athletes to appear on AOL's 100 most searched females on the Internet for 2009, ranked 27th.^[38][39]

A scientific poll commissioned by Forbes magazine concluded Johnson was "America's Most-Liked Sports Figure" in 2009.^[40]

Johnson was also on the top of most appealing athletes on E-score Celebrity metric in 2010,^[41] and she was ranked seventh of America's Favorite Female Sports Stars on Harris Interactive in 2010.^[42]

ESPN announced Johnson's nominations for the 2009 "Best Female U.S. Olympian" Johnson won an ESPY for "Best Female U.S. Olympian" and "Athlete – Female" Teen Choice Award, the latter for the second consecutive year.^[43][44]

On 15 April 2009, Johnson was awarded the prestigious AAU James E. Sullivan Award.^[45] The annual award honors the USA athlete who best represents "the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship, and the ideals of amateurism."^[46]

Johnson ranked fifth in the Associated Press' 2008 Female Athlete of the Year voting.^[47]

Johnson was the winner of the 2008 Teen Choice Award for best female athlete, although she was not able to accept the honor in person because of Olympic training commitments.^[48] She was the first gymnast to be nominated for the award.^[49]

A life-sized bronze sculpture of Johnson honors the gymnast at the Iowa Hall of Pride in Des Moines.^[50]

On 7 September 2007, Johnson received the "Longines Prize for Elegance" in Stuttgart, Germany along with Japan's Hiroyuki Tomita. The prize is given in recognition of athletes who demonstrate remarkable elegance in the course of an international competition at world level; the decision was unanimous. In addition to the trophy, designed by the Swiss artist Piero Travaglini, recipients also receive a wristwatch from the Longines Evidenza collection and a check for $5,000.^[51]

Following Johnson's World Championship performances in 2007, Governor Chet Culver of Iowa proclaimed October 17 "Shawn Johnson Day" in the state.^[52][53]

In Popular culture[link]

[edit] Dancing with the Stars

In February 2009, Johnson became a celebrity competitor on ABC's Dancing with the Stars season eight,^[54] partnered with season six winner, professional dancer Mark Ballas. She is the youngest competitor in show's history. In the finale, tightest in the show's history, Johnson beat Gilles Marini by less than 1%.

On 17 April 2009, she appeared in the music video Do You Love Me by Ballas Hough Band wearing one of her Dancing with the Stars costumes.^[55] Later, she reunited with one of the show hosts, Tom Bergeron, at the 82nd Scripps National Spelling Bee to discuss her victory.^{[citation needed]}

Other television appearances[link]

Johnson appeared on many talk shows: The Today Show on NBC (26 October 2007, 5 August 2008, and 7 October 2008), CCTV (20 August 2008),^[56] the Late Show with David Letterman (25 August 2008), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (24 August 2008), The Ellen DeGeneres Show (8 October 2007, 9 September 2008, and 12 March 2009), Live with Regis and Kelly (22 October 2008), Jimmy Kimmel Live! (20 May 2009), and Entertainment Tonight (23 episodes, 2009). Along with other Olympians, she appeared on the season premiere of The Oprah Winfrey Show (8 September 2008).^[57][58]

Johnson made a cameo appearance on The Secret Life of the American Teenager season finale episode "Just Say No," which aired 9 September 2008.^[59] Johnson shot a second episode, "Just Say Me", which aired 25 January 2010.^[60]

Johnson was a celebrity participant in the 2009 Taco Bell All-Star Legends Celebrity Softball Game which aired on ESPN, 13 July 2009.^[61]

Johnson appeared on the celebrity edition of Who Wants to be a Millionaire on 13 August 2009. She correctly answered a question about the lyrics to “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” winning $50,000 for her chosen charity, Blank Children’s Hospital.^[62]

Johnson presented awards at the 2009 CMT Music Awards and the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.^[58]

She judged the Miss America 2010 pageant along with Rush Limbaugh.^[63]

She was featured on Degrassi: The Next Generation soundtrack in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Shawn Johnson is one of the 26 athletes followed by the BBC as part of the World Olympic Dreams series.

