This was no typical tour of the Louvre. The instructions entailed sneakers, athletic attire, and an arrival time of 7.
No one knew what to expect, only that we had secured a spot to Courez au Louvre, a one-hour circuit developed by the accomplished, contemporary dancer and choreographer Mehdi Kerkouche. In no world would this count as cardio.
On 24 April , I purchased a membership to the museum. Ever since, I have frequented the various departments the way other people schedule time for the gym you need only scroll through my Instagram feed to confirm the disproportionately high number of Louvre posts. Kerkouche was unable to make this session, but we were welcomed by two dancers who would be our guides. Towels and water bottles were allowed; smartphones were left behind.
Numbering roughly 60, we were split into two groups and would embark on this rarefied fitness class, overseen by four coaches, from opposite directions.
With spring in her step, Fanny led my group on a light jog to the Cour Marly with its monumental sculptures originating from one of the many parks belonging to Louis XIV. Hoots and cheers echoed through the halls. By the end, most of us were breathless and slightly sweaty, on a high of highbrow endorphins. For it was at the Sorbonne University in that a congress revived the games that would commence in Athens two years later. Now, marking years since the first Olympics in Paris, and with less than days until the opening ceremony, the grandstands are rising in the Place de la Concorde and the Champ de Mars is being transformed into an arena.
