The “Wonderful World” beyond the competition

The most elaborate routine at the 2026 RG World Championships won’t take place on the floor. It begins long after the apparatus has been set aside. For it is then, in Frankfurt’s Festhalle, that an event will unfold that is impossible to award a score to: a show to highlight the many different facets of the sport.

Agnes Hartmann is the artistic director of this production. She oversees performances and choreography at the German Gymnastics Federation,. Her path led her from theatre studies into organised sport. It is this intersection that she is working at in Frankfurt: the fusion of artistic vision and precise planning. “Gymnastics is, of course, incredibly diverse,” says Hartmann. “You can create a wonderful show out of such diversity.”

The evening is titled “Wonderful World of Gymnastics.” For Hartmann, this is not just a fancy addition, but the heart of the concept.

“We want to show that gymnastics can be so many things,” she says. That is why the evening follows the theme “One Stage. Many Stories.”. Instead of a continuous narrative arc, it’s a sequence of different scenes, themes, and stories that combine to create a rhythm.

“A show only works if the spark truly jumps over to the audience,” says Hartmann. “Whether it’s for reflection, wonder, or joining in the celebration – it can take many different forms.”

The foundation for this is the mix. In the show, elements of rhythmic gymnastics meet performance groups, acrobatics, and contributions from the club scene. Sometimes the focus is on individuals, sometimes on large formations. Sometimes it’s calm, then intense, fast, and powerful again. “It’s this mix that makes it work,” says the theatre scholar. “We don’t want it to become monotonous or just drag on.”

Among those involved are the five German formation groups that won gold at the World Gym for Life Challenge hosted by the International Gymnastics Federation in Lisbon in July 2025. They are joined by international guests and groups that work with unusual visuals.

“Rhythmic gymnastics meets show,” is how Hartmann describes it. Club-based groups, in particular, play an important role for her. “We also want to showcase the innovation and creativity of these groups and clubs,” she says. “And perhaps inspire others.” This innovation includes the group Trongym, which works with specially developed LED technology to create unique visual effects.

But the programme’s diversity also includes prominent names and special highlights. For instance, 26-time German champion Magdalena Brzeska will make a comeback with her former Let's Dance partner Erich Klann. Male rhythmic gymnastics will also be represented thanks to Spanish gymnast Eneko Lambea. Athletes from the Special Olympics will also present group routines in rhythmic gymnastics. And the German national team will return to the floor immediately after their competition on Saturday to perform in the show.

The real challenge of this production, though, lies not in the content, but in the conditions. The show is not being staged in a theatre set-up, but within the tight constraints of an ongoing World Championship. The gymnastics will take place on the existing competition setup – that is, on and around the rhythmic gymnastics floor – and that’s what makes it exciting. This required creativity. Major set changes are out of the question; the competitions take priority. “We have very, very little – actually almost no – rehearsal time for the show,” says Hartmann. “We’ll start carefully stepping onto the floor once the competitions are over.”

For her, that is the biggest hurdle. A production like this cannot be developed on-site but must be planned as precisely as possible in advance.

“We have to plan a lot of things very precisely in advance because there’s very little time on site to make adjustments,” she says. This applies to routes, transitions, entrances, props, as well as entrances and exits. “Even so, once you’re on site, you still notice things you couldn’t see beforehand,” says Hartmann. “Then you suddenly realise: Someone can’t get through here at all, there’s a railing, there are cameras there.”

This is why connecting the individual segments is so important, so that the evening does not end up as a string of standalone acts. Melissa Diete from the Hessian Gymnastics Association, together with violinist Puschan Mousavi Malvani, will serve as a recurring element guiding the audience through the programme. Added to this is a musical thread and a children’s choir from Frankfurt, which will sing the song “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. “We will experience many little stories,” says Hartmann. “But nevertheless, everything stays under the motto ‘Wonderful World of Gymnastics.’

The groups themselves are also at the heart of the performance. Around 350 participants are expected for the evening in Frankfurt. They come from different regions, each with their own challenges.

“What always moves me deeply is when the different groups rehearse together, share the excitement, and feel the thrill together,” says Hartmann. “And when that forms such a sense of community.” That is also typical of gymnastics – the togetherness, the community. She emphasises the Festhalle is a special venue for this. “The Festhalle is a fascinating location,” says Hartmann. “Just because of the dome.”

At the same time, this very venue makes the demands even greater. Because the finals follow the next day; the competition schedule must not be disrupted, the floor must not be damaged, and the proceedings must not be hindered.

“The challenge is enormous,” she says. “But of course I’m really looking forward to putting on this show together with director Marc Klein, the wonderful groups and acts, and a great team.”

When Hartmann speaks of success, she doesn’t mean a smooth operation first and foremost. She means the moment when style and impact come together. “When the spark has been ignited, when I see that the audience is getting into it, is amazed, celebrating along, laughing along – then I’m happy,” she says. Because the show won’t be an afterthought to the World Championships, but a standalone signature evening with its own distinct character.

Author: Nils B. Bohl