Gymnastic formation

Gymnastic formation performance by the SGI members, Niterói, Brazil

Gymnastic formation is a collective art based on gymnastic expressed by 30 to 5000 figurants using only human bodies without instruments. It is commonly presented in Japanese schools as a part of physical education curriculum. The expression of the collective beauty based on force, passion, and union of young men is much more important than the individual expression. It is a modality of mass game.

In this moment, there is no unified English expression. In the United States of America, journalists sometimes use the expression “mass gymnastics” especially to represent annual festival of the North Korea. However, this expression not always includes mounting, and therefore, it meaning is similar to mass game. In the other English speaking countries, such as Malaysia, it is called “gymnastic formation”. In Japan, it is called “kumi-taisô”, which means mounting gymnastics.