trying find

Monday, April 26, 2010

STUNTS TRAINING: Parkour - The Art of Movement

This has been my second week of Parkour Training and I must say, it hasn't been no easy feat. Lots of bruises, crahses and facing up to fear factors and each move I'd rationalise the 1001 ways that I could die from it.

I've got another 8 weeks to go on this, twice a week on Monday (gym ans stunts training) and Friday (Commando drill style on the streets of Fairfield). I will bring the video camera next time to update you all on some of my developments.

In the meantime, to catch me on my Monday nights and Friday nights, come down for some lessons!

P.S - Ali is and his 9Lives crew are an awesome bunch. I've worked with him on various projects inthe past such as "Downtown Rumble" TV series on ABC/ JTV in late 2008 and he is well trained and very reliable.

TRAINER BIO: Ali Kadhim is a Sydney-based new media artist who focuses on digital art and multimedia.

The emerging young producer has been creating his own digital artworks

and short films since early high school.

Ali is a self taught digital artist and has completed a certificate IV in Digital Media through the Western Sydney institute of TAFE in 2005. He also completed TAFE accredited training and a range of digital arts skills

as a participant of the Information Cultural Exchange’s (ICE) Originate: Multicultural + Multimedia + Mentorship program (supported by The Australia Council for the Arts).

Ali is also Australia’s foremost practitioner of the French urban body-movement art form ‘Le Parkour’. In 2006, he was mentored by ICE and the Bankstown Youth Development service to undertake a

Parkour-focused youth development project and make a short documentary about the form. Ali’s Parkour crew ‘9 Lives’ have performed for numerous community events including Loud! The Sydney Arab Film Festival, Bring it On Youth Festival, Spectrum for Something Fresh, Big Rigg and the launch of Artfiles 2006.

Ali’s short films ‘Irrational Security’ (2005), Escape from Fairvale’ (2004), ‘Le Parkour’ (2005) and ‘Invincible Twin Fighters’ have been included in a number of film festivals including Auburn on Screen 2005, Shortcuts Western Sydney Short Film Fest For Young People (finalist both 2005 and 2006), and the Originate Showcase (2005)

Friday, September 11, 2009

On set of Australian Boxing Fox8 TV Series “The Contender”

Date: 8 Tuesday, September, 6-8pm

Location: Sydney Olympic Park

Myself, Film production Rumble Pictures & Parkour team 9Lives were invited on the set of the Australian version on an International hard hitting boxing reality TV show “The Contender” and a personalised meet up with both Fox8 executive producer Lara Hopkins and Australian actor Daniel Amalm. (credits include Home and Away, Underbelly, Two Fists, One Heart, Cedar Boys and on Channel 9 Rescue: Special Ops).

I think as an emerging filmmaker and performing artist, it is so important to create opportunities to get to know people in the industry to shed light on their experiences; struggles and triumphs, and even though we didn’t get the full chance to sit down a have a chat with Daniel, I think the crew’s initial meet with him and the production has been quite an experience.

So the basis of The Contender is a series followng 16 aspiring boxers from training camp to boxing matches until one remains to claim the prize money of $1,000,000.

We were apart of the audience of 300, who would battle their cries out in support for their “Contender”. At times I couldn’t help but get excited with the violence while other times I would think “Gee that hook punch to the face looks really really painful” and couldn’t help but cringe at the damage inflicted from a fist fight combat sport.

Speaking of the downsides of boxing, there has been a community campaign One Punch Can Kill. Their message is their name – One punch can kill. Catchy campaign initiated by the Queensland government, however, where are the stats?

I still like a bit of combat sport and for those of you who want a lighter novel sample of this sport, I do recommend Body Combat at the Fairfield City Council Leisure Centre.

Body Combat is a knockout! Punching, kicking, fending, and fighting! Fantastic music and a physically demanding workout for all levels of fitness. The results are awesome buns of steel; rock-hard abs; and superb muscle toning.
For an affordable $15, you get a good heart pumping workout for 60 mins.
How about some Parkour? Ali Kadhim is a parkour practitioner and trainer based in Western Sydney. Make contact with him to learn a trick or two in escaping cops.