A REVIEW OF THE SOUTH ISLAND TAI CHI AND QIGONG FESTIVAL HELD ON THE 12 OCTOBER 2024

After an absence of eight years the Association resolved to hold an exhibition of Tai Chi in 2024. The emphasis of this was to showcase the high standard of Practitioners in the South Island and in this regard we achieved the purpose and the South Island Tai Chi and Qigong Festival was born.

Our Patron Hu Loo Chi spoke very highly of Japanese Tai Chi Master Hideki Kuriyama. during his lifetime and it just so happened that President Trevor Quirk had recently visited Hideki and suggested it would be a tribute to Loo Chi to invite Hideki to demonstrate his outstanding skills to a New Zealand audience.

We then invited a cross section of the South Islands prominent Tai Chi practitioners to complete the program   with those who would lead a demonstration to showcase the amazing variety that exists within the gammit of holistic martial arts.

The order of demonstrators was as follows:

Geraldine Parkes, a long standing practitioner in Christchurch and Lyttelton who has taken classes since the 1980s gave a demonstration with her Shibashi 2 routine, and invited the audience to follow the gentle movements.

Gabrielle Euteneuer a Qigong and Tao Yoga teacher, established Tao Motion, 25 years ago after learning from Mantak Chia and Juan Li as well as spending 30 years of her life travelling in Europe, the USA, Thailand, Australia and India and became a Hatha Yoga teacher in England. Gabrielle was born in Germany but now resides in Oxford, New Zealand and performed her skills at the Festival.

Jingjing Jackson, a Tai Chi Instructor from South West China began her Kung Fu journey at age 11 and later trained under a Wu Dang mountain monk. Jingjing’s expertise includes a certified fitness instructor in the UK, a New Zealand certified body worker, a Yin Yoga Teacher trained under Paul Grilley’s philosophy, a 6^th generation Reiki practitioner and a Rongoa practitioner specialising in traditional Maori healing. She demonstrated a routine at this event that was indicative of her skill, being mesmerising flowing and seamless.

Audrey Tan Hayes began attending Tai Chi lessons from Master Dave Thew and has taken courses by Master Faye Yip, daughter of Grand Master Li Deyin since 2009. When Dave moved to Temuka in 2012 his students wanted to keep practising so Audrey assumed the mantle and the group has been practising ever since. Audrey’s group demonstrated the Daoyin Yang Sheng Gong 12 step Health routine at this event.

Tim Exton is the principal instructor of the Flowing Mountain Tai Chi and Qi Gong school in Geraldine, South Canterbury. After returning from London where he studied the Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu from Sifu Paul Witrod. When he returned to New Zealand Tim studied Chen Style Tai Chi Chuan from Dr Denis Walker and the late Malisa Ng of the Tai Chi Centre in Auckland. Tim and his students performed the Chen 4 and 13 step short form followed by Tim performing a Chen Fan Form.

Trevor Quirk is the current President of the NZ National Tai Chi Chuan Association. In 1986 he travelled to China to learn what he could about Tai Chi Chuan. In 1988 he met Hu Loo Chi and remained his dedicated student for 25 years until his passing in 2013. Over the years Trevor has practiced in 3 separate World Tai Chi Championships held in Taiwan, has seen and practiced many different forms of Tai Chi and practised with many push hands exponents of different styles from different countries. Since Master Hu died Trevor has continued to practise all of the pre-exercises and both sides of the long form on a daily basis. Trevor spoke to the audience about the philosophy behind Hu Loo Chi’s teachings.

Mike Penter first saw Tai Chi being performed in New Caledonia by a group of people at a Club Med village in 1990 while on vacation with his family. When he got back to New Zealand he sought out a teacher who could train him in these practices and eventually met Hu Loo Chi who had an impact on his life. 31 years later Mike is still practising Tai Chi and Qi Gong for health and wellbeing and has established numerous classes to spread the philosophy. At the Festival Mike led a demonstration of the ancient Ba Duan Jin (8 Section Qigong Exercises) for the audience to participate in.

Mike Penter
January 2025