8-Minute Abs at bavatuesdays

One of the few things I have been unable to share on my blog is my daily work-out regiment. Not so much because I am shy or embarrassed about it, rather until now I haven’t had an effective way to explain its cinematic complexities and nuances -and some may even argue its transnational poetry. So in the spirit of sharing everything, I had my last session recorded and mixed so that you all can see what I’m up to before work on a daily basis. Enjoy!

In all seriousness though, I found this awesome video through Luke Waltzer’s precision post on Syncretism and Web 2.0 -it’s a keeper! The work of art above is from the Dvinsk Clan-Le Parkour. What’s Le Parkour and why am I interested in this as part of Web 2.0? -well Luke says it much better than I ever could:

This video features the Dvinks Clan, a parkour/free running group based, I think, in Latvia. Parkour was invented in the French suburbs, and inspired by the moves in 1970s Kung Fu flicks. This video echoes French New Wave cinema, draws upon the California skater videos of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and uses French hip-hop as its soundtrack.

Yeah, baby -mashing it up has as much to do with physical movement, cinematic styles, transatlantic hip-hop and decayed urban spaces (as Brian Lamb alluded to yesterday in his masterful Mashup talk) as it does with virtual technologies. Marrying the two makes them both that much more conceptually powerful and accessible.

7 Responses to “8-Minute Abs”

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1 Leon Lighips Apr 27th, 2007 at 1:45 am

Imagine if they used all that energy in service to gainful employment.
2 Martha Apr 27th, 2007 at 7:38 am

There was a great article about parkour in last week’s New Yorker. Check it out: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/04/16/070416fa_fact_wilkinson

The author drew some interesting connections between parkour as an art form similar to jazz — spontaneous, improvised movement that is still rooted in fundamental skills and practice. Really interesting stuff.
3 Andy Rush Apr 27th, 2007 at 8:08 am

So is that why Spiderman’s real name is Peter Parker (parkour)?
4 Chris Lott Apr 27th, 2007 at 11:34 am

A couple of links from my linklog a few years back might be of interest: http://perso.orange.fr/parkour/parkourenglish/page15.html and http://www.urbanfreeflow.com/

If your quality cinema tastes run to the Bond genre, you might have noticed the initial foot-chase sequence involved one of the stars of parkour, Sebastien Foucan. Which was entirely fitting for commencing a fresh, new Bond style.
5 jimgroom Apr 27th, 2007 at 1:48 pm

@Chris: I haven’t seen Casino Royale as of yet, but now I am even more motivated! I remember a Bond flick back in the late eighties or early 90s that started out with a make-shift snowboarding scene marking the arrival of this “sport”(I forget which film precisely). Looks like Parkour may have also “arrived” -which is always a double-edged sword. Judging by the links in your comment, the fashion line seems to be of great interest to Urban Free Flow community -which reminds me of the Vision Skateboard apparel empire in the late 80s that seemed to incorporate and commodify any of the potential subversion skateboarding represented.

On another note, I hope the Spring reflections are treating you well! I might have to take a page out of your book quite soon, the semester is just about over and I am tired as hell!
6 Cody May 7th, 2007 at 3:49 am

I wonder if these kids run from the police just for practice
7 Motley Health May 1st, 2008 at 5:23 am

I can never decide if this is a good thing or not. On one hand, it is great that these people are being to energetic, and getting in such great shape. But on the other, I feel that they could focus their efforts in more productive areas. I guess that it is about having a lot of fun in the city. But some of them could make excellent professional athletes or gymnasts. Wasted talent?