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Special thanks to the Gladstone Park Bowling Club who have welcomed our Tai Chi group with open arms. We will by using their practice green and, if it rains, the marquee. Please see the locations tab for directions to the Bowling Club. 
Not only Polly does tai chi, she is also one very talented artist.... Come along to the opening and view her works.
 Many of our students keep very quiet about their artistic talents - but we will endeavour to spread their fame here on this blog and on the Facebook page as and when they exhibit...
Janelle produces some amazingly sensitive oil on linen paintings which you can admire at the opening tomorrow (Tuesday) of an exhibition in Redfern. Support and surprise her by being there. More details : http://damienmintongallery.com.au/artists/artist-garden  This is the first time I have seen this - take a look and see what Chinese and Aussie zodiac signs you are born under!
2014 marks the year of the Horse and our Aussie equivalent, the Kookaburra! You can use the link below to calculate your Chinese zodiac animal and your matching Aussie animal.... Look up your Chinese and Aussie zodiac animal here...  This is the last film in the kung fu films run this month by SBS on Saturday evenings 9:30pm.
Watch out for Jackie Chan who provides a welcome light and hapless touch to this monster of a film. The story: As feuding warlords fight to expand their power, the noble monks of the Shaolin Temple clean up the mess left behind, tending to the injured while trying their best to protect the poor and weak. General Hou (Andy Lau) has caused much of this mess with his violent and ruthless tactics that rarely discriminate between soldiers and civilians. When Hou is betrayed by fellow general Cao Man (Nicholas Tse), he is forced into hiding, and takes refuge with the monks (including Jackie Chan) at their hidden mountain temple. As the days pass, he finds himself more and more at ease as he learns the ways of peace, and begins to release his hatred through Martial Zen. But Cao is not far behind, and war soon reaches the temple, where the monks are ready to fight back with their unstoppable Shaolin Kung Fu.  This is on SBS this Saturday at 9:30pm.
Legendary Kung Fu hero Chen Zhen is an iconic cultural mainstay in China and Hong Kong, having spawned both record-breaking feature films and a TV series. Over the years, martial arts legends such as Bruce Lee (Fist of Fury) and Jet Li (Fist of Legend) have played the popular hero, a wealthly playboy during the day and a masked warrior In Legend of the First: Return of Chen Zhen, Donnie Yen continues this rich historical legacy, but with a brand new take on the urban legend. We have seen Donnie Yen starring in the Ip Man films... In 1920s China, the nation is divided by infighting. Japan has become the most powerful force in Asia, taking over Northern Shanghai. With the city torn in half by international conflict, the popular nightclub "Casablanca" has become a hotbed of spies, mobsters, English officials and the Japanese military- all looking to gain control of the country, with little regard for what happens to its citizens. Into this den of intrigue enters Chen Zhen (Donnie Yen), who has returned to China after fighting alongside the Allied forces in Europe, bringing some dark secrets from his past along with him. During the day, he's known as "Ku", and appears to be just another wealthy playboy. But at night, he takes to the street as a masked warrior, determined to subvert the Japanese invasion while becoming entangled with the sultry Kiki (Played by Shu Qi), who has a dangerous secret of her own. When his past catches up to him, Zhen is faced with near impossible odds- but his skills are formidable, and he's up to the challenge. Combining the best of today's martial arts and superhero action with the classic spy thrillers of the past (and a healthy dollop of film noir on top), LEGEND OF THE FIST is the rare action film that truly gives the audience something they've never seen before.  New Year Festival Time
Using the Chinese lunar calendar, Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.The Chinese New Year Celebrations span across 15 days with each day having its individual significance. New Year’s Eve and the first day of the New Year (Thursday 30 January and Friday 31 January) are the highlights in terms of festivities. Quick history of New Year Celebrations The Spring Festival was started when people offered sacrifice to ancestors in the last month of Chinese lunar calendar. With almost all the farming work done and with some free time to themselves, people prepared the sacrifice to the ancestors by doing thorough house cleaning, having baths, buying new clothes - an overall "spring clean". The specific sacrificing date changed according to the farming schedule and was not fixed until the Han Dynasty (202BC-220AD). People also began worshipping varies deities and held all kinds of ceremonies to welcome the arrival of Spring. The custom of worshipping deities and ancestors remains even though the ceremonies are not as grand as before. Tradition, Red and Firecrackers According to legend in ancient China, the "Nian" (meaning year) was a man-eating beast dwelling in the mountains (in other versions living under the sea), which came out every 12 months somewhere close to winter to prey on humans. People were naturally afraid and hid on the evening the "Nian" was out on the prowl for food. Later people believed that the Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the colour red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the abundant use of the colour red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. "Guo nian", which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passover of the year.  Another kung fu film this Saturday at 9:30 on SBS - Reign of Assassins.
It stars the beautiful, graceful and powerful Michelle Yeoh and is advertised as RAW GIRL POWER. Critics say that the plot becomes flimsy after a good start - so let's just sit back and appreciate the kung fu action...  To start off 2014 and in preparation for the Chinese New Year, SBS is screening kung fu films on Saturday nights…. The first one is Detective Dee: Mystery of Phantom Flame and is on at 9:30pm. It has very good reviews!
The fight choreographer, Sammo Hung, was chosen for his portrayal of realistic punches and kicks - and there are a LOT of wires to make the whole action scenes work (up to 70 in one scene!) Of the lead actors, Andy Lau and Li Bingbing, Li had no martial arts experience and so had to learn some kung fu and weapons (sword and whip). Let's see how she does….. Will she get the basic principles of alignment and relaxation correct? |
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EMPOWER TAI CHI
Chen style Tai Chi Chi Gong |
mobile 0405 540 697 www.empowertaichi.com email empowertaichi@live.com.au |
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