The Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School has always stood for the rich experience that study with teachers from various styles and backgrounds can offer. Dr. Jay began teaching in the Triangle area in 1979, and adopted “Magic Tortoise” as his dba (doing-business-as) after co-teaching a workshop in 1984 with LaoMa, then founder and chief instructor of the Tidewater Tai-Chi Club in Norfolk VA. In 1988, fresh from a sojourn in China, LaoMa moved to Chapel Hill and began a 27-year engagement as Magic Tortoise’s senior teacher. (Kathleen, coming from Illinois, became the third Magic Tortoise teacher in 1990.) It has been a fruitful association. In this Monkey year, LaoMa has decided to step back, accept a new role as Teacher Emeritus, and entrust much of his teaching burden to Violet Anderson, his “number one,” and other senior students.
In consultation with Dr. Jay and Kathleen, LaoMa has also decided to continue his legacy by establishing his own school. Therefore, we jointly announce the formation of his Black Bamboo Pavilion Taijiquan School, which will function independently, yet as a brother/sister school to Magic Tortoise. We will co-host the annual Chinese New Year/Spring Festival family potluck, and continue the established tradition of encouraging students to study with both schools.
To keep up with LaoMa’s classes and activities, you may “like” the new Black Bamboo Pavilion Taijiquan School’s Facebook page, and visit his new website, http://www.blackbamboopavilion.com/. To stay informed about Magic Tortoise classes and activities, you may “like” the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School’s Facebook page and visit http://www.magictortoise.com/.