Welcome to
Boulder Community
Tai Chi Chuan
I have established this school because my aim is to create a community where people can come together to learn, study, and practice t’ai-chi ch’uan. Beginner and experienced t’ai-chi players are all welcome. For beginners, I want them to have the opportunity to access the endless possible benefits that t’ai-chi has to offer, along with a community to share their experiences with. For experienced t’ai-chi players, I want them to have a community school where we can gather and share insights, understandings, and ideas for the purpose of helping each other gain a greater understanding of t’ai-chi. My wish is that we all, beginners and experienced alike, might better be able to incorporate t’ai-chi into our lives to, most importantly, enjoy life to its fullest.
This school has it’s roots in the Yang style t’ai-chi ch’uan lineage. My teachers, Jane and Bataan Faigao, studied under Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing (pictured below).
Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing in “Single Whip.”
After studying with Yang Ch’eng-fu, Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing simplified the traditional 108-posture form to a 37-posture form. He taught this at his school in New York City (pictured below), where my teachers, Jane and Bataan, studied under him.
Professor Cheng’s t’ai-chi school in New York City, Shr Jung, meaning right timing. Bataan is in the front row far left, and Jane is sitting next to him, second from left.
Jane and Bataan Faigao started their t’ai-chi school in Boulder, CO in the late 1970’s as they headed the t’ai-chi program at Naropa University, where I was first introduced to t’ai-chi in 1998. I was fortunate enough to study with Jane (pictured below) for two years before she passed away in 2001. One of my favorite sayings of hers that I remember is, “T’ai-chi gives us a new way of hanging out in our bodies.” This saying inspired my slogan for the school, “Discover a new way of being in your body.”
Here is a picture of Jane Faigao (left) getting instruction from Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing.
I studied with Bataan Faigao (pictured below with Maggie Newman, a senior student of Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing) for 14 years before he passed away in 2012. It’s difficult for me to explain how he impacted my life. I was very close to Bataan. He rented a room in his house to me for two years. With his welcoming, accepting, and kind personality, his house was home to many over the decades, including several icons from the Beat Generation, as Bataan was a poet himself. And you can imagine the parties that took place at Jane and Bataan’s house over the years, which I often heard stories of.
I learned so much from Bataan. What I learned from Bataan was not limited to the physical movements of t’ai-chi, but rather how he embodied t’ai-chi. I think the best way I can describe it is that I always felt okay in his presence… always. Everything that may have been going on in my life at any given moment that may have caused me great stress and anxiety seemed okay when I was with him. Not only did everything feel workable in life while in his presence, most importantly, I felt okay with myself. That is the essence of what I wish for people to gain from t’ai-chi practice.
My teacher, Bataan Faigao, with Maggie Newman.
Below is a video of my teacher, Bataan, demonstrating the Yang style t’ai-chi sword form and Professor Cheng Man-ch’ing’s simplified 37-posture form.
Below is a memorial slide show for my teacher, Bataan, that was presented at Naropa University.
And just for kicks, below is a video of Allen Ginsberg performing the first third of the tai chi form in his New York kitchen. Allen Ginsberg recites his poem, “In My Kitchen In New York,” which he dedicated to my teacher, Bataan Faigao, who taught Allen tai chi.