DDA’s Rose Oliver was invited by 2013 Shanghai Camp participant Larry Kinsler to visit his hometown of Baltimore for a trip over Chinese New Year, and to teach a taiji workshop for their taiji school in Baltimore, Maryland.
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Despite the record snows and cold weather for the area this winter, (some days the temperature fell below minus 15 degrees Celsius) and the disruptions of power cuts across many areas in Maryland and other parts of the US, Rose enjoyed a wonderful visit to the historic city of Baltimore, Gettysburg, Westminster and to the adjacent state of Pennsylvania, for a wonderful experience and taste of American home-style hospitality.
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With fantastic scenery, snow covered forests and fairyland, ice-dipped trees, it was a major change to spending Chinese New Year in Shanghai, and a relaxing (but cold!) trip for Rose, who hasn’t spent Spring Festival outside of China for the last 13 years.
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For the taiji workshop, Larry’s teacher, Sifu Jerry Diamond, a student of the late Master Zhou Zhong Hua, (Jou Tsung Hwa) very graciously invited Rose to teach his ‘Westminster Taiji School’ students on Saturday 8th February at an all-day workshop in snowbound Westminster, in Maryland.
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The workshop was a private seminar mainly for the school’s senior students, with a few beginners and spouses also attending to try out some of the training, particularly the tuina aspect of the workshop.
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The group of around 16 attendees, some of whom have been practicing for over 15 years, were very enthusiastic and really interested in the martial applications and two-person training and tuina.
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The workshop concentrated on foundation exercises in the morning, including joint mobility, tendon stretching and dantian training, with push hands, china and other applications and tuina realignment techniques in the afternoon.
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It was a wonderful group, with enthusiastic support from everyone attending and lots of genuine interest and eager participation.
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A very big thank you to Sifu Jerry Diamond for his graciousness and generosity, and to Larry Kinsler for his kind invitation and hospitality. Plus a very big thank you to everyone who came and supported DDA!?
We will be back in the summer for a weekend workshop with Master Wang Ming Bo and Rose Oliver on 26th & 27th July and some private classes. More details of the seminar venue and itinerary to follow.