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Starting at the end of June until mid-July, DDA’s Master Wang Ming Bo and Rose Oliver travelled?to Britain to conduct a series of?Taiji workshops and seminars around different parts of the UK,?ahead of the London Olympic Games starting on 27th July.?
The?tour?took?Master?Wang?and?Rose?to?several?venues?including?London,?Gloucester,?Devon,?
Manchester,?Derby?and?Nottingham,?as?well?including?time?for?some?sightseeing?in?and?around?
London?to?see?the?preparations?for?the?Olympics,?some?of?London’s?famous?landmarks?and?
places?of?interest?like?Covent?Garden?and?Trafalgar?Square,?plus?Stonehenge?in?Salisbury,?
historic?Epping?Forest?and?the?beautiful?seaside?towns?of?Brixham?and?Torbay?in?Devon.
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Master?Wang?and?Rose?in?cooperation?with?several?old?friends?of?DDA,?including?David?Thorpe?
in?Manchester?and?Danny?Fajardo?in?London,?again?had?a?great?deal?of?support?from?Taiji?
enthusiasts?around?the?UK,?who?greatly?enjoyed?DDA’s?informal,?friendly,?informative?and?
relaxed?workshops.
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The?first?stop?on?the?tour?was?once?again?in?London,?where?Danny?helped?Rose?organize?
another?one-day?seminar?in?Lewisham.The?group?of?around?30?participants,?including?DDA’s?
old?friend?Sheila?Gent?and?many?participants?from?previous?years,?worked?on?a?combination?of?joint?
opening?warm-up?exercises,?Master?Dong?Bin’s?basic?foundation?exercise?drills,
two-person?training,?push?hands?and?sensitivity?training?and?some?simple?Tuina?Chinese?
massage?techniques.?
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With?lots?of?hands-on?opportunities,?the?group?had?a?chance?to?feel?clearly?the?different?
exchanges?of?energies?and?the?sensations?of?Peng?(?Fire?element),?Lv?(Metal?element),?
Ji?(Wood?element)?and?An,?(Water?element)?in?motion.The?end?of?the?workshop?
concluded?with?Master?Wang?reviewing?the?participants’?respective?forms?and?giving?
them?some?corrections?and?advice?to?help?them?improve.With?the?seminar?over-running?slightly,?
we?were?grateful?for?the?support?of?the?St.?Hilda?Church’s?staff?for?being?so?accommodating.
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Following?London,?the?tour?continued?onto?Gloucester,?where?DDA?again?teamed?up?to?cooperate?
with?Mark?Collins?and?his?Cotswold?Tai?Chi?group?in?Dursley.The?evening?seminar?was?attended?by?
around?23?participants,?many?returning?from?last?year’s?workshop.The?focus?was?on?pushing?hands,?
tuina,?basic?foundation?exercises?and?a?combination?of?two-person?sensitivity?training?and?massage?
techniques.The?focus?was?on?pushing?hands,?tuina,?basic?foundation?exercises?and?a?combination?of?
two-person?sensitivity?training?and?massage?techniques.
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The?3-hour?seminar?was?great?fun,?thank?you?again?to?Mark?and?to?Ms.?Sally?Webb,?
(Rose?and?Shifu?Rey?Nelson’s?old?student),?for?their?continued?support?and?help.
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Following?Gloucester,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?moved?down?to?Devon?for?the?weekend?workshop?
in?Brixham,?again?held?in?the?beautiful?location?of?Lupton?House.
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The?Lupton?House?grounds?and?gardens,?as?well?as?the?marvelous?architecture?of?the?house?itself,?
generated?a?very?serene?and?relaxed?setting?for?the?seminar.With?a?large?group?of?around?25?participants?
attending?both?days,?many?of?whom?were?participants?from?2007,?2010?and?2011’s?seminars,?
the?weekend?started?with?focus?on?basic?foundation?exercises,?including?Master?Dong?Bin’s?26?
foundation?exercises?from?his?teachers?Masters?Dong?Shi?Zuo?and?Yue?Huan?Zhi,?Tendon?and?Sinew?
Elongation?and?Joint?Opening?exercises,?as?taught?by?Master?Shou?Guan?Shun?in?his?2010?DDA?UK?Taiji?
tour?and?a?set?of?energy?cultivation?exercises.
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Over?the?weekend,?the?class?worked?on?5?Elements?energy?cultivation,?in?form?and?push?hands?practice,?
sensitivity?training,?two-person?sensitivity?drills,?form?practice?and?corrections?and?tuina.
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Master?Wang?gave?participants?help?and?advice?on?their?own?forms?and?provided?suggestions?as?to?
how?they?can?further?improve?their?level?of?understanding.
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Master?Wang?and?Rose?also?gave?more?information?about?Taiji?principles,?in?particular?
Wang?Zong?Yue’s?Classic?Taiji?Treatise?and?Master?Yue?Huan?Zhi’s?own?understanding?of?Taiji?theories.?
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The?weekend?seminar?was?a?great?chance?to?catch?up?with?many?old?DDA?friends?and?hopefully?build?
a?base?for?some?additional?new?workshops?in?Cornwall?and?Devon?next?year.
