TCUGB Festival of Chinese Internal Arts (London and the South East) November 26th 2006
TCUGB Festival Of Chinese Internal Arts - Image Gallery
It should have been a disaster. At 9.30am I was only one mile from the venue, in good time for a 10am start. Unfortunately, an hour later I was still there, engine off, gridlocked on the M25. In the car next to me sat Matthew Brewer the leader of the 10am workshop. We shrugged at each other through rain soaked windscreens. There was nothing to do except be with the stillness (and rummage through my packed lunch).
Because so many of us arrived very late, the day's timetable had to changed and condensed to make up for lost time. We lost our tea breaks and half our lunchtime. As I say, it should have been a disaster but for many reasons, this was not the case.
The first Festival of Internal Arts (London and South East) was both interesting and enjoyable. It had that friendly festival atmosphere in which relaxed people enjoy themselves rather than demonstrate their skills. There were those who watched and those who participated with enthusiasm and gusto. During an alignment workshop, I overheard one man remark that he didn't think tai chi should be quite this much fun (his partner was releasing myofascial tension in his groin at the time).
There was certainly something for everyone: Yin and Yang, Fire and Water. In the afternoon, I was enjoying the subtle internal dynamics of dantien rotation with workshop leader, Jian Xiong, while at the other end of the hall, there were sweat-drenched neck locks and foot twists in full swing with Carl Burgess and his San Shou. Perhaps in retrospect, it might have been better to have separate rooms for these activities.
In the Taiji Ben gong workshop, Matthew Brewer helped us align our ankles, knees, and pelvis so that we could experience optimal spring through our joints. The slightest misalignment and the inherent shock absorbing quality disappeared. Gary Wragg gave a fascinating explanation of the criteria used by judges in tai chi competitions. Ronnie Robinson encouraged us to yield in Tui Shou, and then made us yield more than I thought was physically or psychologically possible (how wrong was I). I'm not sure what I did with Simon Watson but whatever it was, it was great fun and he said I did it very well.
I missed out on the Bagua and Xing-I applications with Marnix wells and Master Bing Fei (I'm not yet able to be in two places at the same time, although I am working on it) but they were popular choices.
Most important for me, was the opportunity to put faces to names and explore aspects of tai chi I would not normally put myself through. Sorry, I mean, would not normally get the chance to experience. For a festival of Chinese internal arts there was a surprising amount of external work going on. Having said that, this event was the first of its kind and I hope it will develop into an annual regional festival that explores and celebrates the inherent differences within the Tai Chi Union. I will certainly be supporting the regional festival next year.
Cindy Engel
Teaches chi kung in Suffolk