Connections is available in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Chinese. We are very grateful for our translators who volunteered to translate: Rubén Coirini, Daniela Famulari, Gennaro Ripa, Françoise Desagnat, Jean-Claude Miremont, Thilo Krienke, Davi Garritano, and Li Mingyang. Thank you very much! Here are the links to the other languages:

 

Yang Family Tai Chi depends on volunteers who donate their time and talent to make our association a success. We currently need more volunteers to help our association as we move forward into the future. We have an immediate need for people with skills such as website updating and management, writing, translating, video editing, social media, and assisting our department heads and executive with various tasks. We also welcome volunteers in other areas.

Do you have any skills or knowledge you would like to share? If you would like to volunteer but aren't sure how you can help, please just send an email telling us you would like to help in some way and we will suggest some ways you could volunteer.

We are very grateful to all our volunteers who have helped make our association and its events successful. Building a strong group of new volunteers will help us improve our service to our members and also reach more people around the world! Please contact Pam Boyde (pamboyde@yangfamilytaichi.com) if you would like to volunteer.
 

Monday, July 18 is Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's birthday on the lunar calendar. To commemorate his birthday, Yang Family Tai Chi would like to create a video of our members and students around the world performing the 49 Form or Demonstration Form that he created. If you would like to participate, we will be providing more information on our website and social media pages including how to record your video, how to send it to us, and deadlines. We hope you will help us celebrate Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo's birthday!
 

September 16: Saber
September 17-18: Methods & Techniques in Senior Form

Registration information
Registration form

 

If you are interested in taking a ranking exam, please check our website for upcoming dates, locations, and study material. If you are unable to attend a ranking event in person, we are planning to hold a distance ranking event in July. Please contact our Distance Ranking Coordinator, Pete Voll, for more information.

Email: distanceranking@yangfamilytaichi.com
 

The YFTC Budapest School in Hungary has become a Yang Family Tai Chi Center. Mihály Vadas who was the school's director, will continue as director of the new center.

 

 

Danbury, Connecticut, USA
Sept 16 - TTM Saber Form
Sept 17-18 - TTM Senior Form
 
Siegen, Germany
Oct 1-3 - Traditional Form
Oct 4 - Push Hands
 
Rome, Italy
Oct 7-9 - Instructor Seminar
 
Lugo, Spain
Oct 15-16 - Traditional Form
 
Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
Nov 12-13 - Essential Form
Nov 14-15 - Instructor Seminar


Please visit our association's website for more information as it becomes available. 
 

After a two-year break due to the coronavirus pandemic, Master Yang Jun began teaching seminars again in Europe. His first seminar took place April 23-28 in Paris and included the Traditional Form, Sword Form, and Push Hands. The seminar was hosted by the YFTC Paris Center. Instructors and students felt grateful and very happy to learn in person with Master Yang!

 
 

From April 30 to May 2, Master Yang Jun taught the Essential Form and Saber Form at a seminar in Plovidiv, Bulgaria. The seminar was organized by the YFTC Sofia Center, the YFTC Plovdiv Center (Director of both Centers: Stanislav Bagalev), and the YFTC Stara Zagora Center (Director: Tihomir Todorov). It was an honor to welcome Master Yang back to Bulgaria. Students were impressed by his teaching which focused on both the details and the larger, whole perspective of tai chi chuan.

Master Yang and his wife, Fang Hong, visited several historical and cultural sites in Plovdiv. They also traveled to Kazanlak and visited the Valley of Roses, the city of Stara Zagora, and the Black Sea coast.

 

On May 7-8, the National Department of Taiji Quan FEKM (Director: Miguel Ángel Rojjo) organized a Traditional Form seminar with Master Yang Jun. This was the first major event scheduled by the department since the pandemic and many people worked together to make this event a success. The seminar was attended by practitioners all across Spain and some from other countries. Everyone was very grateful for Master Yang's visit and detailed teaching. During the seminar, Master Yang was presented with a commemorative plaque.   

In May, Master Yang Jun traveled to Mexico City to teach a Senior Form seminar. The seminar (May 20-22) was attended by 100 people from all over Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. At the end of the event, Master Yang thanked Daniel Corona (Director of the YFTC Mexico Center) and all the volunteers who worked to make this event a success. In 2023, the YFTC Mexico Center is planning to celebrate its 20-year anniversary with a special event inviting Yang Family Tai Chi members from around the world.

 

For the first time, traditional Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan was taught in the Patagonia region of Argentina. From April 23rd to 25th, Viviana Uliarte (Director of the YFTC Guaymallén School in Mendoza province, Argentina) taught a Traditional Form (103 movement) seminar in Caleta Olivia, Santa Cruz, Argentina. She was invited by the Wudang School which had been practicing the modern 24 movement form. People traveled from far away to participate. The students showed great interest and commitment to the practice. Two more seminars are scheduled for this year.

