Lowell Hall Expo Highlights Eight Martial Arts

About 40 spectators watched as students punched, kicked, blocked and sparred at Lowell Hall during the Third Annual Martial Arts Exposition/Demonstration yesterday afternoon.

Sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Tai Chi/Tiger Crane Club, the exposition featured 47 martial arts students from eight different clubs. Each club held a 15-minute demonstration.

The demonstrations ranged from traditional displays of forms to skits with audience participation.

One audience member, Alison J. Douglas '96, was invited by the Cuong Nhu club to learn how to break a board with her foot. She succeeded in breaking the board after her lesson.

The eight martial arts represented ranged from the ancient art of Tai Chi to the relatively new art of Cuong Nhu.

"You should be impressed by the variety of martial arts here today," George T. Chang '97, president of the Tai Chi club and the event's organizer, said at the start of the exposition.

Each martial art has its own specialties. Karate is a "hard" art, focusing on speed and power, while Tai Chi is a "soft" art, concentrating on control and balance. Other arts, such as Cuong Nhu and Ten Chi Kenpo, practice a combination of hard and soft movements to create a more balanced art.

"We organized this exhibition to show our martial arts to the Harvard-Radcliffe community, and, maybe primarily, to each other," Chang said.

The chief instructor of the Tai Chi Club, Yon Lee, said he planned the first exposition three years ago to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Tai Chi at Harvard.

The participants represented different levels of experience. Shauna Howarth '97, a member of the Cuong Nhu club, said she has been practicing martial arts for a year.

"I was a little bit nervous, but I definitely had fun," she said.

Frank Blithe '97 said he has been a member of the Ten Chi Kenpo Karate Club for three years.

"I'm excited," he said before the demonstration. "It's fun to do this for the community."