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Dunk and go nuts

“IT’S A bird! It’s a plane!! It’s…. the Craaazzyy Dunkers!!!”

With these words, starts an amazing half hour, where a group of six Lebanese boys, defy Newton’s laws of gravity at the Sahara Centre in Sharjah.

Superman, Samurai, Jimbo, The Bullet, The Gentleman, and the Model aka the crazy dunkers, have a story that’s as interesting as the pirouettes and tumbles that they incorporate into their routines.

Every Leap begins with the JUMP.

Of course, the Dunkers weren’t always the Leaping, Flying, Dunking blokes of today. Around four years ago, a bunch of boys, with a common passion for gymnastics, were looking at avenues to further express and explore their creative side .

One man, coach Ghassan Majed, had the vision of blending the grace of the gymnast, with the power of the Soaring and Slamming basketball player. He assembled some of the best gymnasts in Lebanon, and shared his idea of the middle east’s own Globetrotters.

This was the Genesis of the Dunkers.

Recalling the initial years of training, Jimbo says, “Training was the toughest part. All of us have suffered injuries, from broken ankles, to twisted wrists. The funniest incident was when a teammate got stuck in the hoop, from the neck up.”

Gulf Tours

The dunkers have come a long way since those painful times. After sell out performances in Lebanon, word of their exciting show spread all over the region. The dunkers have done successful shows in Syria, Jordan, and have visited the UAE for two years in a row now.

All the boys were unanimous in the opinion, that the crowd reactions were the fuel that keeps them flying.

As the Bullet puts it, “That look of total wonder and admiration from the audience makes all of this worthwhile.”

The audience at the Sahara Centre gave full vent to their admiration, as some children in the audience assembled on the floor, and showed off their performing skills as well.

Next Stop

After Sharjah, the Dunkers will be rocking the Capital at the Abu Dhabi Mall from August 15 - 29.

So the next time you are in the Sahara Centre, and see a shadow pass over you, it might not be a bird. It could be..

The show is held every evening from 6.00 pm to 8.00 pm. The first show starts at 6.00 pm. The show will run till August 14.

Dunker’s Secret

The USP of the Dunkers feels coach Ghassan, lies in their strong base in Gymnastics. According to him, this gives the boys the strength in their leaps, and the impeccable balance needed for the logic defying acrobatics. He also says that this makes the Dunkers better than any American or European counterparts.