In Memory of Bataan Faigao

Bataan Faigao, head of Rocky Mountain Tai Chi, has passed away. Bataan visited Great River Tai Chi many times, as did his late wife Jane, and many of our students enjoyed their summer camp in the mountains. We will miss him greatly. We'll have a time to remember Bataan, Thursday, Oct. 4th, 6 p.m. at the studio. 
 The Boulder Camera reported that Bataan was terminally ill, and was on a pilgrimage to China's sacred locales, when he died. He is known as someone who really embodied a deeper sense of tai chi. He had a very quiet way of teaching. He is quoted as saying,

"T'ai-chi Ch'uan is a journey of spiritual discovery. I encourage students to work hard and to adhere to principles," Faigao wrote about his philosophy of teaching the discipline on the foundation's website. "I teach T'ai-chi Ch'uan as a complete system for health, meditation, self-defense, and as a way of the tao. Learning this art is a process that takes care of the external to get to the internal, going back and forth from form to application, understanding and experience."

 Bataan was born Dec. 1, 1944, in Cebu, Philippines. He married Jane Greeley Faigao in 1966; she preceded him in death. They were lifelong students of t'ai chi ch'uan, studying with Grandmaster Cheng Man-ching in New York City from 1968 until Cheng's death in 1975. They moved to Boulder the following year and established the Rocky Mountain T'ai Chi Ch'uan Foundation and directed Naropa University's Traditional Eastern Arts department. A memorial will be held in Boulder on October 6th.

 For the complete article in the Boulder Camera, click here.

July News and Events

This month, we welcome for his 10th annual workshop, Weiming Yuan, a senior student of Mr. Liu Hsi-heng of Taiwan. Mr. Liu is one of Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing's senior students. The workshop will be held July 19-21 at Macalester College in St Paul, Minnesota. Weiming teaches a down-to-earth approach to t'ai chi that is thoroughly grounded in t'ai chi principles and solid body mechanics. This workshop is open to students of Great River and affiliated groups. Contact Great River for information.

The National Qigong Association annual national conference "Dancing In Stillness" will be held in Chaska, Minnesota this August 17-20. This is a chance to explore qigong and t'ai chi-related topics with some of the world's leading experts, including Chunyi Lin, .A sampling of some workshops: Zhongxian Wu - Chinese Shamanic Tiger Qigong, Cari Shurman - Bringing Tai Chi and Qigong to the Schools, David Haines - 20 Minute Body/Mind Routine: Tai Chi and Qigong for Busy People, Jianye Jiang - Qigong for Diabetes and High Blood Pressure, Lawrence Galante - Basic Principles of Push Hands. See their site for registration information.