Atmospheric BLUME opening in Maspalomas

Some say "MASPALOMAS NIGHT", referring to the opening show of the BLUME Festival, which kicked off the seventh decade of the festival on Sunday evening in memory of Joaquin BLUME, the four-time Spanish European champion of the 1950s. There is hardly a comparable event in the world with such a tradition, which harmonises the various gymnastics disciplines with the needs of everyday life, the requirements of health and fitness and the wishes of tourists.
In short: this festival on the "island of eternal spring" Gran Canaria sends out a hopeful signal, especially in times of political and social problems, that peaceful and friendly coalescence is no longer just a theory - and this message was impressively demonstrated in an emotional and visible way at the opening gala of a whole week of festivities that followed ...:

Festival atmosphere in the Jumbo Centre of the tourist metropolis of Maspalomas

Traditionally, the opening ceremony took place with the flags of the 12 participating guest nations,
presented by a Canarian dance group in their folkloric costumes:

Mit besonderer Herzlichkeit wurde erstmals auch eine Delegation aus Irland begrüßt:

For the first time, a delegation from Ireland was also welcomed with particular warmth:

Their colourful performances and harmonious choreographies with scarves culminated in breathtaking pyramids.

"Nomen est omen"
- in fact, the Irish women from the "Precision Diaplay Squad" association presented
themselves with architecturally precise and elegant structures on three levels of the body >>

The German show guests from the "Tabea" sports and culture club from Halle / Sa. were expected with high expectations. Although they have been regular Blume guests in recent years, they have come up with new choreographies every time:
This time - as a kind of preview - with sequences and excerpts from their pre-Christmas show (16 + 17 December) in the Händelhaus in their home town, which will be dedicated to the fairytale theme of "SNOW WHITE" ...:

... and even before the show began, we learnt that in addition to the female gymnasts - among them former members of former German national groups, such as ex-captain Laure Marx - there were also men in action:
Of course, because the Snow White story also includes the seven dwarfs, and some "representatives of this guild" were already met before the show in the fitness room of the festival hotel "Beverly Park" in Playa del Ingles (photo, left).
<< Among them was a former member of the German national team, Christian BERCZES (left), who competed in the German national league for over a decade with the KTG Heidelberg after the end of his competitive sporting career (2007).
Now as a member of the "Artistik Show Team", their men perform together with the Tabea girls under the direction of Claudia Marx in joint shows - currently under pointed hats in the upcoming Snow White story.

Successful choreographic synthesis between aesthetic elegance and power artistry in the combination of Dabea & Artistik Showteam Heidelberg

... and there is much more to report, but the most important aspect of this festival was documented in a finale of a very special kind:
After a good 1 1/2 hours, the mood of the participants even spilled over into the whole arena of the Jumbo stage, in a way that only this unique festival of joie de vivre is able to convey ...:

(c) gymmedia / -ehe-