The Tai-chi Park in Wantage New Jersey, is a memorial to Tai-chi Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa. A festival is held each year with many teachers and workshops on all aspects of Tai-chi. The spirit of this weekend event is like a big Tai-chi family reunion. We all teach each other.
It is held on a 23 acre property with hills, valleys, and a large stream and is completely wooded. Areas within the woods have been set up for the workshops. A simple, healthy breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided so you don’t have to leave the facility to eat (unless you want to). This past weekend, July 12 and 13, the entire two day program cost only $100. Obviously no one was making money on this event. All the teachers contributed their time for free.
I taught Tai-chi Tiger form and Zookinesis Age Reversal Chi-gung. Teachers put on demonstrations each day. Jean and I demonstrated forms and push hands. At one point one of the organizers of the event asked me to get a weapon. Several of the teachers would stand in a circle and on cue start sparring with each other with the weapons. I grabbed a sword and entered the demonstration area. Another participant who had done this before leaned over and told me, “The way this works is that if you get a finger cut off, just continue until it ends. We will pick up the finger later.” Just before, someone had simply withdrawn a saber out of its scabbard. The blade lightly brushed by her fingers, she got cut and had to wrap her fingers in bandaids. I was a little hesitant to get involved in this but in the end the demonstration went very well and no one lost any fingers.
As you meander through the paths cut through the forest, you may see a cutout silhouette of Jou, Tsung-Hwa or even a photo of him, poised here and there. You might come across a red dragon seeming to emerge from the earth. It is really a delightful place and always takes place on the weekend closest to Jou’s birthday, July 13th.
We did a lot of push hands, talked a lot about the old days of Tai-chi and some of the old teachers, long since past. The Tai-chi Park festival is the best way to be part of the larger Tai-chi community and to learn from other teachers. I will be sure to announce next year’s event a few months prior and provide information about how to sign up.
Bruce, the owner of the property and Christopher, the organizer deserve a great deal of credit for providing this facility for the Tai-chi community. Even more importantly, they have been somehow able to preserve the friendly, relaxed, low-key the spirit of Tai-chi in the midst of a modern “rush-around” world. Just imagine a festival in which everyone is smiling, happy and relaxed. Don’t we need that at least once a year?