On April 9, 2025 the annual Gymnics home show took place in the Andreasen Center for Wellness. It began after the official start time of 9 p.m. and its theme was “Unexpected.” Although there were also two performances on Friday and one on Sunday, the main performance was held Saturday night. The Sunday performance featured Infinite Gymnastics, a gymnastics program for children.
Home show provides a chance for Gymnics, the Andrews University acrobatics team, to showcase everything they have been working on throughout the year. These include routines that require a wide array of skills, including tumbling, aerial silks, lyra, pair stunting and more.
The Saturday evening event began with a welcome and prayer. The Unexpected theme was embodied with images of colorful paint splashes behind the logo, and the first narration framed life as a masterpiece providing opportunities to create each day. Gymnics kicked off the performances with a stunting, pyramids and tumbling routine that involved the entire team.
The night continued with more flipping through the air and other unique activities. Several of the routines had creative elements like live music; one routine featured a drummer, for example. Another began with Hannah Harris (junior, architecture) at the keyboard as part of a praise routine to an original song. Abby Stearman (junior, elementary education) and Harris performed a silks duo routine where both performers started wrapped in aerial silks like cocoons and then emerged wearing peacock-print leotards. Chirping birds played in the soundtrack at the end to match the theme of the routine.
Another routine included fire poi, which involves swinging around two weights attached to a chain or cord. The weights were on fire for much of the sequence. Meanwhile, the chairs routine involved stacking chairs in various configurations, continuously adding to the height, and then executing handstand variations on top of them.
There was also an interactive routine where audience volunteers were invited to stand on the mats while a gymnast leaped over them. On other occasions, attendees were invited to clap to the music.
As usual, midway through the program Gymnics coach Richie Silie invited former Gymnics members to come on the mat to be recognized. They also honored current Gymnics members in their final year on the team. Silie also made an appeal for donations, followed by an intermission. The program continued with a video showcasing moments from the past year of practice and performances.
Near the program’s end, Silie paused the show to provide a word of encouragement to those struggling with unexpected situations. He shared the Gymnics guiding verse for the 2024-2025 school year, Luke 12:40, which is the promise that Jesus will return when least expected. He reminded the audience that the whole point of the performance was to get to the point where you give your struggles to God. He then prayed over attendees who raised their hands to demonstrate a desire to give their struggles to God.
The team then performed their routine from this year’s Acrofest, where the theme was “Send Me.” The final routine of the evening, and the most important according to Silie, was a routine where they briefly acted out Bible stories, creating scenery by staging acro tricks and stunts. The pinnacle arrived in the depiction of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.