Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — When it comes to exercise, Emily Charles prefers parkour to lifting weights or running on the treadmill.
"I have no fun in the gym," Charles told WBZ NewsRadio Saturday. "It’s pretty painful, and this is a lot of fun, it’s joyful, it’s expressive."
Charles was one of several parkour enthusiasts taking part in an all-day workshop for women and non-binary people at The Dojo at Somernova in Somerville.
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Parkour is a form of free running where practitioners attempt to get from one place to another in the fastest and most efficient way possible, often through running, jumping, swinging, climbing, vaulting, and other forms of acrobatics.
The discipline originated in France in the mid-1990s before growing in popularity around the world through advertisements, documentaries, films such as "District 13" and "Casino Royale," and video game series like "Assassin's Creed" and "Mirror's Edge."
1 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
2 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
3 of 3 Photo: Suzanne Sausville/WBZ NewsRadio
"It’s a style of movement that’s designed to be done in urban areas, so on concrete blocks and stairs and railings and stuff," Charles said.
Parkour Generations Boston ran Saturday's workshop, which even included a game of extreme hopscotch.
"It’s a chance to be a kid again, it’s a chance to move like you did on the playground," said Charles.
WBZ's Suzanne Sausville (@WBZSausville) reports.
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