arnisandyz
Master Black Belt
Had this in my Filipino Dance post, but felt it deserved its own.
http://www.oovrag.com/~oov/essays/essay2002b-1.shtml
Here is a pretty good essay/personal account of a Filipina Cultural Dancer/ Choreographer who trained with Leo Giron's Bahala Na orginization and eventually got some of the members (including Antonio Somera) to work on the theatrical project. Wish I could have seen it.
I like the referrences she makes to the training and its cultural - spiritual connections.
"I felt as though I was transported to what may have been a warrior training ground centuries ago. Yet, this was not some exotic village in the Philippines; this was Bahala Na Number 1 Club in Stockton California..."
"I marveled at how a group of men could make instant connection with gong rhythms that they had never heard before. Like the first time I visited the club, I again felt transported to what may have been a warrior training ground centuries ago."
"Whenever I felt frustrated at my lack of progress, which was more often than not, I would then remind myself of my true purpose—to obtain a better understanding of the escrima culture and its link to the ancestral roots, not to kick ***."
I like the last post especially. Although a very effective fighting art, not everybody does FMA solely to "kick ***". I can also relate to "feeling transported" on serveral occasions during training.
http://www.oovrag.com/~oov/essays/essay2002b-1.shtml
Here is a pretty good essay/personal account of a Filipina Cultural Dancer/ Choreographer who trained with Leo Giron's Bahala Na orginization and eventually got some of the members (including Antonio Somera) to work on the theatrical project. Wish I could have seen it.
I like the referrences she makes to the training and its cultural - spiritual connections.
"I felt as though I was transported to what may have been a warrior training ground centuries ago. Yet, this was not some exotic village in the Philippines; this was Bahala Na Number 1 Club in Stockton California..."
"I marveled at how a group of men could make instant connection with gong rhythms that they had never heard before. Like the first time I visited the club, I again felt transported to what may have been a warrior training ground centuries ago."
"Whenever I felt frustrated at my lack of progress, which was more often than not, I would then remind myself of my true purpose—to obtain a better understanding of the escrima culture and its link to the ancestral roots, not to kick ***."
I like the last post especially. Although a very effective fighting art, not everybody does FMA solely to "kick ***". I can also relate to "feeling transported" on serveral occasions during training.