Kids & Family

Two-Day Parkour 'Rendezvous' Comes to Somerville

Parkour Generations brings American Rendevous 2013 to Somerville. If you want to move like James Bond, it will teach you how.

Parkour instructors from France, Denmark, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States will be in Somerville this Saturday and Sunday for the American Rendezvous 2013.

Parkour is the art of overcoming physical obstacles using only your body and the surrounding environment. It includes running, jumping, climbing, falling, rolling and other movements. The opening scene of the James Bond movie, "Casino Royale," depicts a high-octane version of parkour (along with some explosions).

American Rendezvous 2013 provides an opportunity for everyone, regardless of ability or past parkour experience, to try the sport, according to the event's web page. There will be exercises for absolute beginners and experienced practitioners, it says.

The two-day event is being run in partnership with the Somerville Recreational Department and Shape Up Somerville, according to an announcement from the city.

It begins Saturday with a full day at the Somerville High School gym, where practitioners will develop their parkour skills in an indoor environment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a break for lunch.

On Sunday, American Rendezvous continues in Boston, where people will take their parkour abilities to the streets—well, to parkour "hotspots" in Boston, according to the city's announcement.

The two-day event then wraps up back in Somerville on Sunday with a dinner hosted by Johnny D's in Davis Square.

Cantina La Mexicana, Gentle Giant, New England College of Business and Finance, Rockland Trust and Triumverate are also sponsoring the event.

Those interested in participating can visit the American Rendezvous 2013 website and sign up at eventbrite. The cost is $75 per person for two days, and $45 for just Saturday. There are discounts for groups and scholarships available to local high school students.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here