Sam Masich News Spring 2003 Saw Its Twelveth and Final Year on the Island

And then what happened?... July and August saw most of the usual summer workshops. The Bowen Island Push Hands Camp Sam Masich News Spring 2003 saw its twelveth and final year on the island. Sam Masich News Spring 2003 2003 brings the event into a new cycle as the Push Hands Camp moves into Vancouver. We will continue In this issue: The Horse That Galloped 18,000 Miles The 4 Month Tour and ‘Tai Chi People’ studying the classical energies of Push Hands, a theme that has been sustaining our summer work • The Yang Style Intensive In the beginning of March 2002 I embarked on 18,000 mile road trip that started in Vancouver, for several years now. (see page 3) The always went down the West coast as far as Los Angeles, excellent Prince George Annual Summer Tai Chi • FFM in Germany across to Texas and down to Mexico City. I continued Workshop focused on applications of traditional east as far as New York, went north into Canada Yang Style Taijiquan. Alas, the Rock Lake Tai Chi Camp is no more. Never fear, as plans to have anoth- • ‘Tai Chi People’ the Movie and back across the continent home. The purpose Its been a long time between issues of Strange of the trip was to visit and film Taijiquan practitioners er summer event in the B.C. Rockies, are in the Horse and some of you may be wondering if I fell off of all types for a documentary tentatively entitled works,lthough not for this year. • 2003 Workshops & Camps the map. Nope. But I have travelled around a fair bit ‘Tai Chi People’. My travelling companions, of it this past year or so teaching, filming and per- Jan Parker and Ali Bacon, helped with filming, driving FFM in Germany forming. Heres a synopsis of Maxiqi’s adventures during and managing the sometimes complex scheduling. Autumn 2002 saw more intense and interesting travel, • Black Sash and Bagua the Year of the Horse and a bit of a ‘what’s up’. In total we shot 120 hours worth of interviews, demos, the first leg being a music tour of Germany with event and road footage. FFM, an acoustic trio I write and play music with. The Yang Taiji 3 Month Intensive • The Vitality Project My bandmates, Michael Friedman and Mark James February 2002 saw the completion of the Yang Style Some of the Fortin, and I, travelled around the country playing • 2003 Little Productions Catalogue Taijiquan Full Curriculum Intensive. I’m incredibly interviewees ten concerts for really enthusiastic audiences. We also proud of the eleven hard working individuals that included Dr. Yang filmed during our completed the three month, 35 hour a week course. Jwing Ming, William tour. So Spinal They not only completed a vast curriculum of C.C. Chen, Benjamin Tap beware! Note material, they went on to present the best Lo, Pat Rice, Dr. John also that Taijiquan demonstration I have ever seen. Painter, Bruce Kumar Accompanied by three wonderful musicians (cello, sax Frantzis, Professor Dan Lee, and percussion), the class dazzled a Bowen Island Elaine Waters, Doria Cook-Nelson and Craig T. Nel- audience of 50 during the heaviest blizzard of the son, Nick Gracenin, Michael Gilman, Dave Harris, year! Congratulations to these fine Tai Chi players. Andy Dale, Mario Napoli, Wen Mei Yu, Dr. Jay You’re my heroes! Dunbar and many, many others. Art Baner Interviewing on everything from technical, historical, Peter Branson philosophical, health and social issues related to Cage Campbell Tai Chi, I gained some amazing insights into our little Leslie Farrella community. Ideally, this film will attract audiences Michael, Sam and Mark toured Gemany as ‘FFM’. Lois Harle beyond the Tai Chi world, and treat independent Jayeson Hendyrson Michael Friedman has released a beautiful album of Mary Lynn Lewis film lovers to a glimpse of a subculture that is rich, songs he and I co-wrote over the past 3 years. The CD, Jim Madras diverse, dynamic and life affirming. My hope is that Diamond Space, is an independent release, and has Anna Michael people will be able to see down, deep below the tip of been garnering wonderful reviews. Paul Nicollazo the iceberg and look into the magic of our art. FFM also released a new disc called FFM Live Plus! Both Jan Parker are available through Little Productions. Compiling and editing a project like this is a massive A film of the Bowen demonstration is now available! Autumn 2002 also included a one month stop in More on page 5! undertaking and will require time and resources. Ontario/Quebec, where I taught Tai Chi/Qigong Calling all Tai Chi angels! workshops. Music and martial arts, what a perfect tour! Lights, camera, Bagua! Black Sash The Vitality Project and the Vancouver Peace Camp A little Baguazhang lesson. The word ‘zhang’ in