Tai chi replaces bump and grind at Bunting Rd. business
Group breathes new life into old Private Eyes site
By Karena Walter, Standard Staff
Updated 5 hours ago
The stripper poles have been uprooted.
The horseshoe stage put out to pasture.
And where there was darkness, there are windows of light.
A former strip club on Bunting Rd. that was once the scene of protests and police raids is becoming a centre for tai chi.
"It's going to be pretty remarkable," said Kim Stevens, Niagara branch president of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada, standing in the space under construction Wednesday.
The non-profit organization is transforming the defunct Private Eyes location at 222 Bunting Rd. into an inviting space for a growing number of residents practicing the ancient martial art.
Stevens said there's been an uptake in membership in the Taoist Tai Chi Society across the region, with classes in Niagara Falls, Welland and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The St. Catharines classes have grown too large for the society's decade-long home at a plaza at 500 Lake St.
"It is a very powerful exercise," Stevens said, of the draw to tai chi. "It looks like a slow motion ballet."
Tai chi involves more than 100 movements using stretching, turning the waist and balancing that can be done by people of all ages.
Stevens, a retired police officer and business owner, has been a fan for 51/2 years, after being involved in a serious automobile accident.
He said his joints were stiff, he was losing mobility and felt out of sorts. So when his brother invited him to a class, he said yes.
Stevens went for the calming, centering effects, but said he discovered untold health benefits.
"The moves are very powerful in and of themselves," he said. "We try and improve our health. Basically, that's what it's all about."
John Balinski said some of the most common reasons for starting tai chi are for those health improvements, in a broad sense. Some participants have physical health problems, while others are just looking for an activity to suit their lifestyle and outlook.
"This art is something that incorporates not only the physical health but the mental health," said Balinski, president of the central region of the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada.
Because the society and its classes are run by volunteers, people also enjoy the sense of community, he said.
Approximately 250 people in Niagara are members of the society ranging from children to adults in their 90s.
The new St. Catharines location will act as a regional hub for workshops and visitors from other branches.
The building boasts 7,200 square feet, up from the current 1,200 on Lake St.
"This is a logical next step for us. It's a facility that will service the whole peninsula," Balinski said.
The renovations inside the former Private Eyes building are dramatic.
Stevens said the ceilings and walls were dark, with light coming only from a couple of spotlights and disco lights. During renovations, crews discovered windows along the walls that had been covered up.
"It was pretty much gutted down to the walls," Stevens said. "It's really light inside."
New windows and a new roof were added and two stages, a bar, a VIP room and another viewing platform were removed. Mould from coolers that had leaked was cleaned up.
"We just wanted the place to be nice and open," Stevens said.
He said parent organization Fung Loy Kok Institute paid for the building and the Niagara branch is its custodian. The physical move is Feb. 19.
For more information about the society, visit
www.taoist.org/niagara.
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