Simone Biles, Nia Dennis among gymnasts in Gold Over America Tour in Columbus
Didn't get enough of the gymnastics during the Summer Olympics in Japan?
If not, for those who appreciate the skill and athleticism of the sport, you can see Simone Biles and other Olympic gymnasts in action in the Gold Over America Tour on Oct. 19 in Nationwide Arena.
The tour includes 26 musical numbers, all incorporating gymnastics, dance, storytelling and plenty of emotion.
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“There are parts of the show that are really heavy, emotionally,” said Valorie Kondos Field, the retired UCLA women's gymnastics coach who choreographed the show and selected the gymnasts for it, speaking by phone from her home in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“Simone really goes there. Laurie Hernandez, who is not only a performer but the host, asks Simone flat out to talk to us about the 'twisties' and what she was feeling at the Olympics, and her anxiety. There is a ton of tumbling and gymnastics, beautiful dance, hard dance. It's raw and real and people leave having had an experience,” Field said.
Nia Dennis
Among those chosen for the show is Columbus native Nia Dennis, who grew up in Columbus, moved to Chicago when she was in high school and then to UCLA for college. She came to public attention for floor routines celebrating Black excellence and more recently, for an extraordinary routine she performed on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York just before the opening of the Met Gala.
“I got the phone call, and somebody asked, how would you feel about performing at the Met Gala, and I was like, What kind of question is that? Do you even need to ask?” Dennis, 22, said, speaking by phone from Columbus, while visiting recently.
“I had to keep it a secret because nobody had performed before the Gala began before. It was a little bit nerve-wracking, but the second it was my cue to go, I just turned it on and I was ready to go.”
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At the show in Columbus, she said, “I will be doing a lot of dancing, hyping the crowd up. Very minimal gymnastics, because I'm nursing a bit of an injury. But I love to perform and dance, and to do that in my hometown is really exciting. I want to let my family see how far my dancing has come. I used to be so stiff, I was like a robot!”
Jordan Chiles
Also appearing in the show will be Jordan Chiles, who won a silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics and will be starting college at UCLA in the spring, where she will compete in gymnastics and prepare for the 2024 Olympics.
“I'm in almost all the numbers we do,” Chiles, 20, said, speaking by phone from her home in Spring, Texas. “I love the way we move through the air. Not only the different kinds of movements that we do, but the way we're strong in mind and body. It's like flying! It's superhero status.”
“We wanted to make the tour bigger than gymnastics. And I was looking for people who would be relatable to other people. Nia Dennis, we loved her floor routine that went viral. I knew that Katelyn Ohashi was extremely proficient in spoken word and sharing her life struggles. She's a huge advocate against bullying and body-shaming. We hired Morgan Hurd, she's a wonderful activist for many causes. She's this little, diminutive, mighty person. And MyKayla Skinner (who replaced Biles when Biles withdrew from the vault competition in Tokyo, and won a silver medal): the energy she brings onstage as well as backstage has been priceless,” Field said.
“For many, many years, gymnasts felt that they had to fit into a box, into this cookie-cutter mold. We have just blown that out of the water. We wanted to showcase individuals that were doing something special and bringing unique messages to the show,” Field said.
“We wanted to show the world that you can achieve greatness at the highest level while being vulnerable, while being truthful to yourself, while having a voice — and while being joyful.”
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At a glance
The Gold Over America Tour will take place at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 19 in Nationwide Arena, 200 W. Nationwide Blvd. Masks are required. Tickets cost $26.50 to $171.50. For more information, visit www.nationwidearena.com.