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In my personal role as head instructor of the martial arts and health arts taught at The Peaceful Dragon, one of my greatest pleasures at this time of year is to welcome one-year students onto the official American Center for Chinese Studies family tree. Under the lineage of our late Great Grandmaster Ch'ang Dung Sheng and our current Grandmaster Frank DeMaria (Ch'ang's adopted son) our family tree continues to grow, and we are making a significant contribution to that growth. Reaching the one-year mark is a minor accomplishment relative to the lifetime of devotion a master of martial or healing arts acquires, but in today's busy world for anyone to persevere and show a year's worth of dedication to these ancient arts is commendable. Often heard in Chinese martial arts circles is the saying, "Many are called but few are chosen." In the old days it was difficult to be accepted by a qualified instructor to learn the traditional health and martial arts of China. Now, the only difficulty is finding within ourselves the discipline and dedication needed to make real progress in these arts. I'm pleased that the following new one-year inductees have so far found this discipline and dedication. Congratulations! Please be sure you are at the New Year's dinner celebration for your official induction ceremony. To current A.C.C.S. students, I congratulate you for another year of accomplishment and urge you to continue your hard work and make progress toward discipleship. And lastly, to those students who have recently joined us, welcome! I hope to see you on our family tree next year!
Time is of the essence and not to be wasted - while Sifu prepares for the future, so must we. ONGOING CLASSES IN HSING-I CHUAN will begin on Friday, February 12th, from 7:15 - 8:45pm, taught by Sifu Sbarge. Also an internal style, sometimes referred to as the "bridge" art, Hsing-I will improve your health and vitality, increase stamina, and develop excellent self-defense skills. Hsing-I is a unique complement to other styles of martial arts you may be taking, or it can be the perfect way to begin your study of Chinese martial arts. To join this new class, see our cultural center manager, Wes Adams.
The Peaceful Dragon is very proud to have been selected as a provider for Alternative Healthcare Options, the Carolinas first insurance membership organization offering its members discounted services in alter-native health care. This organization was recently featured on the front page of The Charlotte Observer Business Section. Currently, The Peaceful Dragon is the only provider they have selected for their members who seek training in tai chi, chi kung, yoga and meditation.
The Chinese New Year Celebration Dinner will be catered right here at The Peaceful Dragon. As you know, space is limited. We especially want to encourage the new students who've completed one year to buy tickets early to ensure a place. This special event has always been well attended, the multi-course banquet outstanding, and of course the opportunity to share the company of your fellow students in the martial arts circle and reflect on the accomplishments of the past year as you look towards the new is not to be missed. Whether you are new or have been here awhile, stop at the counter and buy your tickets now. We'll see you on February 20th at 7:00pm. S P E C I A L N O T E: Yes, we need your help for set up, presentation and clean up. Helpers please sign up on the red sheet posted on the board in studio A. Our volunteer coordinator, Rhonda Ballard, will contact you with times and details. Thank you for helping to make our celebration a success.
BEGINNER'S CHINESE CLASS We hope everyone who originally signed up for this class in January was contacted about the necessary changes. As a reminder, the 12-week course Mandarin Chinese for Beginners was rescheduled to start on Saturday, February 6th from 9:30 to11:30am. Yo Laoshi is a professional teacher and we are fortunate to have someone with her skill and enthusiasm for sharing Chinese culture through language. There is still plenty of time to sign up if you want this course. Cost to students and members is just $119, in advance please, at the front counter. For the public the cost is $239.
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? Tell your friends now that they can enjoy savings on meals, teas, merchandise, seminars and more! All they have to do is come in and get a membership card. The annual fee is only $19.95 - they can save more than that on one seminar. Feel free to use your card as often as possibleäwe are continually working to improve the selection of merchandise and quality of the teahouse, and we need your regular support to keep The Peaceful Dragon a viable and long-term enterprise.
THIS MONTHLY COLUMN REVIEWS BOOKS OR VIDEOTAPES RECOGNIZED FOR THEIR SPECIAL VALUE TO STUDENTS. ALL MATERIALS REVIEWED IN THIS COLUMN ARE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT THE TEAHOUSE. ASK ANY STAFF MEMBER FOR HELP
Pioneers in bringing information on Asian martial arts to the West in the early sixties, both Smith and Draeger became highly skilled practitioners and colorful martial arts writers. In Comprehensive Asian Fighting Arts, they have collaborated to thoroughly introduce the major martial styles of China, Japan, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and more. Since our focus is on Chinese styles, it's especially useful to discover the links between these styles and those of neighboring countries, and to see how China influenced most of the martial arts in other countries. And since our Great Grandmaster is the renowned Ch'ang Dung Sheng, it's nice to see him featured in the photographic Gallery of Chinese Boxing Masters (plates 2 & 3) and also in the section on wrestling - shuai chiao - p. 47. Get this book for your library now, if you don't already have it: it's not a new book and it surely won't be in print forever.
