Archive |
News from October 2008
Early November will see us filming a promotional piece for Disney as part of the lead up to the forthcoming and highly anticipated Prince Of Persia movie. The piece will also involve the stunt co-ordinator for the movie, and several international young TV presenters who will be put through their paces in an attempt to learn some of the parkour movements the hero of the game (and now the movie) performs with such ease. There is great enthusiasm for this movie within the community and if done well it should be incredible. More information on the promotional piece here as it comes. Thursday 30th of October 2008 
Fright Night at the Academy... That time of year has come around again, and Halloween will strike the Academy during Monday 3rd November's Indoor Class! Everyone makes a great effort to turn up dressed to kill, and as with every year the best dressed guy and girl will go home with a deadly prize... However, bear in mind that whatever you wear you must also train in for the entire class! Muhahahahahahaaaa! Thursday 30th of October 2008 
Our groudbreaking ongoing project with arts group All Change, studying the science of fear, continues this Friday October 31st with the first actual field session to test the procedures that will be utilised throughout the year-long programme. Through the practice of parkour - combined with creative writing, dance, sound and film - young people, artists and scientists will investigate the science of fear and behavioural response when we step outside of our comfort zone. This project involves not only a team from Parkour Generations but also top neuroscientists, geneticists, dancers, musicians and film-makers, and is a real first for the parkour community. Wednesday 29th of October 2008 
Times Online Video: Becoming Bond! The Times Newspaper has just put up its 'How to be Bond' video piece, which involves the intrepid journlist Hugo learning some of the basics of parkour with Team Member Dan. The (very!) short piece can be found online here. Tuesday 28th of October 2008 
This Thursday, October 30th, we return to Hungerford and Theale to run workshops again for West Berkshire Council. The first workshop will be at Hungerford Leisure Centre, Hungerford, RG17 0AN from 1-2.30pm Tuesday 28th of October 2008 
With schools on half-term break in the UK, all this week we are running another series of EDUTAIN workshops in conjunction with the City of Westminster's Youth Offending Team and Westminster Sports Unit. Edutain runs programmes throughout the school holidays for children and young people at risk of offending. For more details on the workshops this week, contact us here. Monday 27th of October 2008 
IntoUniversity Workshop: 28th October Tuesday 28th October sees us running workshops for UK-based charity IntoUniversity in central London. IntoUniversity offers an innovative programme that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to attain either a university place or another chosen aspiration, and is perfectly in line with our goal to assist the development of young people through introducing them to a positive and healthy discipline. Click the link above for more details on the charity's work. Monday 27th of October 2008 
Today Stephane, Tracey and photographer Kiell are out scouting locations for some of the upcoming promotional work we are looking at doing for the new blockbuster console game Mirror's Edge by EA Games. Some of the rooftop locations being looked at are quite spectacular, and should create some amazing imagery. Mirror's Edge is set to be a smash hit game, and is entirely based on parkour for the gameplay as you take control of the 'Runner' Faith moving across futuristic city skylines. More news on this project soon. Thursday 23rd of October 2008 
This month's Off The Wall gathering is going to be a little odd... we won't be training in an established spot, but rather taking a journey through an area with some neat little training spots nearby... welcome to Edmonton. Anyone wanting to come along should meet at 12:15pm at Turnpike Lane tune station on the Piccadilly Line. We'll begin with a warm-up at the Great Cambridge Roundabout, and then spread out to the varied small training spots around the area... including a nice little river precision! For more info, email Brian@parkourgenerations.com Wednesday 22nd of October 2008 
Ace Cafe Display: 25th October This Saturday night we will be putting on a parkour display at the world-famous Ace Cafe in London as part of an evening dedicated to raising funds for the funeral of Slawomir 'Steel' Galecki, a young traceur who was much loved at the Cafe. Steel was a devoted practitioner, and though his death was in no way connected to his parkour training we are more than happy to help generate the funds necessary to send him home to his family in Poland. Event details for the night can be found here. The public are welcome to attend and watch on this fundraising evening. Wednesday 22nd of October 2008 
On top of the regular weekly teaching tally, for the next 8 weeks we are also running Friday morning workshops for the City of Westminster's Positive Futures at Moberly Sports Centre in Kensal Rise, from 9.30-11.30am. Positive Futures is a national partnership between Sport England, UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit and the Youth Justice Board. The project aims to use sport to reduce anti-social behavior, crime and drug misuse among 10 - 19 year olds from selected and disadvantaged neighborhoods. Wednesday 22nd of October 2008 
