protectivearts

Dracula as Historian

I admit to being a fan of the vampire genre: books and movies. Most recently, the BBC produced Dracula released in 2020 on Netflix.[1] It starts as a smart retelling of Bram Stoker’s novel with visual homages to classic movies along the way, but quickly takes new narrative turns. Unfortunately the series had a veryContinue reading “Dracula as Historian”

OKAMOTO SENSEI – JANUARY 2020

Yoko Okamoto returned to Portland Aikikai for a workshop. This was the first visit to the new location after a four-year gap. It was not a publicized seminar so she was able to concentrate on Portland Aikikai students. Okamoto sensei is much in demand and we are fortunate to have a familial connection to enjoyContinue reading “OKAMOTO SENSEI – JANUARY 2020”

BAGUA OPENING HANDS

For some time now, I have incorporated a basic hand and body exercise into my “warm up” sequence from Bagua Zhang – “opening hands” (see 3:36 for a reminder). The Bagua movement in isolation may seem awkward at first. I present it as a global body movement adding trunk and hip rotation and done oneContinue reading “BAGUA OPENING HANDS”