Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon or rope. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordinated. At the international level, rhythmic gymnastics is a women-only sport. Gymnasts are judged on their artistry, execution of skills, and difficulty of skills, for which they gain points. They perform leaps, balances, pivots, and flexibility movements, along with tossing, catching, rolling and otherwise manipulating the apparatus. Rhythmic gymnastics grew out of the ideas of Jean-Georges Noverre (1727–1810), François Delsarte (1811–1871), and Rudolf Bode (1881–1970), who all believed in movement expression, where one used dance to express oneself and exercise various body parts.

Two striking young women, Bulgarian world champion gymnasts, Maia Taskova and Mariela Spasova, dance through a routine which incorporates strips of gossamer cloth, swirling ribbons of colors from the tips of long sticks while doing ball manipulation. Spaso earned a gold medal at the 1983 world championships, while Taskova won a gold medal at the world championships in 1987. (Orrel Lanter in Juggle Magazine)