The Tribune

By ALESHA CADET

Tribune Features Reporter

acadet@tribunemedia.net

IMAGINE being stuck at a red light in traffic and all of a sudden there are people running, some jumping, on the poles, side walks, trees and maybe your vehicle - this is “Parkour.”

And the fresh and newly formed group, “Enigma” is bringing it to the streets of Nassau. The members of the group describe their work as ‘unforgettable’.

Made up of five official dancers, with the oldest member aged 21, the group said it wanted to put its talent and time into doing something positive.

For those who may not know, Parkour is a fitness trend that developed in France. It is a physical art form related to the free running and modern dance.

In Parkour, the participant tries to manoeuvre and get past obstacles in his environment as quickly and efficiently as possible.

The activity has a mental component as well as a physical - signifying overcoming obstacles that life puts in front of you.

Parkour can be done indoors as well as outdoors, it is just a matter of space and opportunity.

In an interview with Tribune Entertainment, Peter Hanna, the lead member of Enigma, said they incorporate Parkour, free running and “tricking.”

“Free running is basically jumping from one thing to another, no matter the length or height. Parkour is more like flipping and running off objects. Tricking is doing movements on the floor such as basic back flips, scoops and twist,” said Peter.

While he said he was not aware of a group such as Enigma in the Bahamas to date, he said there was one in the past called “night tricks.” “We knew the leader and he basically taught me a few things,” he said.

“I started the Enigma group because everyone is doing the dance group thing and I wanted to bring something different. I watched a lot of free running videos on youtube and I started to love it. I learned a flip that I call the “ninja assassin” and I decided to teach it to someone else, another group member Jamal Johnson, and that’s how I really got interested,” said Peter.

He said he met up with another group member, Oquendo “Swiper”  Smith, whom he worked with before in a group called Magnums Dance Crew. “We also did a lot of flips and I spoke to Swiper about free running and he agreed to join the group as well. We started having a few meetings and auditions for other people to join,” he said.

“In the dance teams, in their routines they do back flips, hip hop and other dances. But Enigma is entirely about free running, parkour and tricking. When you see us, we are either running up on something, jumping off something or flipping,” said Peter.

Enigma’s making major moves on their social media internet page, with their “Free Running: By Enigma” video getting up to 1,110 views.

Speaking about the Enigma movement, one Bahamian woman said: “It’s great that they can start a group for the younger generation. I don’t really understand what goes on in free running, but hey, it is something to keep them focused and this is what I like to see.”

Another Bahamian said: “I think it is really neat because it is spontaneous and it is something new, at least to me. I would go watch them in action because it seems interesting.”

As Enigma, the group has not officially performed at any venue or place in Nassau, but Peter says people will be seeing them very soon.

“We are still young and we have a lot to learn so we are focused. If we do go international, that would be a good opportunity for us to see things, as opposed to just watching it on YouTube,” said Peter.

There are five members in the group, but there are also a few pending.

Enigma includes: Peter Hanna, Jamal Johnson, Clarence Major, James Brennen, Travis Joseph, Oquendo Smith and Jadson Whitefeild.