Zhang San Feng Festival

[Three Harmonies]

I think he is giving credit to Sun, but it sure reads like he studied directly under him doesn't it!?!? Unless he is about 100 years old he is FOS!

Thanks Gene. Look forward to some of the new vids and the new issue
Cheers
Jake

[GeneChing]

So maybe he's only 75 . Sun Cunzhou died in '63 so that's a little more feasible.

I studied with Sun Jianyun, who died in 2003. I used to credit her in my martial vitae. In fact, if you look at some of the Zhang San Feng Festival programs when I first attended, I list her. I figured she'd be a good one to credit in for that festival. But in truth, I only studied with her for a very short time. I took a few private lessons when in Beijing in '96, and then took a group lesson in '98 (which was actually in xingyi with her student while she was supervising, and I was really sick with Mao's revenge, so that barely counts). Sun style has totally fallen out of my practice and I'd be hard put to remember the pattern of the form now, so I've stopped listing her. At first, I felt it was good to list her just so her name was more exposed, but after a while, I felt it was doing her a great disservice since I'm not a very good example of Sun style anymore.

Ironically, when my own master Shi Decheng was out here last month, we had a discussion about how students credit him as their master. He was amused that one of his disciples from China now doesn't claim him to be his master anymore, due to political reasons. He was also amused that so many students in the west claim him as their master, a lot of people who he doesn't even know or remember. He thought the whole thing was rather amusing, but he's pretty laid back about that sort of thing.

[bull895]

Anyone who is interested, the registration is up and going for the festival now. Looks like some great stuff this year, something for everyone. Registration and workshop info is availible at www.taichifest.com. Much easier site to navigate if you have been there before. Great opportunity, recommend to anyone to go.

[GeneChing]

James Donnelly will be Officially Inducted into the U.S.A. Hall of Fame, March 3rd, 2007 in New York! The only way to become an Inducted Member is to have your fellow peers nominate you!

Let it be known James Donnelly, has been Officially Inducted. Many years of commitment will prove to have paid off! Instructors will from around the Nation were present and accepted these awards!

U.S.A. MARTIAL ARTS ‘HALL of FAME’

[Erasmus Mingatt]

I don't study Tai Chi but looking at it logically..it seems pretty far fetched.

Ethically..it reminds me of what my sifu tells me about instructors taking a couple of lessons or their picture taken at a seminar with a legendary instructor and then opens a school and claims they are a "lifelong" student/disciple..or worse yet..a closed door disciple that noone seems to be able to verify.

A certain Wing Chun master who likes to use self agrandizing titles has been known to spin some yarns..ahem!

Back to this instructors webpage..I don't know of Lao Kim or Johnny Chooten..but don't most sifus study under their own teacher and not 2 teachers above their instructor at the same time?

Seems sketchy to me. And if he's only paying homage..he does not represent his training that way...

[Dale Dugas]

Erasmus,

Who are referring to in your post?

What instructor?

Thanks,

Dale Dugas

[Erasmus Mingatt]

Dale,

Jan Miller.

btw, where/when is the Zhang San Feng festival? Is it ever held in various locations throughout the country?

EM

[GeneChing]

It's been held at East Strousberg University in the Poconos for the past five years. See their website here.

[Dale Dugas]

Dale,

Jan Miller.

btw, where/when is the Zhang San Feng festival? Is it ever held in various locations throughout the country?

EM

Ahh,

I saw the link someone had posted. I know Rene Navarro(who Mr. Miller lists as one of his teachers) Shifu Navarro is one of the nicest deadliest men to walk the planet.

If you can, come to the festival and meet up with Gene and I and the others who will be there. Its not a bad get together for MA people

[GeneChing]

Soooooo, aside from Dale, Joshua and me, will there be anyone else at ZSF this weekend?

[Dale Dugas]

Im so ready for this. vacation combined with turning 40(holy c r a p!!!!) as well as the post festival workshop with my students and fellow fu brothers and sisters....

Bring it on!

[5Animals1Path]

I've been thinking about visiting some friends up in Kutztown. Might have to hit two birds with one stone. What'd be the "best" day to stop by the festival?

[Dale Dugas]

Friday and Saturday are the two best days.

[san tong bei]

Gene, It is a shame that you have forgotten your Sun Style forms. Having a teacher of the magnitude of Sun Jianyun, even for only a short while is a great honor and you should reconsider renewing your original interest in Sun Style Tai Chi.

Gene and Erasmus, Jan Miller's Tai Chi Instructor was not Sun Lu Tang, but a classmate and close friend of mine. We both studied with Sun ShuRong the 2nd daughter of Sun Cun Zhou the 2nd son of Sun Lu Tang back in the late 70's in the capital city of Kaifeng in Henan Province. Sun Style was almost unheard of in Henan Province as Shaolin Kung Fu and Chen Family Style Tai Chi was most popular. When Shifu Chang went to live in America he spoke very highly of his private student Jan Miller whom he taught Sun Style. It is my understanding that his Tai Chi skills are quite good and is more than qualified to teach Sun Family Style Tai Chi Chuan. I also viewed his website link posted in this posting and it is very obvious to me that he is paying respect and homage to his lineage in Sun Style and not making any claims to have studied with Sun Lu Tang.

[GeneChing]

To be honest, I never got that much out of Sun style personally. I first studied it under Paul Tam, and then Wing Lam, and then with Sun Jianyun in Beijing. When WLE was just started, the whole company (all four of us) used to do the traditional Sun form as a work break every day. That was great. I was active in the Sun Style Research Institute when Tam and Lam founded it over a decade ago. Back then, I did a lot of work to promote Sun style here. At that time, no one was really coming out with Sun style in America.

Tam, Lam and Sun are all great teachers. Sun has passed away now of course, but she was phenomenally inspiring to me. However, like with so many practices, I moved on. I revisited it a few times after I started studying xingyi, and it made a lot more sense than before. But for me personally, if I'm going to do some taiji, I'll probably recite Yang before Sun now. That's just my personal preference, and it may change in years to come.

I've had many great teachers, san tong bei. How else would I get to where I am now? I hope to have many more. Perhaps you might see my abandoning of Sun style as shameful, but that's because you are entrenching within the Sun family. Given my position, I cannot be so attached. I'm on a mission to promote CMA - all CMA. Sun is only one facet of it. Sun stylists might view my leaving the system as disrespectful - I'm certainly not proud of that - but to me, it's even more disrespectful if I'm not open to the wealth of other great masters there are in the world.

OK, enough of that. See some of you tomorrow at ZSF!