?DDA’s Rose Oliver was once again invited by Sifu Jerry Diamond to teach a taiji workshop for his ‘Westminster Taiji School’ in Westminster, near Baltimore, Maryland on 14th – 15th February.
The group of around 15 attendees, including many old DDA friends like Bubba Powell, Ben and Gabe who travelled up from North Carolina, as well as local Shanghai Camp attendee, Larry Kinsler, enthusiastically embraced the workshop devoted to the 1st section of the Yang Style 81-step form, as taught to us by Master Dong Bin; forsaking the Valentine’s Day weekend to come out and practice taiji!
This year, the weekend workshop mainly covered the 1st section of the taiji form up to Single Whip, as well as focusing on DDA’s joint mobility qigong exercises; Master Dong Bin’s energy cultivation exercises; basic push hands patterns; Taiji applications; plus energy and intention interplays with form movements, to get a more complete and unified meaning to the movements.
Sifu Jerry Diamond’s students, who mainly practice the 24-step form, as taught to them through Grandmaster Zhou Zhong Hua, (Jou Tsung Hwa) and through their training with Dr Jay Dunbar, of the Magic Tortoise Taiji School in Durham, have excellent energy, and very quickly grasped the sense of energy and intention of the moves, and with myriad (exhausting!) repetitions, were quickly grasping the choreography too.
After the seminar, Rose had a few days to enjoy some sightseeing around the Baltimore area, with its fantastic scenery of snow covered forests and ice-dipped trees, plus a wonderful trip to Chicago, catching up with another old DDA student and very dear friend, Collin Starkweather, and enjoying some highlights of Chicago landmarks and culture, including, ‘The Bean’, Chicago Art Institute, Planetarium, Field Museum, Lake Trail, Millennium Park, and Buddy Guy’s Jazz Club!?
Whilst Rose missed all her family of good friends, disciples and students in Shanghai, it was a very pleasant and relaxing start to the Chinese New Year of the Ram, and a highly memorable one. Rose and Sifu Jerry Diamond will look to organize another workshop next winter, details on dates will follow later in the year.?
A very big thank you once again to Sifu Jerry Diamond for his graciousness and generosity, to Larry Kinsler for his kind invitation and hospitality, to Bubba, Ben and Gabe who made it up from North Carolina, plus a very big thank you to everyone from the Westminster Taiji School’, who came and supported DDA, especially on Valentine’s Day!?
It was a wonderful group, with enthusiastic support from everyone attending and lots of laughter and eager participation.?
Can’t wait to see everybody again, and best wishes to all from us at DDA for the New Year of the Ram!?
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