A reminder

For the hard of thinking amongst those of you that were in class, and for those of you that weren't, this is just a reminder that there is no class this coming week (Tuesday, 27th Apr).

That said, anyone who shows up at my hotel in Morocco at 7pm on Tuesday evening will be taught for free! The rest of you I will see the following week (Tuesday, 4th May).

--
Stuart

A likely Story

Word has reached me that at least one student, who will remain nameless, but who has recently been found guilty of not practising by a jury of his peers, is trapped by volcanic ash in another part of the world.

I wish to pass on my best wishes to anyone who finds themselves trapped a long way from home well beyond the point at which it ceases to be fun. I trust you all make it home soon and in safety.

For my part, I'm hoping that things clear up so I can get off this Gods forsaken island for a few days and into the Moroccan sun.

However, I digress, it appears that at least one person will be using the natural disaster in Iceland as an excuse for not turning up for class. He WILL be punished at the appropriate time. Let this be a warning to you all.

I'll see the rest of you tomorrow. Or else! :-)

--
Stuart

The Trial of Benedict Smith

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury. The prosecution has only one item of evidence in this case. The accused has claimed that the photograph he submitted, which I will share with you all here, is evidence that he was practicing his Tai Chi whilst on holiday.


I ask you all to look at this image and ask yourself, "What's wrong with this picture?"

I know that all of you ladies and gentlemen assembled here are sufficiently skilled in the art of Tai Chi to know that Benedict Smith posed for this photograph. Had he not, the step he took in to this position would have probably caused him to tumble the one mile or so down the canyon wall to a sure and certain death!

Whilst he may be praised for standing so close to the edge for the purposes of art, there is no doubt in my mind, nor should there be in yours, that Benedict Smith was not practicing!

Rather, whilst on holiday, the accused was having fun, visiting sights of outstanding natural beauty and generally having a good time.

So, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I ask you to retire and consider your verdict and hope that you find the accused guilty of having a bloody good time whilst we were all stuck in Grantham - in the cold - practicing.

The prosecution rests.

--
Stuart

A New Start

Just wanted to welcome back those of you who felt compelled to join us all again for further adventures in the world of Yang Style Tai Chi.

With luck, all of those who mailed me to let me know that they were travelling today, for whatever reason, will be back safe and sound in time for next week's class. Fingers crossed that Ben and David were only MIA for a week.

Finally I wanted to formally welcome Jan G to our little gang.

Hopefully next week's class will be quiet enough not to require a call to the police!! :-)

PS. Get well soon Eileen.

--
Stuart

A request from Ben

Ben asked me to pass this on ...

"I meant to mention in the last class that my brother, Hugo Smith directed a BBC TV documentary in the series Indian Hill Railways, which will be shown next Friday night (April 2nd) at 9pm, on BBC2. I saw it when it was broadcast on BBC4, and without any bias, I can recommend it highly...
It would be great if you and my fellow classmates were to watch it - would you be kind enough to forward this on to the rest of the class? When I come back to the class I can pass on any feedback, good or bad, to my brother"

If you're currently attending a class and you do watch the program, you can give your feedback to Ben directly, otherwise feel free to mail me or comment on this blog post and I'll pass it on.

--
Stuart

DVDs

A number of you have asked if I can get hold of copies of the Yang Zhenduo DVDs you've seen playing in class. I'm happy to say, I can.

The full 15 DVD set, showing long (103) form, 85 form, simplified (49) form, short (13) form, sabre and sword forms and push hands, costs £60.

There is also available, a 5 disk set just covering the long (103) form, for £25. I'm still trying to source the Push Hands DVD.

Please note that the above costs are exclusive of P&P which will, I'm guessing depend on how many I order.

If you're interested in a copy, let me know by mail or when you're next in class.

--
Stuart

Classes for April - May 2010

OK.

The dates for the next set of classes follow. You'll see that this is a much shorter term than previous ones, hopefully that'll make it easier for your to keep attending.

Anyway, the dates:

• Apr 6th - Apr 20th (3 weeks)
• May4th - May 25th (4 weeks)

The next course, then will be 7 weeks over an 8 week period and the cost will be £49.