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Saturday May 11, 2002
Our wushu exhibition at the UNM
Lobo Baseball game was hot-hot-HOT -- in more ways than one!
As Jamie Notherne, our host, put
it, "the performance was awesome."
The other hot, the not-so-hot-hot,
was the temperature. Whew! Talk about unseasonably warm, and
those long-sleeved monk uniforms didn't help much. But summer team
kung fu uniforms are on the way -- hooray! |
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Stretching was a blast -- as in "blast furnace".
But kung fu and creativity go hand in hand, and we made good use of the mats
we would be using later on for the show to save us from frying our fannies
off by trying to sit on the asphalt.
We're a close-knit bunch anyway. But we all got a little bit closer
that day. Really, really close. Okay, we were pretty much in
each other's laps. |
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The wushu exhibition team members got the
greatest thrill from the area next to the stage: our own personal
space, conspicuously
designated with big red signs reading "Reserved for Martial Artistry".
Yes, it's true. We're a cheap date.
Here, Mushu and friends huddle in the shade
within the Birdmobile. |
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And here's one of the spots in the show where all
that stretching you saw above really pays off -- landing in side splits after a high side
kick. |
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We just had to post this dragon-dancing photo.
A weird timing fluke makes it look as if the dragon dancing team is
strolling along -- the only indication to the contrary is little National
Champion Lan "Squishy" Nguyen, our kung fu Pearl Girl, and the blonde guy (John
Birkholz) just behind Mushu's head. |
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Poor little Squishy puts up with more abuse than
anyone on this team. Here, John Birkholz hides behind her as State
Champion Iwin White dive rolls over them both. |
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But Iwin's not the only one getting airborne, as
lion dancers Diana Ma and Kip Barkhurst maintain a bicycle kick all the way
across the stage. |
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A group of our beginning team members (from left
to right, Nicole Neff, John Birkholz, Danielle Stender and State Champion
Toby Baca III) performing a kung fu war fan form. |
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"So what's up with THIS?"
Li seems puzzled by the inebriated actions of the
naughty monk in the Drunken Lion dance. Kip Barkhurst and Lion
Dance team leader Diana Ma really make Li come alive in this set. |
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National Champion Chris Baca and State Champion
Iwin White play a fighting set with monk spade vs. snake spear. |
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Guess who got his aerial cartwheel just in time
for this wushu exhibition? Could it be . . . oh, I don't know . . .
JB!?! |
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More fun with Squishy! Even Mushu the
dragon likes to get in on the act -- it looks like he's just about ready to
grab a SquishySnack. Yum! Yum! |
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Modern wushu forms involve many displays of
flexibility. Here National Champion Chris Baca and James Cole land a
flying lotus kick in splits. |
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Another fun modern wushu technique that requires
astonishing flexibility is skyward kick with sole. In this very
advanced balance, the kung fu stylist pulls the foot behind the head while
standing on one leg (see State Champion Nancy Nguyen at far right).
Reserve National Champion Monique Cordova is just about there, while behind
her, Lillie Vosa displays some impressive flexibility with the help of a
staff. |
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In the foreground, Kristine Dang, our youngest
team member, shows the superior balance of the martial artist, by balancing
on top of a giant bottle of "wine". |
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To do skyward kick with sole takes outstanding
flexibility and balance, but to add a ditang quan fall to splits takes guts.
Fortunately, we wushu stylists at Martial Artistry have those aplenty --
no fewer than five of our team members perform this technique in our kung fu
and wushu exhibition. Here, State Champion Nancy Nguyen begins her
descent. |
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"Whoa! Lettuce!"
Chinese lions love lettuce --
especially lettuce that has lucky money hidden inside, like this lettuce our
"monk" Monique Cordova uses to entice Li to forget about her hat. |
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"Ptooie!"
Mission accomplished! Li
tosses aside that hat. |
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Our guys perform a kung fu lance set. From
left to right are National Champion Chris Baca with the three tip lance,
John Birkholz with the kuan dao, and State Champion Iwin White with the monk
spade. |
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Mushu undulates and coils as our team performs
the Northern Dragon dance. |
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Nicole Neff and Team Leader Amir Shirkhorshidian
side kick from the ground after a tornado to fall in the Nanquan, or
Southern Boxing set. |
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James Cole performs an aerial (no-handed)
cartwheel during the Tiger form. National Champion Chris Baca didn't
settle for using his hands in a cartwheel for long, however. He got
his aerial about a week after this kung fu and wushu exhibition. |
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Another awesome show from start . . .
. . . to finish, Steel Phoenix!
National Champion Lan Nguyen, Kristine Dang,
State Champion Nancy Nguyen, Albert Vera, Nicole Neff, State Champion Toby
Baca III, Nick Montoya, Danielle Stender, Erich Vera, National Champion
Chris Baca, James Cole, Reserve National Champion Monique Cordova, Johnathan
Padilla, Lillie Vosa, State Champion Iwin White, Jason Padilla,
Jonathan Birkholz, Team Leader Amir Shirkhorshidian, our lion dance team:
Leader Diana Ma, Kip Barkhirst, and James Esparza. |
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Oh yes, and you, too, Li. Take a bow,
buddy! Great job, all! Questions? Comments?
Email Martial Artistry
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Friday May 17, 2002
With it being finals week and a school day, it
was rather a challenge to field a sizable team for our kung fu and wushu
exhibition. But, as usual, we managed, and it was not just a great
show, but a blast as well.
When we're short on crew, the first thing to
go is the videographer. But, as it turned out, we didn't need a video
record of our performance. The kind students at Acoma Elementary
recorded our Chinese martial arts extravaganza for us!
Let's just take a look at a few samples of the
awesome job done by the budding artists . . .
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(left) "Thank you Martial Artistry for coming to
Acoma. I liked when you did a kick hip and fighted."
Note the laces on the uniforms and the name on the building.
Li proved to
be a very popular subject with our Acoma Elementary audience. Fully half of the drawings were of him!
(right) Junelle did a great job of capturing
Li's expression.
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(left) Jessica has masterfully captured the crenellations of
Li's body, and his impish glee as he tickles the Naughty Monk in the Drunken
Lion Dance. I think Chris (our Naughty
Monk) could do with a haircut, however.
(right) Yet another portrait of our
Li, but this artist has chosen the Choy Ching, or Getting of the Green, as
the subject for her illustration. |
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(left) In the foreground, two
Shaolin masters do battle. Behind them are racks filled with other exotic weaponry,
beside which two other warriors of wushu await the outcome of the clash.
(right) In the foreground, our Naughty (but very
happy) Monk, stands beside his giant bottle of
jiu, or wine, as Li, our Southern Chinese lion, sneaks up from
behind. |
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