Taiji, Yingyang and Qi: The Unlimited Dance of Oposites

According to the narrator; what is the "zone" for athletes?

(min.10:00 - 16:20)

According to Al Huang, what is the meaning of Taiji (or Tai Chi)?

Master Moy - 1975

Taoist Tai Chi - 108 Moves

After watching Master Moy's demonstration and trying to follow his moves, what did you experience?

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Who was Master Moy? 

Summarize the information below in a few sentences.

Moy Lin-shin (梅連羨 méi lián xiàn) was born in 1931 in Taishan county, Guangdong province. He died on June 6, 1998 in Toronto, Ontario province, Canada. Moy was a Taoist monk, teacher and Tai Chi instructor who founded the Taoist Tai Chi Society among other organizations. 

Early Life

 

As a sickly youth Moy was sent to a monastery where he was trained in the teachings of the Earlier Heaven Wu-chi sect of the Hua Shan School of Taoism. Moy reported that he studied the religious and philosophical side of Taoism and that he had acquired knowledge and skills in Chinese martial arts. Ahead of the Chinces Communist Revolution of 1949, Moy moved to Hong Kong where he joined the Yuen Yuen Institute in Tsuen Wan district in New Territories. There, he continued his education and became a Taoist monk.

Life in the West

 Moy went overseas with a mission of spreading the understanding of Taoism and its practices. After some travel, he settled in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and in 1970 began teaching a small group of dedicated students. In those early days, Moy taught both the health and martial arts aspects of Tai Chi. Upon moving to one of Toronto's "Chinatowns" a few years later, he changed his focus, emphasising mainly the health promoting and personal development aspects of tai chi, although Moy still did place strong emphasis on tai chi push hands practice and sometimes demonstrated other self-defense aspects of tai chi as well.

Moy's Style

Moy started with a standard Yang style of tai chi chuan form, also saying he had mixed in elements of other internal arts, and taught it to condition students to learn Lok Hup Ba Fa later. Moy called this modified form Taoist Tai Chi emphasizing the non-competitive nature of his style of teaching and of the form.

Taoist Tai Chi Virtues

A teacher of Taoist Tai Chi is asked to conform to and live by what Moy called, "Eight Heavenly Virtues:

• Sense of Shame
• Honor
• Sacrifice
• Propriety
• Trustworthiness
• Dedication
• Sibling Harmony
• Filial Piety

In accordance with these virtues, Taoist Tai Chi is a form that is taught by volunteers.

Ancient Dance: From Yoga to Bharatanatyam

 (min.13:28)

Question:

 After watching the video on the history of Yoga, how old is this movement system?

Learning About Dance: The Ancient Period 

(P.6)

Question:
After watching the video and reading p.6 of the link; why is  Bharatanatyam an importance dance?

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Question:

The dance in the video could be considered a fusion. What two elements are mixed in this dance performance?

Assignment

After watching this yoga routine, choose eight moves and create a dance phrase with them. Emphasis is on creativity not accuracy nor perfection. Record your phrase and post it on Discussion board..

The Broad Spectrum Approach

I. Cordon Dance Ritual

Question
After watching this video; why do you think the participants dance in a circle?

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II. The Broad Spectrum Approach
Performance Studies Reader

(p.7 - 9) 

Question
Browse over these 3 pages and explain in your own words the change Richard Schechner is proposing for the study of the arts. 

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III. Dance Ritual Exercise
 

TAL 324 

Question

After watching the dance of this group of students from UM; Compare and contrast their dance with the Cordon dance ritual shown in the previous video.

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IV. The Medicine Man / The Shaman / The Curandero

Question

Based on this video, what was the role of the shaman in prehistoric societies?

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V. Your Own Shaman Dance 

Glance at the Past

(p. 25 - 38)

Go to page 28 and read the section titled The Shaman. 

Scroll down to the diagram on page 29. 

Create a movement phrase in which you integrate the four aspects of connection the shaman embodied: 

• Outer aspects of the dancer (Relation to environment)
• Outer aspects of the dancer (Relation to Society)
• Inner aspects of the dancer 
• Secondary aspect of the dancer

Exercise

Please, create 4 moves for each aspect, record it and post it on Discussion Board.

Learning About Dance

Learning About Dance: Dance as an Art Form and Entertainment

Chapter 1 (Pg.3-4) 

QUESTIONS

I. What is necessary to understand dance in society?

II. What will you do to improve your understanding of dance?

III. Mention one cultural dance from your country, region, ethnic or religious group, that you identify with and explain why?

Introductions: What is Dance?

Dance and Human History

I. After watching this video, with with dance tradition presented in the video do you identify with? Why?

II. Is a dance tradition you identify with being omitted? Speculate about the reason why it has not been included in the video?

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III.  Base on your own experience; what is dance?

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Book Link

What is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism

IV. Click on the link above; scroll down to page 1, and read the first paragraph. Based on your reading, what is dance?

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V. Compare and contrast your own concept with the concept given by Copeland and Cohen in What is Dance?: Readings in Theory and Criticism

(1983).