On 10 June, a warm and sunny Saturday, funky rhythms and somersaults filled the air at the British Club in Bangkok. A gymnastics team from the Danish Police Association had arrived in Thailand the day before, but the heat, the jetlag, and the unusually grassy floor did not stop them from putting on a show that captivated both old and younger members of the audience.
Ready to perform
Despite the fact that the gymnastics team is part of the Police Association, most of the members are actually civilians. In fact, only one police officer has joined the team on its South East Asia tour – the travel leader, Regin Joensen.
“We have been looking forward to this trip for a long time,” he says and adds that despite a few problems with the equipment at the airport, so far, everything has gone smoothly.
“It was difficult to have everything released but after eight hours of talking back and forth, we finally got everything out of the airport and were able to head to town.”
The inflatable mats and the trampoline might have caused a few problems at Suvarnabhumi, but it is here now, and the team is ready to perform.
Danish traditions
Denmark has a strong tradition for sports and sports organizations, and gymnastics is one that many Danes have participated in at some point in their life. Even though not a lot of Danes had shown up at the event, the mood and spirit of sports life was really set when the flag was marched in.
The opening ceremony was followed by elegant dance routines and high energy jumps and somersaults to the songs of contemporary artists – including a few Danish ones such as Aqua, Nephew, and Medina. With great variety, there were gymnastic disciplines for everyone. There were classic routines with and without props, tumbling, and modern gymnastics that combined rhythmic gymnastics with what appeared to be martial arts.
Throughout the show there was also a good mix between feminine and soft movements and rougher, high powered masculinity. One routine stood out, however, and caused great amusement among the children in the audience. The roles had been switched, and all the male members of the team came tip toeing out of the changing room wearing tutus and red hair bands. They twirled and jumped and kicked their legs. It was very cute, and the kids loved it.
Next stop: Malaysia
When the show was over, at least a part of the audience was left with an urge to join a gymnastics team themselves. Many of the children did too, and they were eagerly showing off their own gymnastic abilities on the inflatable mats. Some even felt so inspired that they did their own little versions of the routines they had just seen the team do.
Judging from the cheers of the team, the show had gone well. The audience had enjoyed it, and it looked like they had too.
And travel leader, Regin Joensen was happy too.
“It was a good show,” he said. “But once we’re less jetlagged and have gotten used to the climate here, I know that we will be much better.”
He then added that they would now take a well deserved break and explore Bangkok before continuing the tour.
The team is heading on to Malaysia later this week. Next stop is Penang where they have a show arranged in cooperation with Danisco. The performance at the British Club was their only show in Thailand.
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