As part of the lead up to the forthcoming release of the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, we will be shooting a video tomorrow with The Times newspaper and putting one of their journalists through his paces to give them an insight into the training required to match the physicality of the new James Bond. After the great job they did with Casino Royale, we are hoping this latest episode will be just as explosive! Details of the Times piece will be advertised here when its out. Tuesday 21st of October 2008 
Dan has just returned from St Petersburg, Russia, where he was invited to give a presentation to various authorities on how they might implement over there the successful teaching paradigm we have developed in the UK for schools and at risk children. There was also a large parkour festival in the city, organised by some very dedicated and positive practitioners, which involved a seminar for 200 people run by Dan and Danny Ilabaca who was also present throughout the few days. Great to see Mr Ilabaca doing his thing and spreading the message of parkour to all those who are ready to listen, and we look forward to having him on board for RDV3 in December. Huge thanks to all the people in Russia who made the trip such a great experience, especially to Evgeny, Sarah, Julianna, Kiril, Katya, Annya and Albert. We are sure we will be seeing all of them again soon... Sunday 19th of October 2008 
Today Dan flies out to St Petersburg, Russia, to present parkour and the ADAPT Certification Programme to the authorities there and discuss the possibilites of implementing the teaching system that has been so successful here in Britain. The UK Government, spearheaded by the City of Westminster, is streets ahead of any other nation when it comes to seeing the benefits of the discipline for reaching out to young people and encouraging them to become active and fulfil their physical potential through parkour. Several other countries are now looking to follow suit as we see the beginning of a truly global movement. More news to follow soon. Thursday 16th of October 2008 
With Rendezvous 3 fast approaching, we feel its a good time (and not a little overdue) to release a little insight into the fun and frolics that occurred at Rendezvous 2! Featuring several of the Yamakasi founders, as well as all the Parkour Generations Team and a few other recognisable faces from the global community, we think this piece does a great job of capturing the amazing energy and vibe that was present at this event. Hit the link above to view the vid. This year's event in December is twice as long, and will be bigger and better in every way... For more info on Rendezvous 3, click here. Thursday 16th of October 2008 
Majestic Force in International Press A good length video piece interviewing our partners in France, the Yamakasi founders Chau and Laurent, is available for viewing on the International Herald Tribune's website here. The video shows training in Evry, and there is a gallery of photos also on the website above. Well worth a look. Tuesday 14th of October 2008 
Our signature Outdoor Classes on Wednesday and Friday evenings have always been booked solid several weeks in advance, and now to facilitate ease of reservation we have launched a new online booking system which can be found on the relevant Class Page. The system is also in operation for the regular Women's Classes. People can still book in person at the Academy classes too, but as always it is first come first served and this online system will allow you to see which classes are available and where they will be up to one month in advance. Click the links above to view the online booking page for these classes. Tuesday 14th of October 2008 
Yesterday's Royal Parks Half Marathon event was a great success, with 30,000 people attending and over 12,000 actually running the half-marathon for charity. A ten-strong team from Parkour Generations was present the whole day running workshops for the public and being showcased on the big screen, and we were blessed with incredible weather for the entire duration. Many thanks to everyone who came down to jump in and to the City of Westminster and Cory Leboeuf for providing all the equipment. Same time next year..! Monday 13th of October 2008 
RDV3 Update: Southbank Centre! We can now confirm that the annual gathering bringing together many of the very best practitioners and teachers in the world, Rendezvous 3, will be officially hosted by the Southbank Centre itself at the Royal Festival Hall. One of the most iconic training locations in the world, in an unprecedented collaboration the Southbank Centre has granted us full use of their 21 acres of space along the river for our workshops, including the magnificent Royal Festival Hall, Hayward and Queen Elizabeth Hall buildings. Indoor space will also be available for lunch on the day, as well as for leaving bags etc during the training outside. For more information on the event and on how to book a place, click here. Friday 10th of October 2008 
London's Royal Parks Workshops The Royal Parks Half Marathon charity event is just around the corner, occurring this Sunday October 12th at Hyde Park in central London. A team from Parkour Generations will be running workshops throughout the event, in the sports and fitness Village within the park itself. If you don't feel up for running the half marathon itself, come down and try your hand at some freerunning instead..! All details for the event can be found on the Royal Parks website here. Friday 10th of October 2008 
