The Honors College High Table for Wednesday, Jan. 25 will be “Tai Chi: What It Is and What It Ain’t.? The High Table will begin at 3 p.m. in the Honors College Forum, McAlister Hall, Room 302.Taijiquan (a.k.a. ‘tai chi’) is a Chinese exercise for health, meditation, and self defense. Adam Frank, an anthropologist and long-time practitioner of taijiquan, will demonstrate the art and will talk about some of its principles and the philosophies behind it; its practice in and outside of China; and, from a cultural perspective, its usefulness in helping us understand something about what it means to be “Chinese” in the twenty-first century. Following the brief talk and demo, audience members will have an opportunity to learn a few basic taijiquan movements and partner exercises.
Frank is an assistant professor of Asian studies at the Honors College. He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin. He conducted ethnographic fieldwork on taijiquan in China and the United States and is a 28-year practitioner of the art. A book based on his research, ?Taijiquan and the Search for the Little Old Chinese Man: Understanding Identity Though Martial Arts,? will be published by Palgrave Macmillian in October.
