This year the campus park was full of a variety of practitioners, some dancers, some martial artists, some picnickers, some just playing, a few sun-tanners, some studying; some young, some old; some quite experienced and skillful, and some beginners, with most falling between the two extremes.
A few players from last year were still there. I recognized two who always came in uniform, I think to find students. And one of these did end up with a foreigner for a student; the other had an Asian student for a few weeks, but he disappeared.
[If you're interested in seeing Tai chi photos from last year, go to these two pages:
The lady who last year led a dancing group (there were several) was still there. The group practices without her, but when she is there, the group clearly functions well. This year, a older American woman was learning the dances. She seemed to be doing quite well by the time I left, and in fact, I saw her boarding the same plane home, and deplaning at Sea-Tac. I wanted to talk to her, but never had a chance, unfortunately. You'll see the dancers at the bottom of this page.
SENIOR COUPLE PRACTICING YANG TAI CHI
This year there was a senior Chinese couple who practiced a few times. They caught my eye because of their distinctive style, which seemed very clean and simple, with little surprises. While they were doing the long Yang form, a gentleman passing by joined them. You will notice, if you know the long form, the stylistic differences even from the short segments I recorded.A BEAUTIFUL FORM
One practitioner immediately caught my eyes, and I took a lot of video of her. I'll have to cut many of them in half, since they are too long to load as one piece.
Here in the first video, she's making a form correction. My fellow tai chi practitioners should know what the correction is. Her student, by the way, has excellent form, as you will see in later videos as he practices tai chi with her and swords with other students .
Here are some video selections of a tai chi form that I thought was done especially well. These videos pick up small sections of the form, but do not follow the sequence of the form.
Members of this group were practicing a sword form one day.
Sword Form with fans
The group decided to do the sword form on a day when only the one person had a sword with him. The others ended up using their fans in place of swords. These videos follow the sequence of the group's form pretty closely.A VERSION OF EIGHT BROCADES
...viewed from a back angle. *
(This was a relatively quiet day in the park. If you listen carefully, you can hear the birds providing the background music for these sequences.)
Pressing Heaven with Two Hands.
Drawing the Bow and Letting the Arrow Fly
Separating Heaven and Earth
White Owl Gazes Backward
Big Bear Turns from Side to Side
Touching Toes Then Bending Backward
Punching with Angry Gaze
*I am using the names I have on my list and matching them to the group practice.
See the bottom of this page for more information on the sequence.**
WUDANG TAI CHI
The last sunny Saturday in June, I saw this group doing a form that I thought was beautiful to watch; it was quite long and had many difficult moves. When I talked with them, I discovered they were students of a master who taught Wudang tai chi somewhere off campus, and they had come to campus this Saturday to practice as a group. I was going to practice with them the following Saturday if they came back, but it turned out the rest of the weekends (and the month) was filled with monsoon heavy rain.
THE DANCERS
Trying out Tai Chi
The American lady I mentioned earlier can be seen in some of these videos.
Some people stretch against walls, some stretch against the trees
THE DANCERS USE THEIR FANS
BACK ON VASHON
**
Note on Eight Brocades
(translation of a Chinese poem that gives rise to the sequence of the brocades)
Both hands carry heaven to regulate the triple burner.
Draw the bow left and right as if to shoot a vulture.
Regulate spleen and stomach by lifting one hand.
Remedy the 5 symptoms and 7 disorders by looking backward.
Turn the head and swing the tail to eliminate heart-fire.
Two hands grab the feet to strengthen kidneys and waist.
Clench fists and look angry to increase qi and strength.
Jolt the back 7 times and hundred illnesses will disappear.
Draw the bow left and right as if to shoot a vulture.
Regulate spleen and stomach by lifting one hand.
Remedy the 5 symptoms and 7 disorders by looking backward.
Turn the head and swing the tail to eliminate heart-fire.
Two hands grab the feet to strengthen kidneys and waist.
Clench fists and look angry to increase qi and strength.
Jolt the back 7 times and hundred illnesses will disappear.
2. Drawing the Bow and Letting the Arrow Fly
3. Separating Heaven and Earth
4. Wise Owl Gazes Backward
5. Big Bear Turns from Side to Side
6. Punching with an Angry Gaze
7. Touching the Toes then Bending Backward
8. Shaking the Body
Eight Section Brocade Form Illustration Sequencing Names of Movements in Other Languages
1. Pressing Up to the Heavens with Two Hands Works upper back, neck, shoulders.
2. Drawing the Bow and Letting the Arrow Fly Works shoulders, arms, and thighs.
3. Separating Heaven and Earth Works middle and upper back, shoulders, and stretches spine.
4. Wise Owl Gazes From Side to Side Works neck and upper back.
5. Big Bear Turns from Side to Side Works hips, lower back, thighs, and knees.
6. Punching with Angry Eyes Works thighs, lower back, knees, and shoulders.
7. Touching Toes then Bending Backwards Works lower back, hamstrings, abdominals, hips.
8. Shaking the Body Works calves, thighs and lower back.
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