The transition from 1997 - 1998 was substantive for me. I just started to gain traction as a teacher in Seattle; I was teaching the several classes a week at Crossroads Learning Center in Capitol Hill and a few classes in the hospitals around First Hill. One day I received a phone call from an established Acupuncturist, Randy Clere, telling me he and Mary Forlenza (Now Treya) and Kathy Englehart were opening a movement healing center called The Moving Space. They had heard of me and wanted to invite me to rent from them. I was terrified. I would be leaping from $16/hour week to week rent to $1500/mo and a year commitment- on the other side of town! I think I was still leaving Seattle!
My grandfather loaned me the money. I jumped.
I had competed at A Taste Of China right before I made this committment. My mother said I should send out a press release and mention my win and my new classes. I thought oh what the heck, nothing will become of it. I went for brunch the Sunday it hit the stands. When I returned there were 65+ phone calls on my then answering machine! My classes opened up a week later to 135 people spread out over 8 classes of various Qigong's and Yang Style Tai Chi.
I was overwhelmed, and it didn't sustain but it sure was a fun way to launch what would be the next six years. Much to my delight, many of these students from Cap Hill came with me. Several are still with me and others who I met during that opening week stayed with me until they either moved or died. We had great times and crazy times at The Moving Space. I also grew classes and my capacity to host workshops because I now had a dedicated space. Here you see my good friends Solala and Christine Payne-Towler presenting a Qigong workshop. The other photos are random pics at The Moving Space, including my 3 year anniversary party where Randy’s band played. It was amazing. I’ll never forget that band!
Enter Lindsay Pyfer, Kathleen O’hanlon, Anna Crook, Paul Sverk, Cyndi Wolf and Kevin Fetherston into my life, all who stayed with me for over 20 years. Lindsay, Cyndi & Kevin continue to study with me to this day.
Only a few glimpses of all the learning within The Moving Space, 1997-2003