The Dragon's Head Blog

We have walls! Drywall  installation has begun in the northwest and southeast corridors. The old Fenway Hotel is beginning to look more and more like the grand lady of Dunedin that she once was. The floor decking is almost complete on the first and second floors. Electricians and plumbers have been working to make sure their […]

  One hundred and eighty-one participants took part in this year’s summer tai chi week at the International Center in Orangeville.  Forty-three of them were Americans. Every region in America was represented. Many met before one of the morning sessions for a group photo. Tony Kwong, our workshop leader, and Karen Laughlin, International President, joined us. […]

To celebrate the 149th anniversary of the founding of Canada over 40 joyous practitioners of Taoist Tai Chi® arts took part in the grand parade during Port Credit’s annual Paint the Town Red event on July 1st. This is the second year we have paraded our 22-person dragon to the delight of young and old […]

After participating in the recent Health Recovery and Summer Tai Chi workshops, back to back, all I can say is WOW I did  it! I am surprised that I could do so much tai chi and still want more as the workshop came to an end. The encouragement and gentle guidance I got from the […]

  There were tables and chairs set out across the room and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea. A somewhat mad affair in Lewis Carroll’s version, but in Nelson, New Zealand, it was quite civilised – the Queen of Hearts didn’t shout “Off with his head!”   A huge amount of work […]

C’est ma première visite à Orangeville pour un atelier de cinq jours : «J’ai été impressionnée par l’organisation physique de la Société. Ici, les gens sont amicaux. Ils s’entraident. Il y a une ouverture par rapport aux autres. J’ai été émerveillée de voir Tony faire les mouvements. Il est à l’intérieur de lui-même. J’aime beaucoup observer […]

The Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA San Francisco Bay Area Branch hosted a workshop at the Pleasant Hill Center. It included a special appearance by Dr. Blues and the Tai Chi Two, who performed a song in celebration of Tony Kwong’s birthday. Following our weekend tai chi workshop in Pleasant Hill, the Taoist […]

Summer Tai Chi week kicked off on June 29  with a great start.  The five-day workshop began at the International Centre Orangeville on a beautiful summer day, with 184 participants supported by 18 volunteers. On day one, participants received instruction from Tony Kwong on tory-us and dany-us. Following the instructions, participants took part in 24 […]

With the southern Ontario heat,  we enjoyed a beautiful set outside, followed by a brush knee parade around the second floor of the Health Recovery building at the International Centre in Orangeville to take advantage of the air conditioning. The icing on the cake was a final push hands session. One more morning and then we […]

Working and learning (and eating!) together.   ”My tai chi is improving from teaching others.” — Wade from Taraunga, New Zealand     ”There’s no criticism. It’s all help” — Pat from Gravenhurst   ”This Health Recovery is one of the best gifts I’ve given myself. It’s taken me a while to get here, but […]

  On May 28 and 29, 2016, 95 participants came together on a beautiful warm weekend at the International Centre near Orangeville for a Central Region Program. John Balinski and Lise Laneville instructed us in the standing jongs, paying particular attention to the tor-yu, standing up from the front foot with a gentle, firm push, finding […]

To help introduce Mainsail Lodging and Development, the company that will maintain The Fenway, to the North Pinellas County area businesses, both the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA and Mainsail attended the North Pinellas County annual seven Chambers of Commerce trade show event. The Chambers of Commerce for seven of the municipalities in North […]

One participant captured the answer to this question in pictures.

Health Recovery participants don-yu their way down the room as they play with balance and weight-shifting.      ”There’s such a strong feeling of community within the group.  It warms my heart.” – Angie from Durham, Canada     ”This has been a phenomenal week to help me work on issues that are present for me. It’s […]

Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism has been thanked for its “incredible dedication and commitment to other peoples’ needs” in a ceremony  marking the completion of its CAD$100,000 donation to the Fort McMurray wildfire appeal. Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said the institute’s help for “men, women and children you’ll never meet is the highest form […]

Up … Up …     Up! There’s always more up! Participants in this month’s Health Recovery Week at the International Centre, Orangeville, are enjoying getting taller and working together. From some of the participants: ”It’s been more than just physical. I’m learning how to listen to my body and I didn’t realize how I […]

Fung Loy Kok Institute of Taoism’s Wong Dai Sin temple in Toronto has won another prestigious architecture award. The temple, a concrete and weathered-steel building that features the longest cantilever in North America, has won the 2016 AZ international award for Best Architecture Under 1000 Square Metres. The award is from Azure, an award-winning magazine […]

This weekend we celebrated the Portugal, Spain and Italy annual instructors’ meeting. Some 60 instructors from the 3 countries got together to pool and advance in our understanding of tai chi and our role as accredited volunteer instructors. The activity on Saturday was held at the Southern European Centre and was most varied. It included […]

The International Center Florida construction is speeding ahead. Crew leads are spending a great deal of time researching old photos of the historic Fenway Hotel to preserve its 1920 beauty as they recreate the interior. Framing crews are building the supporting walls in the lobby and dining room. Electricians have almost completed electrical installation in […]

On Thursday June 9, 1200 seniors and seniors-in-training gathered at 12 locations stretching from St. John’s, Newfoundland, on the east coast of Canada, to Victoria, British Columbia, on the west coast.  The distance between these two cities spans 7400 kilometres as the proverbial crow flies, includes two ferry rides, and covers five time zones. Planning […]