First Christchurch Display By Danish Gymnastic Team

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27592, 24 February 1955, Page 3

First Christchurch Display By Danish Gymnastic Team

Two national banners, one a New Zealand ensign, carried by a slim girl in a short, pale yellow tunic, and the other the Danish banner, held by a tall yonng man in similarly-coloured tighter were marched on to the sports lawn at the Royal New Zealand Air Force station. Wigram, last evening. Behind the flags, in two long lines, marched the members of a Danish gymnastic team now visiting Christchurch. From this impressive opening until the last man had marched from the area, an audience of hundreds had only one interest.

This was the fiffet performance in the South Island by the gymnasts, and it was also the first time an evening of the kind had been held at Wigram. Rhythmic exercises for the girl/members of the Danish team were the first part of the gymnastic programme. To the tinkling of a piano, the girls swayed and curved with the grace of ballerinas. Each held a bright red ball in a hand, and as these moved in unison it seemed that' plot of giant red poppies had grown in the lawn and waved in the light breeze. Exercises of more rigorous kind were introduced by the men, who marched purposefully on, wearing black trunks. Gasps came from the audience as the exercises progressed from simple arm bending to movements which required that the forehead be placed on the ankles while the legs were held ram-rod straight. But to the Danes everything seemed easy. Balancing Feats Girls and music returned to show the art of balancing gracefully on a two-inch beam held six feet from the ground while various poses were executed. One man followed the girls and showed still more difficult exercises. The real spirit of the Danish people was seen when men and girls returned, dressed in national costume, for folk dancing. The music was bright, the movement was vigorous, and there was a natural jollity about the whole performance. White or black tight trousers topped by bright, multi-coloured jackets and red stocking caps comprised the general dress for the men. The girls appeared in billowing coloured frocks, lacy blouses, and white winged bonnets. Shoes of both were black with shiny buckles. The final part of the gymnastics was the men’s tumbling. High leaps over vaulting horses, endless somersaults, handsprings, and other evolutions followed in rapid succession. The Danish' display was the highlight of the evening’s programme. Station sports were held at Wigram

yesterday and usually there is a dance. Last evening began with displays by marching girls, items by the Band of the First Canterbury Regiment; then came the Danes, and finally there was dancing on the green until midnight.

Enthusiasm for Sport In an interview with “The Press,” the advance manager of the Danish gymnasts (Mr Herman Andersen) said that in Denmark gymnastics aroused almost the same enthusiasm as was reserved for Rugby in New Zealand. The selection of the Danish team for the tour of New Zealand and Australia had been an occasion for strenuous competition. The team of 20 men and 13 women will give two Xpublic displays in Christchurch—on Friday and Saturday. More than 70,000 persons saw their six performances in Auckland, and the three New Plymouth displays attracted 12,000 spectators. The repertoire of the team includes acrobatics, tumbling, vaulting and balancing, as well as Danish folk dances in national costume. The manager of the ‘ team (Mr E. Flensted-Jensen) said that gymnastic exercises calling for team-work were the most popular branch of the sport m Denmark, though there were also many clubs specialising in individual apparatus work. The Danish women were even keener than the men on gymnastics.

The men in the team average 24 years and the women 19. Each member of the team, after learning the fundamentals of the sport at school—where gymnastics, a compulsory subject, is taken very seriously—has attained proficiency after years of practice and instruction with a club. Each member of the team had to contribute £l5O towards the cost of the trip. Although the financial success of the tour is now assured, it is a non-profit venture. Earlier Danish Tours

Mr' Flensted-Jensen is by now an experienced tourist. In 1950, he took a group through the United States and Mexico, where the team was enthusiastically received. He has also toured South America, England, Russia, Manchuria and Korea in a similar capacity. His wife accompanies nim on this trip as secretary and chaperon to the women members. The team travels with all its own equipment, except a-piano and public address system. The team is being accommodated at Wigram during its Christchurch visit. The Air Force was also host to the team at Auckland, where the Danes were billeted at Whenuapai. While in Wellington, they stayed at the Army camp at Fort Dorset. “We have met great kindness everywhere in New Zealand,” said Mr Flensted-Jensen.