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from the April, 2014 issue of Kiai!

Meet the PeaceWorks Trainers

 

By Senpai Amy Jones
2nd Degree Black Belt and PeaceWorks co-Coordinator

Planning for PeaceWorks continues, and while we haven’t quite firmed up the schedule, we’ve announced our trainer corps.  Here’s a little more than you’ll find on the NWMAF website (for what you’ll find on the web, go here: http://nwmaf.org/PeaceWorksRoster and here: http://nwmaf.org/PeaceWorks-Classes).   

Familiar (and Beloved) Faces

There are some trainers that Special Training veterans keep coming back for year after year.  Among the familiar faces at PeaceWorks will be Shinshii Janet Aalfs and Sally Johnson Van Wright from Valley Women’s Martial Arts, Sensei  Joanne Factor from Feminist Karate Union and Strategic Living in Seattle,  Shifu/Sensei Kore Grate from FEMA in Minneapolis, Sifu Sonya Richardson from Hand to Hand in Oakland, Jamie Zimron Sensei from San Francisco, and Sensei Jay Spiro from Mejishi in Detroit.  Master Su Zifang will also be training again this year.  If you’ve never seen Master Su in action, take a look at this video from her demo in 2007.

And of course, there will be some faces from our Seido family, including from right here at Thousand Waves.  Jun Shihan Sarah will be teaching two Nunchaku classes, and will be collaborating with Sifu Sonya Richardson on a sparring class.  Senpai Yesica will be making her NWMAF debut with a class on moving from pre-sparring to full sparring.   Senpai Pat Broughton will be presenting in the Violence Prevention Path, in her capacity as Development Director for Cure Violence.  Sensei/Senpai Joy Williamson will be

teaching a class for kids on how to be upstanders, and Senpai Carmel Drewes will be teaching several classes in the violence prevention path, including a class for girls on how to teach self-defense.  Senpai George Schorn is also teaching, in the Health and Violence Prevention Paths.  

New Faces

PeaceWorks will also be introducing some brand new trainers.  Sei Shihan and I are very excited to introduce these martial artists and violence prevention workers to the NWMAF community.  They include Formanda Colibri, a Capoeira instructor originally hailing from Brazil but who now teaches just down the street from Thousand Waves at the Japanese Culture Center.   Formanda Colibri has over 23 years of Capoeira experience, and will be teaching three classes, one of which is just for young martial artists.  Sensei Elisa Au Fonseca is a World Karate Federation gold medalist who now makes her home (and runs a school) in the Chicago area.  She will be teaching sport karate sparring.  Sensei Lori O’Connell is significantly less local, coming all the way from British Columbia in Canada.  She’s a Jiu Jitsu practictioner and a published author (and a stunt performer!).  She’ll be teaching several physical classes in the Violence Prevention Path. 

People We Haven’t Seen In a While

Several trainers this year have been gone for a while, and we’re excited to welcome them back.  Sifu Jen Resnick, of Hand to Hand (and lately of New York City) will be offering several classes in the Health and Healing Path.  Sifu Jen is a nationally certified herbalist and licensed acupuncturist, and is a founding member of the Global Alternative Healthcare Project, which brings Traditional Chinese Medicine to communities in need in the US and abroad.  Annie Elman is a founding mother of NWMAF and will be presenting with her colleagues Susan Moesker and Brenda Jones from the Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE).  CAE has been doing anti-violence work since the 1970s, and will be sharing their expertise working with homeless LGBTQ youth, a project that has been funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

These are just a few of the world-class martial artists, healers, and violence prevention workers presenting at PeaceWorks.  We’re incredibly lucky to have access to such a talented network of practitioners, and we’re honored that so many of them are presenting this year.  Register here, if you haven’t yet.

If you’re lucky enough to be a female martial artist, it’s an event you won’t want to miss.  And if you’re a male (and older than 12), then you can get a taste of it at Super Saturday.