Public appearances[link]

Johnson led the Pledge of Allegiance on 28 August 2008 at the 2008 Democratic National Convention.^{[64][65][66][67][68][69]}

On 27 July 2009, Johnson led the seventh-inning stretch at Wrigley Field.^[70]

Gymnastic tours[link]

From September to November 2008, Johnson was a marquee member of The Tour of Gymnastics Superstars.^[71][72] Recorded sections of the tour's second show were included in Frosted Pink with a Twist, which is a television special about women's cancers (Johnson has a grandmother who is a cancer survivor).^[64][73] The television special also featured singers Jesse McCartney, Kenny Loggins, and Grammy Award singers Cyndi Lauper and Carole King.^[74][75] Johnson also headlined the Progressive Skating and Gymnastics Spectacular in Rapid City, South Dakota, on December 23, 2008. The show aired nationally on NBC on January 18, 2009.^[76]

Book[link]

In December 2008, Johnson unveiled a book, Shawn Johnson: Olympic Champion: Stories Behind the Smile (ISBN 978-1-934417-01-0), chronicling her life story through personal photographs and quotes.^[77]

Advertisements[link]

Midwest grocery chain Hy-Vee, headquartered in Johnson's hometown of West Des Moines, ran a television ad before and during the Olympics featuring Johnson. After the Olympics, Johnson appeared in television ads and online campaigns for Ortega ("Ortega makes my taco pop") and McDonalds, as well as print and web advertisements for CoverGirl and Secret deodorant. Johnson also appeared on food packaging for McDonalds, Coca-Cola, Oscar Mayer Lunchables and Hy-Vee products.^[78] Reports by Johnson's agent, Sheryl Shade, that Johnson would grace the Wheaties cereal box did not come to fruition.^[79] Her likeness did, however, appear on a limited edition Cheerios box in January 2009.^[80] Other endorsements included^{[81][82][83][84][85]}

• Longines
• Crest (toothpaste)
• Sanofi-Aventis (pharmaceuticals)
• OroWeat
• Willis Auto/Land Rover
• Circuit City
• InterContinental Hotels Group
• Eukanuba
• Nestle
• Bounty (P&G)

Charity work[link]

Since becoming a professional athlete, Johnson has been involved with numerous charitable causes. She has served as a spokesperson for the pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis, advocating awareness of women's cancers through the "What You Do Matters" campaign.^[86] Johnson has also partnered with Crest toothpaste to promote dental health, passing out toothpaste to low-income people.^[87] In December 2008, Johnson co-hosted a charity event with fellow Iowa native and actor Ashton Kutcher to raise money to repair areas of her home state devastated by flooding.^[88] According to her Web site, Johnson also supports the "Exercise Your Character" program through speaking engagements.^[89]

Stalking incident[link]

On March 25, 2009, a stalker was arrested after jumping a fence and sneaking onto the CBS lot. According to court documents filed in Los Angeles, 34-year-old Robert O'Ryan was arrested with the possession of guns, duct tape, zip ties, and love letters to Johnson. O'Ryan left his home in Florida and traveled to California, believing that Johnson spoke to him through the television via ESP, stating that they would be together and have a child. The Johnson family filed a restraining order against O'Ryan.^[90] O'Ryan was charged with felony stalking and two counts of carrying a loaded firearm in a vehicle.^[91][92]

Competitive history[link]

Skills[link]

As of 2008, Johnson often competed the following skills, listed per apparatus.

• Vault: Amanar – 2¹⁄₂ twisting, laid out Yurchenko
• Bars: Toe-on full pirouette; Jaeger; Gienger; bail handstand; double twisting double layout dismount
• Floor: Double twisting double tuck; whip immediate triple full; front full punch layout rudi; double full; tucked full-in
• Beam: Two back handsprings to a back layout; Front Pike; standing tucked full; switch split leap to layout step out to pike back; full-in tuck dismount^{[citation needed]}

Senior career history[link]

^{[citation needed]}

Junior career history[link]

^{[citation needed]}

References[link]