The Peaceful Dragon Lion Dancers are now available for hire for functions anywhere in the Charlotte area. If you are part of an organization that might appreciate this traditional festive Chinese folk-art form, contact Sifu Sbarge for details. The dancers have already been booked for a couple of venues, and we're very excited about the opportunities this provides. Coming up is the CHARLOTTE CHINESE ASSOCIATION'S ANNUAL CHINESE NEW YEAR SHOW featuring music, dance and more. The date is Sunday, February 14th from 2:30 - 5:00pm at Providence High School. The Peaceful Dragon will participate again this year with a tai chi and martial arts demonstration, and for the first time our new Lion Dancers will perform so please come and support your center. The public is invited and tickets cost only $6. On February 13th, the day before the new-year show, we will be performing the same demonstrations and lion dance at the CHINESE CULTURAL FESTIVAL to be held outdoors on North Davidson street and inside the nearby Neighborhood Theatre at 511 East 36th Street. The free festival starts at 2:00pm and is open to the public.
The Peaceful Dragon is available for your PARTIES OR SPECIAL EVENTS. Luncheons, dinners, martial arts or Asian-theme kids' birthday parties, whatever your event, consider us for a fun and interesting alternative.
SPEAKING OF DEALS ... As a member of The Peaceful Dragon, you can now receive significant discounts on major national hotels and rental cars. A list of participating hotels and rental car companies is available at the front counter; just show your membership card.
And, starting next month, join our new TEA OF THE MONTH CLUB. Each month, we'll feature rare and exotic teas not ordinarily available at The Peaceful Dragon, for sale to club members only. This provides a good opportunity to sample and buy world class fine teas very reasonably and avoid the minimum requirement of a half to a full pound that top suppliers often require. Plan for it now. Details will come in the March newsletter, and you can also ask at the tea house counter.
FREE ACUPUNCTURE AND CHINESE HERBAL MEDICINE CONSULTATIONS are available Friday evenings from 7 - 8:00pm. Dr. Peizhi Li has over 25 years of experience in both Eastern and Western medicine. With a M.D. in China, he is a fourth generation practitioner of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) fully licensed by the state of North Carolina to practice acupuncture. His office is on Park Road in the Park 51 Medical Building just a short distance from The Peaceful Dragon. Dr. Li offers discounts to our students and successfully treats a wide variety of ailments. This is a unique opportunity to speak with a person of exceptional skill and experience about your health concerns and perhaps learn to see your relationship to and responsibility for your own health in a new way.
If you've never done tai chi or the related arts, this is an excellent chance to discover how great they can make you feel. If you're already a student of these arts, this intense uninterrupted training can help you break through barriers and reach new levels in your skill and understanding. Everyone is welcome: students, members, friends and family. Fee: Students -- $299; Members -- $399; Public -- $499. Early-bird discount: register before March 31st and take $30 off these prices! Or take advantage of a family discount of $30 off! DISCUSSION WITH SIFU - Friday, February 5th beginning at 8:45pm. The topic is "Nutrition and Diet: Maxi-mizing Your Daily Vitality and Overcoming Illness." These discussions are free and open to all students and members.
WRITERS WANTED! If you are interested in writing articles about our tea house, cultural center, or any of the arts we teach, you will be happy to learn that there are many people interested in learning about what we have to offer. The local media as well as national specialty magazines are receptive to lively and informative articles. This is a particularly effective way to preserve and promote Asian cultural arts and The Peaceful Dragon at the same time. If this sounds good to you, and you have writing experience, contact Sifu Sbarge.
Just a reminder that the Tao Discussion Group will meet on Wednesday, February 10th at 7:30pm.
Aaron, Lynn and George have just gotten their certification renewed by the National Association of Professional Martial Artists (NAPMA) and look forward to trying out some new ideas and some new combinations. For women who want to learn specific self-defense strategies, Lynn will be teaching a course that provides a firm grounding in self-defense concepts and gives plenty of hands-on practice of effective, proven techniques. Tell your friends about it! Take the course and then keep building your power for strikes in the kickboxing fitness class. Ask Lynn for details.
To contact The Peaceful Dragon: Call: (704)-544-1012
Write: The Peaceful Dragon E-mail: comments and suggestions to staff@thepeacefuldragon.com |
