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Parkour is the art of movement. People who practise Parkour are known as Tracers. It is possible that you have already seen Tracers in action, either on TV, in the movies or on the streets. They are the ones who are climbing and jumping all over the city. It is a very fun activity, and the people, who do it regularly, love it. However, Parkour is not just about fun, it is also a life philosophy. Parkour is based on the philosophy of overcoming obstacles using the human body and mind as efficiently and quickly as possible.Parkour was founded by David Belle, who grew up in the suburbs of Paris. The kind of place that David Belle grew up in known as the banlieues (which is French for outskirts or edge of the city). The banlieues are usually areas where people are poor and the buildings that people live in are big concrete apartments. These types of environments are called concrete jungles in English, and they can be impersonal and difficult places to live. What David Belle and his friends (known as the Yamakasi) did when they were teenagers was turn their concrete jungle into a playground. While this was a way of having fun, they became more serious and the jumps became more dangerous and they developed the method and philosophy of Parkour.

A big part of what makes Parkour so interesting is that it uses the local environment in unexpected ways. When the banlieues were built, the architects, town planner and politicians did not imagine that teenagers would use them like this! For this reason, Parkour has also been referred to as Physical Graffiti. Check out this video for example:

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Parkour began in France with David Belle and the Yamakasi but has now spread all over the world. In Bankstown in Western Sydney, Ali Kadhim and the Team 9Lives have formed their own group - Parkroar. Like David Belle, Ali and the Team 9Lives use Parkour as a way of turning the city into a playground, and also a philosophy for living everyday. It is a way of making your body and your mind as strong as it can be, so that when you face a challenge in your life, you are ready for it. Ali has also directed and produced films and videos of Parkour in Western Sydney. This video is a small section from his film Urban Jungle:

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Team 9Lives are performing two shows very soon. The first is at the Burbs Festival in Blacktown on the 4th of April 2009, and also at the Bring It On Youth Festival in the Fairfield Showground on April 5th. The show on April 4th will include a workshop for beginners interested in learning Parkour. For more information please visit the Parkroar website.

Nexus Project has one copy of Ali Kadhim’s film The Obstacle is the Path to give away to the first person to leave a comment on this post. Good luck!