I list events in or near Canada and international events that catch my interest. Email me if you have an upcoming seminar, competition, whatever, that involves the Chinese martial arts being done in a safe, respectful manner. If you want more details of my seminars, go to the class schedule page.
2010
Feb 28 Fourth workshop in eight sessions (to March 28) by Jack Yan on Chen Style Taichi Da Dao (Crescent Moon Halberd) in Richmond Hill. ON. "The eight sessions will cover the fundamentals of Da Dao techniques, strength training methods to handle heavy weapons like the halberd, and the traditional Chen Style Taichi Da Dao Routine. This workshop is suitable for people with Taichi training background. Jack Yan is one of the eighteen inheritor disciples of Grand Master Chen Zhenglei. Jack currently holds the 7th Duan of Chinese Wushu from PR. China and he is a Ph. D candidate in Traditional Chinese Sport majored in Wushu at Shanghai University of Sport. Jack has been teaching Chen Style Taichi in Canada for 22 years." Dates: Sundays 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm (Feb. 07 to – Mar. 28, 2010). Location: Taishan School of Martial Arts, 165 East Beaver Creek Road, Unit 26-27, Richmond Hill, ON. Please call for space availability – 416-677-3886 or send email to jack.yan@taishanclub.com
February 27-28 Chen Zhonghua seminar on Chen taijiquan in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and Saint-Hyacynthe QC. Hosted by l'Amicale québécoise de tai chi chuan et des disciplines apparentées and l'école Munndialarts. "Lors de ce stage, Maître Chen présentera les principes fondamentaux, les stratégies, et l'utilisation efficace du corps à travers les techniques de l'école pratique de taiji quan de Chen selon le courant de Maître Hong Junsheng" For more information see the website. http://amicaletaichiquebec.org
March 5 Beginning of the 2010 Yang Style Intensive. Art Baner and Jan Parker will be teaching the Yang Style Full Curriculum Intensive beginning March 2010, and continuing in June and September. "What You Will Learn: Tai Chi qigong (energy training) and gongli (strength, flexibility, and conditioning training); The 108 movement solo form; Tai Chi two person training (tuishou); Tai Chi theory and applications; Tai Chi traditional weapons (saber, sword, and spear); And, of course, much more..." Framework for the Intensive: Dates: It is held in three segments: March, June, and September of 2010. Each session will contain 16 days of training over four weeks. (Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday of each week). The first segment will begin March 5th, 2010. The second segment will begin June 4th, 2010. The third segment will begin September 3rd, 2010. Location: The intensive will be held on Bowen Island north of Vancouver, BC. For more information please visit the website at http://www.fullcirclearts.net/2010intensive/ or call Art Baner at (360) 739-3186 or Jan Parker at (604) 947-0888
March 6-7 Weekend three of the 5-Section Series of Mini-Workshops with instructors Adriaan Blaauw & Jill Heath in Milton ON. Curriculum: 5-Section 2-Person Empty Hand (Saturdays 1 - 4 p.m.); 5-Section 2-Person Sword (Saturdays 5:30 - 8:30 p.m.); and 5-Section Chen Workshops (Sundays (10 a.m. - 1 p.m.). Location: Milton Seniors' Activity Centre (MSAC), 500 Childs Drive, Milton. Activity Room (ground level): empty hand (Sat aft). Games Room (basement): Sword & Chen (Sat eve, Sun a.m.). Weekend #1 was Jan 9-10, Weekend #2 was Feb 6-7, Weekend #3 is Mar 6-7, Weekend #4 is Apr 17-18, Weekend #5 is May 8-9, Weekend #6 is June 12-13. Information: Adriaan Blaauw ablaauw@sympatico.ca or Jill Heath jillmheath@earthlink.net
March 6 - 10 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua and xingyi in Halifax, for Canada East Wushu, and will be also coaching the Dalhousie Wushu club Saturday morning and Wednesday evening. Private classes also possible. Contact Andrea for details (Andrew is really busy).
April 10-11 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua in Nottingham, UK. Location: Ponds Community Hall. We will be covering the eight mother palms of the dragon, but beginners are still welcome. Contact Matt for details of location and registration. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
April 17-18 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua in Belfast, North Ireland. Location: 119A Woodstock Rd. We will be covering the eight mother palms of the dragon, but beginners are still welcome. Contact Peter ahead of time for registration, as space is limited. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
April 24-25 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua in Basingstoke, UK. Location: Fort Hill School. We will be covering the eight mother palms of the dragon, but beginners are still welcome. We will start an activity exactly at 10:00 on Saturday to partcipate in World Taichi Day. Contact Neil for details of location, registration, and pickup. We usually organize a pickup at the train station, because public transit isn't great in Basingstoke. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
April 24th, 10 am (Saturday) World Tai Chi & Qigong Day worldwide.