 

Fernando De Lazzari (Director of the YFTC Ribeirão Preto Center) held a Saber Form seminar at his school  April 2-3. Students enjoyed learning to improve the movements in the Saber Form.

 

 
In a significant event for Colombia, four students of  Alexander Gómez (Yang Ya Gen) presented and passed the virtual ranking exams organized by the International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association on April 9. Alexander is the Director of the YFTC Bogotá School.
 
José Luis Acero (Rank 2)
Andrea Acuna (Rank 2)
Hugo Forero (Rank 1)
Eliana Nieto (Rank 1)
 
Congratulations to these students! They will help strengthen the spread of Yang Family Tai Chi in Colombia. Thanks to Javeriana University for providing space for the physical tests and to the organizers for this opportunity.

Duc Nguyen Minh and Carole Nguyen, directors of the YFTC Paris Center taught a push hands and sword workshop April 2-3 in Brest, a city in France's Brittany region. They were invited by Laurence Lecaplain, Director of the YFTC School in Brittany. Bernard Bruzeau and his team from Rennes also attended the workshop. Congratulations to everyone for this wonderful weekend of tai chi!

 

Congratulations to one of our instructors, JP (Pierre) De Vries, for achieving his Golden Eagle Rank!
 

World Tai Chi and Qigong Day is held each year on the last Saturday in April. People in hundreds of cities in over 80 countries practice tai chi or qigong between 10 - 11 a.m. local time to help contribute to creating a healthier and calmer world and to educate people about the benefits of practicing these arts. This year World Tai Chi and Qigong Day took place on April 30. Many of our association's centers and schools participated. Some of them shared their photos:


Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Students attending Master Yang Jun's seminar on April 30 practiced with him.
  Florence, Italy
Members of the Tai Chi Calenzano (YFTC School) and the Tai Chi Galluzzo practice group practiced together at Cascine Park.
 


São Paulo City, Brazil
Members of the  YFTC São Paulo Center (Director: Angela Soci) practiced in Ipiranga Park near the Monument of Independence.
 

Stockton, California, USA
Members of the Tai Chi Institute of Stockton (YFTC Stockton Center) practiced in Nelson Park.
 


Dortmund, Germany
A small group from the affiliated school practiced in instructor Conny Landskröner's beautiful garden.
 


Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada
For the 18th year, members of Tai Chi Yukon (YFTC School) gathered to participate in this event by the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre near the Yukon River.
 


Redmond, Washington, USA
The Seattle/Redmond YFTC Center celebrated at Grass Lawn Park.
 


Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Members of the YFTC Rio de Janeiro Center  (Director: Davi Garritano) practiced at their center.
 


Vicenza, Italy
Members of Jack Cornell's YFTC Vicenza School practiced at Querini Park.
 


Royal Oak, Michigan, USA
Members from Michigan Tai Chi Center (YFTC Center) practiced at Keller Elementary School.
 


Goiânia, Brazil
Instructor Geraldo Alves and Nathália Oliveira practiced in Areião Park.
 


Budapest, Hungary
The YFTC Budapest Center hosted a tai chi event for all tai chi practitioners at a castle.
 

Mendoza, Argentina
Five schools, including the YFTC Guaymallén School (Director Viviana Uliarte), practiced together in General San Martin Park.
 

Mendoza, Argentina
The Tai Chi and Lohan Chi Kung School (YFTC School) practiced in General San Martín Park.
 


Newcastle, Washington, USA
Members of the YFTC School of Greater Seattle practiced at the Coal Creek YMCA.


Buenos Aires City, Argentina
Members of the YFTC School Wu Ji Space practiced in a park in the neighborhood of Recoleta.
 


Antananarivo, Madagascar
YFTC Madagascar Center members after an exceptionally dedicated training near Anosivavaka Pope Road.
 


Rome, Italy
Members from Roma Tai Chi Village (a YFTC School) practiced in Olympic Village. They also made a video with students talking about why tai chi is so good.
 


Villa Guadalupe, Canelones, Uruguay
Leonardo Ratto (YFTC School in Montevideo) practiced in Villa Guadalupe, Canelones with his advanced students.


Rockland, Maine, USA
Members of the YFTC School in Rockland, Maine celebrated at Rockport Marine Park along with students from another nearby Yang style tai chi school. This was their 12th year celebrating in this park and coordinating with other schools and tai chi and qigong players from mid-coast Maine.
 


Monza Brianza, Italy
Members of the YFTC School practiced in Monza Park.
 


Far Hills, New Jersey, USA
A small but enthusiastic turnout of students at Natirar Park, Far Hills, NJ with instructors Holly Sweeney-Hillman and Chris Wilson.

 

Did you miss the last issue of Connections? You can read it here.