RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS

noun (Health and Fitness) (Lifestyle and Leisure) A form of gymnastics which emphasizes rhythmic movement and incorporates dance-like routines, performed with ribbons, hoops, or other accessories, used as extensions of the gymnast's body. Etymology: Formed by compounding: gymnastics based on rhythmic movement. History and Usage: Although the phrase rhythmic gymnastics was used as long ago as 1912 to refer to a form of gymnastics based on rhythmic movement, it was not adopted as the official name of a recognized style of gymnastics until the seventies, and this style only became a sport which was popularized through international competition in the eighties. Bianca Panova..., the Bulgarian champion, practising...for the Rhythmic Gymnastics International at Wembley Conference Centre tomorrow. Daily Telegraph 4 Nov. 1989, p. 36