May 21 to 24 The annual long weekend of push hands with Sam Masich has moved to Campbellville ON for this year. More information will follow later or check the Sam Masich web site.
May 29-30 Second session of Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method – 2010 Toronto Workshop. 8:30-4pm. Location: Rough Woods Community Centre (East of Bayview, North of Major Mac), 110 Shirely Drive, Richmond Hill ON. Contact: Ki Nam Choi <kinam.of.kchoi@gmail.com> 416.860-1431 or Cora Li <cora.li.cora@gmail.com> 416.687.4237
June 5-6 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua in Medicine Hat, AB. Location: Cape School gym, 830A Balmoral St SE. Contact Robert for details. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
June 8-10 Andrea Falk will be teaching MaGui bagua in Winnipeg, MN. Classes are Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 7:00- 9:00 pm at the Ching Wu Athletic Association, 213 Pacific Ave. Contact the Ching Wu Athletic Association for details. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
June 12-13 Andrea Falk will be teaching spear basics and MaGui bagua in Guelph, ON. Contact James Saper for details. Location: Crossfit, 45 Dawson Rd. Check the website for more details on MaGui bagua.
Sept 20-24 Third session of Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method – 2010 Toronto Workshop 9am-11:30am, 2-4:30pm. Location: Rough Woods Community Centre (East of Bayview, North of Major Mac), 110 Shirely Drive, Richmond Hill ON. Contact: Ki Nam Choi <kinam.of.kchoi@gmail.com> 416.860-1431 or Cora Li <cora.li.cora@gmail.com> 416.687.4237
Sep 25-26 Fourth session of Chen Style Taijiquan Practical Method – 2010 Toronto Workshop. 9am-5pm each day. Location: Rough Woods Community Centre (East of Bayview, North of Major Mac), 110 Shirely Drive, Richmond Hill ON. Contact: Ki Nam Choi <kinam.of.kchoi@gmail.com> 416.860-1431 or Cora Li <cora.li.cora@gmail.com> 416.687.4237
Reports on events
Had any event lately? Report on the fun you had or present the results of a competition. Just email me.
"Michael Babin's newest book on Yang-style Taijiquan called simply "Yang-style Taiji" was released by Paladin Press in the USA in early July. It is available for purchase through their website. He has been teaching for almost 23 years and has written more than a hundred articles on taijiquan (many have appeared in past issues of Tongren) as well as several books. His school, The Tai Chi Studio, is in downtown Ottawa and offers classes in the full repertoire of the Yang-style. For further information on his classes and books, refer to angelfire. " posted August 7, 2007
I am sorry to post this. Madame Gao Fu has passed away. I met her only once, translating for her over a weekend, and I have seldom met someone who I immediately felt so close to. I am glad that I had that opportunity to be with her. posted Jan 20, 2005.
"It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the death of our very beloved teacher, Madame Gao Fu, in Beijing on January 17th, 2005. She passed on following a very brief illness and died in the presence of her family. As much pleasure as she gained by spending many of these last years living and teaching in Seattle Washington, it was her wish to spend her last days with her family in Beijing, and this she accomplished. There are plans for a memorial in Seattle in March 2005. Details will be posted on Gao laoshi's website" Jill Bader"My Dear Friends, I am sorry to report that our beloved teacher and Tai Chi inspiration has passed away. My sorrow is mixed with so much joy at having had the opportunity to spend time over a seven year period with one of the truly great instructors in the Tai Chi Community. Gao Fu gave to all with so much love and caring. My own practice was enhanced and deepened by each and every meeting with this wonderful person. As most of you know, Gao Fu returned to China just a few months ago to be at the passing of her son. She had an apartment in Beijing and welcomed her students from the states with open arms. We all planned on visiting her sometime soon. Please take a moment from your busy life to give thanks for those special people that mean something to you. We should never take their presence for granted. If only I could have spent more time with her .... I feel certain that her spirit remains intact and will continue to bring strength to future generations. Bless us all in our hopes, dreams, and desires for the future." Michael Gilman
The seminars and demos with the shaolin monks at Quebec Wushu were a great success. Here is a link to the video clip of CBC news (french). Just go up to the last 10 minutes.
Jan Parker of Bowen Island, BC, was awarded martial artist of the year 2004 by the Pacific Association of Women in Martial Arts.
Michael Babin, of Ottawa, has posted his book Thoughts on Learning Baguazhang, as a pdf on his site. You can go there and download it - it is 139 pages long.
