Dancing, According to the Gospels...

    

  Religious? Here's what the gospels have to say about dancing: (recently spotted while perusing the net):

      In the Gnostic gospel Acts of John, even Jesus danced and said to his disciples, "To the Universe belongs the dancer. He who does not dance does not know what happens." Early Christian churches carried on liturgical dancing in imitation of all their pagan contemporaries; but a wave of asceticism about the sixth or seventh century outlawed ecclesiastical dancing on the ground that it was too sensual and too much enjoyed by women. Though dance is not regularly practiced in modern Christianity, the bible says (Psalm 150, v 4) to "Praise him with the timbrel and dance."

      The ab was one of the Egyptian's seven souls that was supposed to come directly from the mother's heart, in the form of holy lunar blood that descended into her womb to take the shape of her child. The hieroglyphic sign for this eminently matriarchal idea was a dancing figure, representing the inner dance of life perceived in the heartbeat. As long as the dance continues, life goes on.

Kickin' It With Kung Fu Kev at Adobe Max 2010, Photo Edition 2

Transforming Into a Dutch Impressionist Painter

The transformation began a couple of nights ago....

The History of Wing Chun Kung Fu that I know

Recently, I was asked about the history of wing chun, the kung fu that I have studied and received my training in. I compiled this piece as the response:

The Ming dynasty took control of China in 1368 and ruled for nearly three centuries. The mariners from this time experienced adventure and travel across the globe, as they mapped the world. In the early 17th century, however, their power began subsiding. The empire's vulnerabilities were further complicated by famine, rebellion, and civil war across the land. This internal strife left borders unprotected, and neighboring countries and clans began marauding the countryside. 

A Little Push - Motivational and Momentous

A Little Push, originally uploaded by stephaniedan

Just 

in case 

you need a little......

Motivation! 

Here is:

'A Little Push!'

(found it on flickr)

Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but rather we have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
- -- Aristotle



(And some good reading:)

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Five Fingers of Death (Kung Fu)

So, at the latest session of kung fu in da park, Jeremy showed great progress while sparring and touching around. To explain the difference:


'touching around'
-light-to-medium contact simulation of street fighting
-can be used to: apply techniques or emphasize a point from the lesson
-may be performed at slow or half speed
-involves no equipment (free or empty hand)
-great for warming up or for beginners

'sparring'
-light-to-full contact simulation of street fighting
-incorporates everything learned in martial arts training 
-performed at half-to-full speed (whatever two practitioners are comfortable with)
-equipment: gloves, head gear, and shin guards (optional).
-great approximation of real-life fighting