How to Choose Music for a Rhythmic Gymnastics Ribbon Routine

Understanding the Ribbon Before Choosing Music

A competition ribbon is visually different from the other rhythmic gymnastics apparatus.

According to USA Gymnastics, ribbon routines include:

• snakes
• spirals
• swings
• circles
• throws and catches
• figure-eight movements

The ribbon must remain constantly in motion.

For senior competition, USA Gymnastics describes the ribbon itself as 6 meters long, excluding the stick. This creates an apparatus with a large and continuously changing visual presence.

1. Start With the Gymnast, Not the Genre

A common way to search for ribbon music is by genre:

But FIG does not prescribe a specific musical genre for ribbon.

Instead, the Code states that music selection should consider the gymnast’s: age, technical level, and artistic qualities.

The music should also allow the gymnast to perform at her best and support the best possible execution. This makes the gymnast herself the logical starting point.

A sophisticated piece of music is not automatically a sophisticated routine. If the gymnast cannot communicate its character or comfortably perform within its tempo and structure, another track may produce a stronger composition.

2. Look for Clear Musical Phrases

FIG places significant emphasis on the relationship between movement and musical structure.

The Code states that body and apparatus movements should correlate precisely with musical accents and musical phrases, while both should be led by the structure and tempo of the music. For a coach or choreographer, this makes musical phrasing one of the most useful things to evaluate before committing to a track.

A useful track gives you places to build choreography

Listen for:

• recognizable beginnings and endings of phrases
• transitions between sections
• changes in instrumentation
• changes in intensity
• recurring musical ideas
• clear accents
• moments of resolution

Instead of hearing the track as one continuous 90-second piece, try to hear its internal structure. For example:

The exact structure will differ from track to track. The important point is that the music gives the choreographer identifiable moments around which movement can be organized.

3. Tempo: Faster Is Not Automatically Better

There is no FIG-prescribed BPM for a ribbon routine. There is also no FIG rule saying that ribbon music must be slow.

What FIG does require is a meaningful relationship between the tempo of the music and the movement. The Code states that both body and apparatus should be led by the tempo or pace of the music.

But slow music is not automatically easier. A slower composition can expose timing problems and weak musical interpretation because individual movements may become more visually prominent.

The goal is therefore not to find the "correct" tempo. The goal is to find a tempo the gymnast can perform musically and technically.

4. Choose Music With Dynamic Contrast

A ribbon routine does not need to maintain one energy level from beginning to end. In fact, dynamic contrast is explicitly part of FIG Artistry.

The FIG Code identifies dynamic changes as contrasts in the tempo or pace and intensity of body and apparatus movements that reflect contrasts in the music.

These are not mandatory formulas. They are examples of musical information that a choreographer can use.

5. Look for Musical Moments You Can See

FIG uses the concept of an "Effect" in Artistry: the strategic placement of specific body or apparatus movements to highlight significant moments in the music.

This provides a useful way to evaluate potential ribbon music. While listening to a track, ask:

"Can I already imagine important movements happening at particular musical moments?"

• ✦ A strong accent might inspire one type of apparatus action.
• ✦ A sustained musical phrase might suggest another.
• ✦ A sudden change in intensity might create an opportunity for a clear visual contrast.

The exact choreography is the coach's creative decision. The important point is that the music provides information worth interpreting.

6. Music Should Create a Character

According to FIG, music contributes to the guiding idea — the story or theme of the composition — and establishes its emotions. FIG's definition of artistic excellence also includes a character and unifying style of movement maintained throughout the exercise.

This means choosing ribbon music is not just about finding a beat that works technically. Ask:

"Who does the gymnast become when this music starts?"

The answer does not need to be a literal character or narrative. The musical identity might be:

The labels themselves are not FIG categories. They are simply useful creative tools for defining the direction of a routine. What matters under the Code is that the music contributes to a coherent guiding idea and that character is developed through the choreography.

7. Don't Choose Music Only Because It Sounds "Beautiful"

This is one of the easiest mistakes to make when selecting rhythmic gymnastics music. A track can sound beautiful on its own but offer little useful structure for choreography.

Before choosing it, listen beyond the melody. Evaluate four layers:

FIG specifically states that music should not be regarded merely as background for body and apparatus elements.

8. Make Sure the Music Fits FIG Duration Rules

For senior and junior FIG individual exercises, the duration is 1:15–1:30. Timing begins when the gymnast starts moving and ends when the gymnast becomes completely motionless.

A short musical introduction before movement is tolerated, subject to the requirements and penalties defined in the Code.

Why Editing Matters

Simply cutting a longer song at 1:30 does not necessarily produce good competition music. An edit can technically meet the time requirement while damaging:

musical phrasestransitionsdynamic developmentthe climaxthe ending

Ideally, competition music should feel like a complete composition, even within the short duration of a rhythmic gymnastics exercise. The final musical moment is particularly important because FIG expects the end of the exercise to correspond precisely with the end of the music.

9. Check Lyrics and Musical Content

Ribbon does not have separate rules for vocals. The general FIG music requirements apply.

Music should respect ethical norms. FIG identifies explicit words and unethical themes such as swearing, dirty talk, violence and discrimination as grounds for a music-related penalty.

FIG also restricts sounds with a non-typical musical character and addresses spoken words that do not have a melodic background or clearly identifiable musical genre.

So before committing to a track with vocals, check the actual lyrics — not just the melody or chorus.

Frequently Asked Questions