"The Canadian Meihuazhuang Association has updated its website with new material and photos. We have begun work on a documentary film project outlining the role of folk martial arts and meihuazhuang in rural north China. This unique and fascinating community-based project is funded by private individuals and groups. Please consider making a donation to our project. A detailed description can be found at our website" posted Jan 15 ,2004
New journal starting up. "A new journal, the Journal of Asian Martial Arts & Healing, is taking shape. For more detailed information, please click on the link. We are seeking artwork, articles, advertising, and events listings that pertain to the subject area for current and future issues. In addition, we encourage pre-publication subscriptions in order to help underwrite production costs. First issue will arrive in late winter 2004." posted Oct 30, 2003
Our branch club in Beijing was a huge success. What with the sars quarantine, we didn't have much choice but to train. Nothing like walls, closed gates and guards to bring out that old enthusiasm. I'll have to organize this more often. posted May 22, 2003
PAWMA camp 2002 personal report. Wushu blew everyone away this time. Hao Zhihua brought her young team to the demo and received a standing ovation. I don't know when I've seen everyone get so excited at a demo, and they are a pretty excitable crowd. Hao Zhihua was in amazing form and impressed the brave souls who tried the wushu classes, though they did have trouble with the "no kiai" rule... posted Sept 18, 2002
Press Release for a film in process." 'Tai Chi People' A film by Sam Masich and Jan Parker: The world of Tai Chi is populated with some of the most profound and eccentric personalities ever to form an alternative subculture. From a Canadian forest shrine devoted the art's mythic founder, to the hottest U.S. training hall for potential Olympic Tai Chi athletes, 'Tai Chi People' explores the lives of the individuals who live the principles of this vast and ancient tradition. Masich's road movie seeks the balance between the arcane and the awe inspiring, the abstruse and the goofy. An original music score will accentuate Masich's imaginative narration and 'found-sound' soundscape, all designed to create a visceral sense of the art, while simultaneously underscoring the quirky humour which will inevitably burble into the plot." posted March 2002.
PAWMA camp 2001
Personal Report: Wushu, as in changquan, made it to the PAWMA camp for the first time in 2001. Kelly McLean from Vancouver wiped out everyone with the wushu stretching and kicking classes, then blew them away with her Chen taiji demonstration. Lots of other stuff happened, as usual, but I was into Maori warrior mode, so this photo is of Tat Greenstone from New Zealand. posted December 20, 2001.
There is another person in our wushu world. Shane Watson just had a baby girl on Tuesday. She is perfect, with all her fingers and toes and strong reflexes. She came out doing an upper block instead of with her hands down, so we are looking forward to her first practice. posted September 13, 2001
Our wushu centre training extravaganza was a huge success, except of course that I went a little nuts by Thursday and made everyone learn the body toughening hitting exercise. The bagua guys claim to have walked 18 kilometers in their 8x8x8 exercise on Tuesday. The taiji guys settled in to prove that you can't do 10 forms in a day if you do them slowly, but they did manage 7. Playday on Wednesday was great, thanks to sensei Mike Chin who impressed and inspired us all (and Rob who stayed to get tossed around). And what can I say about Thursday - there's nothing like taiji and bagua guys doing a xingyi two man form! No photos, we were too busy training. posted August 9, 2001.
Fred Whiting of Whiting Wushu in Richmond, B.C., has completed his accreditation as an international wushu judge. Fred has been Canada's head wushu judge for years, and we know he will do a great job at the international level. Congratulations Fred, and hope to see you judging wushu at the Olympic Games in Beijing. posted July 26, 2001
This is an email message that is being sent around. I don't like to send unwanted mail to people, but there is some good advice in it, so I'll post it here instead.
Instructions for Life in the new millennium from the Dalai Lama: 1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don't lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three Rs: Respect for self, respect for others and responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck. 5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly. 6. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship. 7. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. 8. Spend some time alone every day. 9. Open your arms to change, but don't let go of your values. 10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer. 11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time. 12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life. 13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don't bring up the past. 14. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality. 15. Be gentle with the earth. 16. Once a year, go some place you've never been before. 17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other. 18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it. 19. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.
"Waving Clouds is happy to announce that the mountain temple retreat center is now set up for seminars. The mountain temple is just a 90 minute drive (transfer included) from Beijing International Airport. If you want us to host a seminar with our artists for groups of 5 to 50 people in this beautiful mountain top setting please contact us for further details. For a photo tour of the temple go to our web site and click on Retreats."
Stealing judge's reference books is not cool, eh! They are given out during judge's courses in China and are not for sale, so it is very hard to get replacements.
It is always wise in the martial arts to pick your opponent well.