Baguazhang literally One night during the Yang Taiji Intensive Art Baner and I Prior to leaving for the Germany/Ontario tour I means ‘palm’. Footwork in Baguazhang is were sitting up into the wee hours discussing the problems of received a phone call from Robert Mark Kamen, the Sam Masich the world, in particular the vast escalation of militaristic creator, and director of the movies Karate Kid, Fifth based on the ‘Ba’ (8) shaped step, and also adventurism and its relationship to almost globally endemic Along with Taijiquan and Xingyiquan, policy of economic cuts to the kind of services that human Element and The One. He asked if I’d be interested the Tangnibu or ‘Walking on Mud’ Step. These beings depend on for survival. Our discussion eventually in working as a technical con- Baguazhang is one of the three main inter- are very important concepts. moved beyond the various human rights and environmental sultant and movement coach nal styles of Chinese martial arts. The fig- atrocities being perpetrated in the name of ‘Freedom’, and onto more practical matters such as what one can do to make a on a seven episode pilot TV ure below is the ‘Bagua’ arranged around a This character, ‘Ba’ is the difference in the face of such overwhelming obstacle and series entitled Black Sash he’d ‘Taiji’ (yin-yang) diagram. The eight symbols Chinese number ‘8' and is opposition. Especially, what can bodywork people such as written for Warner Brothers. Tai Chi players, massage therapists or Qigong teachers are ancient representations of basic powers shaped like both the toe-in and contribute in the struggle to counter-affect the globalizing Well, if there was ever a perfect toe-out ‘Ba Step’ in Baguazhang. gluttons that seem driven to extinguish cultural and ecological day job for Sam Masich, this within the natural universe. ‘Ba Gua’ is a diversity at every turn. has to be it. term which literally means ‘Eight Trigrams’, Not everyone can be an activist on the front lines. Given referring to the eight three-line symbols for the pressures of daily life it is difficult for many concerned I was scheduled to be on tour individuals even to muster up the time and energy to compose Heaven, Earth, Fire, Water, Mountain, Lake, a letter to a local representative regarding an issue that for the the first couple of episodes, directly affects their own community. Often teachers and therapists so I requested Haim Behar as Wind and Thunder. The diagrams are positioned find themselves depleted from their work with little energy left a substitute. Haim did an as if you were standing in the centre of the circle over to shift gears enough to participate in effective activism. Pro-active political involvement takes an enormous amount excellent job and the position looking out. For example the solid yang and bro- of energy, time and commitment and is often a thankless and was held until my return. Two ken yin lines for Thunder would be seen from exasperating task. Thus, the need on the part of dedicated days back from Germany/Ontario activists for rejuvenation, psychological support and the bottom up as yang/yin/yin while Lake rebalancing. This is the essence of the Vitality Project. I began to work on the show. Circle walking. The position evolved into a fight would be seen as yang/yang/yin . When concerned with a social, environmental or political issue try offering support directly to individuals who have committed choreography job as well and I Heaven While there are many ‘styles’ and forms in themselves to making the world a better place. Donate a really don’t remember having had Uprising Palm Tai Chi class membership to someone focusing the recall quite so much fun! Yang Zhang the art, basic Baguazhang is based on the campaign of a corrupt politician. Give a private Qigong lesson to Lake Wind ‘Eight Mother Palms’, Yang, Fu, Shu, Bao, Pi, a person dedicated to preventing the obliteration of Holding Up Palm Spiraling Palm another natural wildlife habitat. Offer a massage certificate to The show, which stars Russell someone who has organized a peace protest. Liao Zhang Luoxuan Zhang Liao, Tiao and Lo Xuan Zhang. Wong (The Joy Luck Club, Recently I’ve been providing some direct support to an Romeo Must Die), tells the Baguazhang practices tend to look a little individual involved in a Peace Camp here in Vancouver. story of Tom Chang, a former Fire Water The Camp sits directly across from the U.S. Consulate and more exotic than those in other martial arts is dedicated to protesting the U.S. led attack on Iraq and its San Francisco police officer Upright Palm Embracing Palm Shu Zhang Bao Zhang ongoing policy of invasions, economic sanctions and who now runs a Baguazhang styles.

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