For over a year now we have been running regular workshops and sessions in schools and for the young community in and around Wiltshire and North Wiltshire, often in conjunction with the local councils and Wiltshire Alternative Youth Sports. The result of this has been the development of a very strong scene down there, now backed by the Council in developing a local parkour club, evidence of which is reported on in the Gazette and Herald newspaper. Several of the young individuals, known as Calne Parkour who have attended almost every one of our sessions have become skilled and dedicated practitioners able to inspire others around them. A great example of how the discipline can benefit a young community and generate hugely positive outcomes. Friday 10th of October 2008 
October Girls Jam: Sunday 12th October's Girls Jam, an open training day for women of all levels of experience and ability to come together and practise together, will be held this Sunday, the 12th, and will be in Greenwich. A great way either to kick-start your training and get to meet some experienced female practitioners to get aid from, or for the veterans out there to exchange ideas and discover new training methods, the Girls Jams present an open, friendly environment in which to practise. One or two Parkour Generations instructors will also be on hand to help out where necessary. For more information contact Tracey on tracey(at)parkourgenerations.com Thursday 09th of October 2008 
Danny Ilabaca has joined the line-up of instructors who will be teaching the intensive two days of training on 13/14 December that will be Rendezvous 3. Although Danny attended the first two annual gatherings, this is the first time he will be on the teaching roster and we are very happy to have him on board. Places are booking up fast so we recommend getting in fast.. Tuesday 07th of October 2008 
We are currently engaged in a groudbreaking ongoing project with arts group All Change, studying the science of fear. Through the practice of parkour - combined with creative writing, dance, sound and film - young people, artists and scientists will investigate the science of fear and behavioural response when we step outside of our comfort zone. Now deep into the developmental stages of the project - which involves not only a team from Parkour Generations but also top neuroscientists, geneticists, dancers, musicians and film-makers - we can confirm that the launch event will be on October 31st. More details to follow... Tuesday 07th of October 2008 
Advanced Classes with Thomas..! We are very lucky at the moment to have team-member Thomas des Bois based in London and running the Advanced Class every Tuesday evening. This class is for those people who already have a good basis in the discipline and are ready to step up to a higher level with some close attention from one of the most respected practitioners in the world today. For more information or to reserve a space, which are limited to 6 per class, email Thomas directly on thomas(at)parkourgenerations.com Sunday 05th of October 2008 
Off The Wall Jam Sunday 5th October! Tomorrow, Sunday October 5th, sees our regular London 'Off The Wall' open parkour jam hitting the Tooting training areas. All are welcome, regardless of experience or ability, and we will gather at 12.30pm outside Tooting Broadway tube station (Northern Line) for the next monthly jam. Rain or shine, the Parkour Generations team will be present to share training techniques and tips and to join in the regular fun to be had. For more information please email Brian on Brian(at)parkourgenerations.com or post any enquiries up on our forum. Saturday 04th of October 2008 
We have just had confirmation that Kazuma will be coming back from his international travels to attend December's Rendezvous gathering in London. This now brings the official line up for the event to be by far the biggest gathering of experienced practitioners the world has ever seen, including Yamakasi founders Chau Belle-Dinh, Yann Hnautra, Williams Belle and Laurent Piemontesi, Stephane Vigroux, Forrest, Johann Vigroux, Seb Goudot, Thomas Couetdic, Kazuma, Dan and the entire Parkour Generations collective! An intensive 2 days of focussed training, this is not an event to be missed. Click here for more details, where you can now find a Paypal option to make payment directly online. Friday 03rd of October 2008 
Earlier in the year we did the video/photogaphic campaign promotion for this month's upcoming Royal Parks Half Marathon charity run, and now it's time for the main event! The actual run is held on Sunday October 12th,and starts and ends in Hyde Park, where we will be holding open parkour workshops all day long. Many of the team will be present, and a host of charities are involved with the event including Blue Cross, Right To Play, Asthma UK, Unicef and others. It promises to be one of the most enjoyable and memorable events in the running calendar and a perfect challenge for anyone who loves running, London and The Royal Parks. And if you aren't up for the run, come down and try your hand at parkour with us! All event details found at the link above. Friday 03rd of October 2008 
Recently a photoshoot was commissioned involving team members Thomas and Johann, shot by photographer Kiell, and some of the results can now be found in a new gallery here. Shot at night and in the gritty inner-city location of Royal Oak, these images have a very unique sense of style and lighting and are a little different from the norm... Hit the link above to be taken to the Gallery. Wednesday 01st of October 2008 |
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