The ressignification of body culture in the pandemic context

gymnastics for all in the university extension

Abstract

The most daily practices of living with family, at work, and in communities, were modified in the pandemic context, and with the manifestations of body culture it was no different. In this scenario, the objective of this manuscript is to bring a narrative of the process of resignification of doing and demonstrating Gymnastics for All, from university extension projects during the pandemic. From a methodological design that dialogues with the descriptive research, we opted for the approach of oral and documentary narratives (photographs and videos), situated in the university extension actions of the Laboratory of Research and Experiences in Gymnastics (LAPEGI), in June of 2020 to December 2021. Emphasis was given to the elaboration of a choreographic composition (CC) of Gymnastics for All (GfA), comprising the latter as a manifestation of body culture; and how this experience triggered other extension actions. The period could be composed by the fluidity of four phases: 1 - Mobilize - Act of resistance and cultivation of affections; 2 - Move - Deconstruct to Construct; 3 - Show - The body in expression; 4 - Multiply – The collective, belonging and hope. In general, there was a resignification in several senses, individual and collective, both for the processes of choreographic composition in GPT, as for its exhibition (in festivals), resizing the possibilities of experiencing the manifestations of body culture in a plural, innovative and collaborative way, and in line with the objectives of university extension, even in an adverse scenario such as that imposed by the pandemic.