Sébastien Foucan facts for kids

Sébastien Foucan (born on May 27, 1974) is a French freerunner. He is known for creating freerunning and for being one of the first people to develop parkour. Foucan believes it's important to learn the basic moves of both parkour and freerunning. This helps people stay safe and makes sure these activities are seen in a good way by others.

Sébastien Foucan's Career Highlights

Sébastien Foucan has had an exciting career. In 2002, he was in a TV ad for the Nike Presto running shoe. He became well-known in the United Kingdom after appearing in two documentaries: Jump London in 2003 and Jump Britain.

Foucan also acted in the James Bond movie Casino Royale in 2006, where he played a character named Mollaka. He spent three months in The Bahamas filming this movie. In 2005, Foucan was in the music video for Madonna's song "Jump". He also joined her on her "Confessions Tour" in 2006.

He helped the shoe company K-Swiss create the Ariake, which was the first of five freerunning shoe designs. Foucan also appeared in a trailer for the video game Mirror's Edge.

In 2012, Foucan was one of 15 celebrities who competed in the seventh season of the TV show Dancing on Ice. He was eliminated from the show on February 19, 2012. Foucan has also shown his skills in World Chase Tag. He founded a team called Blacklist, which won the World Chase Tag PRO 2 GO Europe tournament. Blacklist also finished in third or fourth place in World Chase Tag 4, largely thanks to Foucan's performance. He also appeared in seasons 4 and 5 of Ninja Warrior UK.

What is Freerunning?

A saut de bras (arm jump) over a wall.

Sébastien Foucan came up with the name "freerunning" with Guillaume Pelletier during the filming of Jump London. The goal was to introduce Parkour to people who spoke English. Since then, freerunning has become Foucan's own way of moving. It focuses on being creative and expressing yourself, rather than just being fast and efficient like traditional Parkour.

Foucan explains freerunning as his own way of evolving from Parkour. He says that if he wants to add flips or moves from other activities like breakdancing into his movement, he can call it freerunning. It's about adding more to your personal expression.

He describes the main ideas of freerunning:

• Follow your own path.
• Always practice and improve.
• Respect how others practice.
• Be a good example for others.
• Stay positive and find positive places to train.
• Respect your surroundings.
• Feel free to try other sports or activities.
• Don't take it too seriously; the journey is more important than the final goal.
• There's no right or wrong, but what you learn from your experiences is important.
• Freerunning is for everyone who loves to move.
• Use your energy in a good way to become better.

Foucan sees freerunning as a way to develop yourself through physical activity, play, and creativity. He felt that Parkour didn't allow enough creativity, which led him to create freerunning. He says freerunning is like leaving a "fixed path and social systems."

Some people, like David Belle who helped create Parkour, have different ideas. They see freerunning as more about showing off with acrobatics for media and marketing. They believe Parkour is about humility and overcoming obstacles, not just being spectacular. However, Foucan believes freerunning is a different philosophy that allows for more personal expression.

Sébastien Foucan's Film and TV Roles

Sébastien Foucan has used his amazing movement skills in various films and TV shows.

Acting Roles

• Casino Royale (2006) as Mollaka
• The Tournament (2009) as Anton Bogart
• The Antwerp Dolls (2015) as Marco
• Creators: The Past (2020) as Tammuz

Stunt Work

• The Tournament (2009)
• 55 Degrees North (TV series) Episode #1.1 (2004) as a freerunning performer

See also

In Spanish: Sébastien Foucan para niños