It seems to me physique girls are less willing to hit hard front poses and the only time they really flex is when their backs are to the audience. It is like they are concerned that flexing hard from the front might make them appear too muscular. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?
That’s an interesting observation. Front and back possess seem to be fairly balanced for the finals routines. I’d have to look at a few pre-judging videos to really notice a difference in posing style. What I have noticed is a lack of creativity and a great deal of awkwardness from some of these ladies. Physique is supposed to be graceful, yet a lot of these women are just as stiff as the guys. Some of the routines are lackluster and unenthusiastic. I’m not singling out this show per se, I mean this in a general sense.
80’s and 90’s posing had so much passion and vivacity. And even if some of the girls from back then lacked creativity, they at least made the effort (not all, but most) to pose with flowing transitions. Moreover, the women actually looked or attempted to look confident on stage. Posing was once regarded as an art, because it allowed bodybuilders to pose with flair and in turn look pleasing and awe-inspiring to spectators. Not sure what some of these girls consider it these days.
Sheronica Henton’s music messed up a couple of times (possible DJ error), so she hesitated to continue her routine and was frustrated. Granted Sheronica and Carla Dunlap are two different people, but put Carla in that same scenario and she would have driven the crowd nuts with an exciting routine. Carla was so talented when it came to Improvisation posing. Quite a few ladies followed suit after her. Nowadays they’re like robots.
Joanne McCartney was never considered a dynamic poser; rather her style was rudimentary, wherein her primary focus was as she would say “to show the muscle”. While many of the ladies danced, Joanne kept it simple, but showed lots of personality. Nonetheless, if you compare any of her posing routines to some of the new girls on the scene, her posing would look more refined.