Skateboardskolen jumps into Aarhus Festival
Text and photos by Adrian Francis and Sophie Voisin.
The sounds of traffic mix with the sounds of wheels rolling over the warm asphalt. A blue helmet touches the ground as a tall teenage boy falls. The skateboards look like they’ve rolled several miles on the grey ramps.
During Aarhus Festival, Kalas arranges workshops for teens between the age of 13 and 17. Rap, dance, street art, and skating are some of the things you can try out at Godsbanen where Kalas has taken over the buildings to entertain teenagers for an afternoon.
This particular afternoon, a group from a nearby school have come to learn how to use a skateboard. Twelve kids from Risskov Efterskole have put on knee protectors. They are here to try out ollies, kickflips, and other classic skateboarding tricks.
Skateboardskolen, a place where adults teach kids how to skate, sent two teachers to the workshop. Today, they could be seen running around the park trying to help everyone stay on the board. A girl screams as the teacher takes her hand and runs towards the ramp, encouraging her to use the tricks she’s learned during the afternoon.
The idea behind the workshops is to give the kids self confidence and hopefully spark an interest in them. Kalas wants to give young people new skills. The late afternoon sun is hitting the many containters at Godsbanen. Some of the students are putting their hands in the air.