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After?a?short,?but?very?pleasant?stay?in?Brixham?at?Brixham?House?guest?house,?(www.brixhamhouse.co.uk)?
Rose?and?Master?Wang?returned?to?stay?with?Rose’s?parents,?before?heading?up?to?Manchester?for?
a?Saturday?seminar?on?14th?July,?with?David?Thorpe?and?his?students?in?Gee?Cross.
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David,?who?is?an?old?friend?of?Rose’s?from?the?days?when?she?and?late?husband?Shifu?Rey?Nelson?
organized?Taiji?workshops?around?the?UK?in?the?90’s,?as?well?as?being?a?very?good?friend?of?DDA,?
having?attended?several?DDA?Shanghai?Taiji?Training?Camps?in?Shanghai.??
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This?was?a?great?chance?for?Rose?and?Master?Wang?to?catch?up?with?more?old?DDA?friends,?
Colin?Jefferson?and?Kip?Akram,?among?others.?The?all-day?workshop?covered?qigong,?Sinew?Elongation?
and?Joint?Opening?exercises,?as?taught?by?Master?Shou?Guan?Shun,?Master?Dong’s?foundation?exercises?
and?pushing?hands?practice,?as?well?as?some?simple?tuina?massage?techniques.?
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Master?Wang?also?demonstrated?some?bone?realignment?therapy?on?several?willing?volunteers,?
who?benefitted?from?Master?Wang’s?special?massage?skills. ?After?a?fun?evening?meal?and?get-together?
with?David,?David’s?wife?Carol,?Colin,?Kip?and?Phyllis,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?departed?for?Derby,?ready?
for?the?Sunday?all-day?workshop?on?15th?July,?again?in?cooperation?with?Chris?Lewis.
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The?seminar?in?Derby?was?attended?by?a?small?but?enthusiastic?group,?including?several?old?friends?
of?DDA?like?Tony?Gleason,?another?attendee?of?DDA’s?Shanghai?Camp?in?2009.The?workshop?focused?
on?tuina?massage?techniques?as?a?way?to?help?students?understand?sensitivity?and?listening?energy,?
as?well?as?Fa?Jing?and?push?hands?training,?form?work?and?corrections,?plus?foundation?exercises.
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The?setting?was?at?the?local?cricket?grounds?and?community?club,?which?lent?a?very?“English”?setting?
for?the?last?workshop?of?the?DDA?2012?UK?Taiji?tour.The?next?day?Rose?and?Master?Wang?taught?
a?private?class?for?Chris?and?his?teacher?John?Read?in?Nottingham,?before?heading?back?to?the?London?
area?to?stay?a?few?more?days?with?Rose’s?parents.
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During?their?visit,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?also?had?a?chance?to?see?a?few?sites?around?the?UK,?
including?experiencing?a?private?guided-tour?of?the?original?RAC?Club?
(Royal?Automobile?Club)?in?London,?courtesy?of?member?and?old?family?friend,?Mr.?Joe?Lambert.
The?beautiful?100-year?old?private?club?has?been?the?setting?for?many?famous?movies?
and?TV?shows?and?features?an?amazing?series?of?rooms,?gardens?and?private?swimming?pool,?
as?well?as?a?100-year?old?antique?car?in?the?central?lobby,?a?reminder?of?the?clubs’?early?beginnings.
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Thank?you?to?Joe?for?his?wonderful?tour?and?delicious?afternoon?tea!
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They?also?had?a?chance?to?see?Ms.?Lynn?Qu,?of?the?ICS?TV?Company?in?Shanghai,?who?was?
in?London?along?with?her?boss?Ms.?Lei?Chen,?who?were?speaking?to?the?BBC?about?possible?
collaborations?on?a?Sino-UK?television?project.
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Lynn,?who?worked?on?the?production?of?the?recent?“London?Eyes?in?Shanghai”?programme?
featuring?Rose,?came?to?Rose’s?parents?home?to?catch?up?and?enjoy?a?traditional?English?afternoon?tea!
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During?their?visit?to?Britain?this?year,?Rose?and?Master?Wang?Ming?Bo?had?a?fantastic?time;?they?had?
an?opportunity?to?see?many?old?friends,?make?new?ones?and?share?their?enjoyment?of?Taiji?and?
Chinese?culture?with?many?British?Taiji?enthusiasts.
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Thank?you?to?everyone?for?their?kindness,?encouragement?and?friendship;?thank?you?to?all?of?
the?participants?at?our?UK?seminars?for?their?backing?and?interest?in?DDA’s?events?and?special?
thanks?to?Danny?Fajardo?and?family,?Mark?Collins?and?family,?David?Thorpe?and?family?and?Chris?Lewis,?
for?their?hospitality?and?kind?generosity?in?sharing?their?homes?during?their?stay?and?for?
their?assistance?in?co-organizing?the?workshops,?DDA?really?appreciates?your?help?and?continued?support.
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We?look?forward?to?seeing?everyone?again?next?summer?and?to?adding?some?new?venues?and?locations?
to?our?tour?in?2013.Good?luck?to?everyone?in?their?training?and?wish?you?all?a?very?prosperous?2012!