London Workshops 26-27 May Confirmed

I would like to send out preliminary notice of these two days of T'ai Chi later next month with both Mark Raudva and Steven Moore. I would appreciate anyone passing the details on when they are complete, to anyone who might be interested in coming along. Particularly welcome would be all students of mine, Mark's, Steven's, John's (and all his students' students), Sue, Linda and Chris's from Isleworth. Of course, anyone is welcome, whether old hands or new to T'ai Chi. Mark always says that doing T'ai Chi with others is like a special occasion. The rough outline is below. More soon.

Saturday 26th May 1.30-6pm Derinton Road Community Centre, Tooting, SW17, London. (Tooting Bec Tube 10 mins). The T'ai Chi Centre Partnerwork Day with Mark Raudva. We will be looking at pushing hands, spirals and figures of eight, Ta Lu, uprooting and more. All levels are welcome, £25 / £15. This will be Marks' first Intensive day in London for over a year, but the first of regular sessions planned for 2007.

Sunday 27th May, apprx. 1-5pm at St. Mary Magdalene Church Hall, Trinity Road, Tooting (Tooting Bec Tube 10 mins). T'ai Chi Heartwork Workshop with Steven Moore. All are welcome, £30 / £20.

"Not sure what I'll be teaching, but it'll be Tai Chi, spirals (torque), partner work, rooting, relaxation, spirit - teasing things apart so that we can clearly see & understand & feel the components, before putting them together again in a more freely flowing and co-operating matrix of energy and compassion and work. Really though I don't know what we'll be doing because if everything happens as it should and all participants generously open up and pool their energy and intention and togetherness then the work will take us all into new territory. If this doesn't happen then I for one will be very disappointed (it will - believe me - it's the one thing I'm good at: how to generate miracles... " Steven Moore 26/04/07

Sunday 27th May 6-10pm Derinton Road CC. Partnerwork and practice session open to all. We all need to get more hands on experience... so everyone is welcome from whatever level of experience. Tuition will be available for beginners but mainly we will be learning from working with each other in a friendly, explorative and non-competitive atmosphere. Changing partners over the evening we can work on whatever appeals: single and double pushing hands, Ta Lu, wapu, Dance, Heartwork partnerwork, entering and yielding exchanges, sticking, pushing... If students would like to do any form practice, or to revise sabre form postures, that is also possible. Get in touch with me on 07732 659104 if you have any queries. We will share the cost of the hall between us (£52) so the more who come - the cheaper it will be. I'll be keeping an eye on the time and welcoming any beginners.

We will provide jasmine tea at all of the workshops. Feel free to bring a light snack or food to share to all events.

'Nude Descending a Staircase No.2' 1912. Marcel Duchamp became much more famous for his Dada work and fabulous installations. Earlier however, he was a painter and had turned his unique eye to movement and how to capture it. Rendered in typical Cubist style drabs, for me, this doesn't have the powerful grace of Boccioni's sculpture (below), but it does give a feel for the tumbling lurch of everyday walking. I just looked at the Philadelphia Museum's entry for this painting, which they own. Amusingly, they list Duchamp as "American (born France)", and he did indeed become a US citizen, as did Greta Garbo and Stan Laurel. However, with all his work, you'd be hard to find a less American aesthetic. Incidentally, I was just about to add Einstein to that list of eminent European emigres of the mid 20th Century, but I seem to remember that he died stateless - by choice.

'Unique Forms Of Continuity In Space' by Umberto Boccioni, 1913. Thanks to Davina for finding this online, after I had mentioned it last week. So few Western sculptures do anything for me but this is wonderful, pure movement energy made into a visible form.

Purple sea kale on Dungeness beach last week. It feels like you are at the edge of the world on this huge peninsula of gravel, the biggest in Europe, I read. For years it was just extracted for building materials but the area is now classed as an SSSI. It was great to pass the late film maker Derek Jarman's old house too, Prospect Cottage. I grew up 3 1/2 minutes' (that's one song on the radio slung over my shoulder from the Sunday Radio 1 chart count down...) away from the cliff top at Bournemouth, so I always feel very much at home by the sea, where ever I am. Sea kale is usually great to eat, but Dungeness has a large nuclear power station, and sea kale is a good absorber of environmental radiation, so I didn't gather any.

As usual, I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked, mainly as I was so engrossed in the T'ai Chi. I took a couple of images outside in the sunshine on the first few days but they are on old fashioned APS film, so it will be a few weeks until I get them back.

Classes in Aberdeenshire

Sunday classes continue at different venues each week and on Sunday 6th April it will be at my home, probably for the last time, as we are due to move out on 10th. All Great River students will be welcome. I will be teaching the Wednesday Inverurie class on 9th May and the Thursday class on 3rd and 10th as I am coming up from 3rd-7th for an extra visit to finish my packing next week. Unless I am finished with my packing super quickly, I will not be able to teach 121s this time. Then I return as scheduled on 9th but will be going back to London on Saturday (12th)morning rather than Tuesday 15th. I hope to be free for 121s on Friday 11th, Let me know if you are interested, or if you would like to do an impromptu small group session in the evening at a student's house (as I will be homeless!)

It has been a great joy for both myself and Mark to have taught so often at my home in Forgue. I have so many great memories of students coming in to the kitchen and making themselves at home, often bringing incredible cakes. Countless times the front rooms have hummed with the energy of our work and bubbled with the delight of sessions of Ta Lu, uprooting, Form or salutations. I will really miss it but am looking forward to working in groups at Heather's as well as other venues we have found. Thankyou to all students past and present who have brought their good energy to my home. It's amazing to think that Mark has been been coming to teach us in Scotland for over 3 years now.

Jim is glad the house has been put to such good use over the last year and always loved it when a bunch of students would turn up for lessons. He sent his best wishes to all of you who met him when we spoke a few days ago.

Ev is out of action right now with a very nasty ankle injury. She was dearly missed at the workshop last week and we all send our love and best wishes to her.

Very bright sunshine on the T'ai Chi group two weeks ago in Scotland. We'll be in this room again for the workshop next week, all are welcome.

Lifts

If anyone is able to give Mark and I a lift to my house when we come up for the workshop next week, that would be great. We arrive at Dyce at 13.10 on the 13th. One of my London students will also be joining us for the 5 day workshop and will be arriving by train to Aberdeen at 5pm, if anyone could pick him up on their way in for Ta Lu, that would be great too! I will not be getting email until Thursday, so mobile is better if anyone needs to get hold of me. Can't wait to come up for the T'ai Chi intensive. Happy Easter from sunny Tooting.

sunday class

8th april is at jim and betty's