EDMONTON – If you’ve ever fantasized about what it would be like to be a Jedi, you’ll soon have a chance to try and master the art of how they battle the Dark Side.
The City of Edmonton is offering a free lightsaber class at Commonwealth Rec Centre this Sunday as part of its annual Free Admission Day.
“What we’ve done is, we’ve taken the fights from the movies and kind of broken them down by moves, and then taken those moves as a vocabulary to build new fights,” explains instructor and “fight choreographer” Janine Waddell Hodder. ”We do it all to music so that you get in the mood of the Star Wars theme…and some people even show up in costumes.”
She, herself, had her hair pinned in Princess Leia-like double buns on Wednesday as showed off her lightsaber moves with a partner.
She says that she’s seen couples come to the class as a date night, and actors use it to practice their stage combat. Those who do come out on Sunday can bring their own lightsabers; and expect not only to learn some fancy footwork, but also a whole body workout.
“There’s definitely a cardiovascular aspect to it, we also do a lot of light stretching so there’s some flexibility involved, but mainly it’s getting your heart pumping and your muscles moving.”
While you have to be at least 16-years-old to attend Sunday’s class, Waddell Hodder says she’s taught it to kids as young as two and seniors in their nineties.
“Everyone can do it, that’s the great thing about lightsaber,” she says. “It’s a toy, but they’re getting to be kind of goofy and silly and a kid again. Most of the time I find that people kind of reach into their childhood again and get to play swords, that’s really what we’re doing.”
The hour-long lightsaber class will start Sunday at 2 p.m. To check out what other complimentary classes are being offered – along with free activities happening at places like the Valley Zoo, Muttart, and Fort Edmonton Park – check out the schedule below.
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