weapons forms

Last I Ho Chuan class was awesome.  There are some really cool forms developing, it was great to see everybody's progress.

Finally I have the entire horse whisk form in my head.  Not perfect performance but got thru it without stalling too much.  My stances were better ... meaning lower/deeper and most of it flowed, that weird kick went okay so I guess I am reasonably pleased.  Had fun attempting to do the horse whisk form with Sihing Csillag.  Asked Sifu M Beckett for feed back and she said our styles of performing the same form are very different.  My performance is too soft and flowy, lacking some definition/phrasing, and my vectors need some attention,  Sihing Csillag is more intense and powerful, she suggested that we work together to meet somewhere in the middle of our two interpretations and we would achieve the intent/ideal performance. Looking forward to that ... Hey Sihing interested in doing a team performance for the Tiger Challenge ... I bet we could make it look awesome!  Bringing home the Gold!

I believe the Farmers day performance is the same day as the dance studio's 'Spring Extravaganza'  June 11/16 that Dean and I are committed too.  We are doing a QuickStep solo and are part of a group formation dance.  Therefore I will not be able to participate in the Farmers Day performances and because of extra practices to prepare I will be missing the I Ho Chuan meeting on the 28th.   Its the hubby's turn for an event.

Write a Love Letter to Nature

As part of the 30 X 30 Nature Challenge with David Suzuki Foundation I have written a Love Letter to Nature

Dearest nature you are such an essential part of my life, you nurture me in a way no one else can.

I see your beauty... sunlight sparkling on water, blinding crystals of snow, lightning flashes against stormy skies, you dazzle me.

The dark green of needles on trees that stand bravely thru winter, brilliant blue skies , the bright reds, yellow, purple and blue petals of endless varieties of flowers that bring joy to my heart.

The soft shades of pink at sunset, the gentle browns, greys & creams of tree trunks, the endless shades of green they soothe me.

The infinite variety of colors that you create paint pictures that define my world.

I hear your song ... foliage or snow crunching as I walk,

buzzing, humming, clicks, trills, croaks, honks, bellows, grunts, shrieks, screams, roars, trumpeting sounds that comfort, thrill and frighten me

wind humming thru the grass, whispering thru the leaves, hissing across the snow, the thunder and roar of summer storms.

the pounding and dripping of rain which nourishes everything around me.

I smell your perfume ... of soil, leaves on the ground, freshly cut grass, flowers, the tang of salt water, the sharpness of winter, the scents surround and enthral l me.

I feel your touch ... the light brush of snowflakes, the patting of rain drops, the stroking of the breeze through my hair.

I feel your power ... in the sting of the snow in a blizzard, the pull of waves and currents, the crashing of snow and rocks as they fall,

the ferocity of the winds in tornado's and hurricanes ... sometimes you terrify me.

I feel your love ... laying in the grass on a hot summer day and watching white puffy clouds float across the sky,

snorkelling with beautiful fish and coral, hiking in the mountains, riding and bathing elephants in Thailand,

and best of all hanging out with you in my garden planting and harvesting all the bounty that I helped grow.

Everything comes from you! I will love you for all of my life.

Ahhh the heat

I am loving practicing outside however the heat this week has been a bit of a shock.  Makes me wonder what is was like for the girls in China in the summer when the temperature was in the 30's?  On Monday I practiced in the morning so it was great, yesterday I waited for dark.   Man it was hot! Today I am going to practice in our air conditioned shop at work (what a baby I am).  Typical Canadian its either to hot or to cold, never happy.   I wonder what its like in places where the temperature stays the same year round ... a nice 26 degrees C.   Is there such a place?

So now that I have a grasp on the sequence of the form I need to get my stances lower .... way lower.  The style of the horsewisk is stances that are deep and long.   So my legs are definitely going to get a work out.