September, 2013 – Graham Miln

Le parcours

The thumping bass and indescribable attraction of the Beasty Boys caught my attention. We were walking alongside the River Rhône in Lyon when we heard the music.

A powerful thumping getting louder with each step. The music - rhythmic, energising, and engaging - was emanating from within a gathering of young men. A single large portable speaker pumped out the music while they stood around in a large circle, all facing inwards towards a set of parallel bars.

What greeted us was great. These young men were practising “le parcours” on the public gym equipment by the river. The men took turns to perform incredible feats of strength and control on the parallel bars. No jostling, no insults, and no aggression. Instead calls of support, clapping after difficult moves, and sharing of the lime light all flowed without obvious organisation.

Despite looking like an action shot; this was controlled and slow
Despite looking like an action shot; this was controlled and slow

Difficult poses were held for long periods
Difficult poses were held for long periods

A powerful guy prepares to mount the bars
A powerful guy prepares to mount the bars

Two men started mirroring each other for a while
Two men started mirroring each other for a while

Like many others, we found a good spot to sit for a while and watch. I took a few photos and some footage. The resulting film is below and available on my YouTube channel.