The first two nights of Films at the Gate have been wonderful—not an empty seat in the “house.” If you are coming down this weekend, feel free to bring your own seating so we can offer more chairs to seniors and kids.
For the first time in seven years, Leslie and I will have to miss the weekend finale, but you’ll be in the very capable hands of Jean Lukitsh, Iris Tan, ACDC staff, and some wonderful community volunteers. Have a great time, and please send us photos!
Also this weekend, enjoy some performances by Wah Lum Kung Fu Athletic Association and Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association. Here’s some background on Bow Sim Mark from Jean Lukitsh, our curator:
In 1975, Grandmaster Bow Sim Mark established the Chinese Wushu Research Institute in Boston’s Chinatown. She was the first to use the term Wushu for teaching in the U.S. For several decades, Master Mark concentrated on the areas of teaching, publication, performance and choreography. She was named as the 1994 and 1996 “Woman of the Year†by Inside Kung Fu magazine, and Black Belt magazine has called her one of the “Most Influential Martial Arts Masters of the Twentieth Century.†The Bow Sim Mark Tai Chi Arts Association (1995) has twenty-three branches in the US, Europe, Hong Kong, and other countries. It has been Grandmaster Mark’s objective to emphasize the artistic aspect of Tai Chi Chuan. It is her passion to promote Tai Chi as an art and to continuously refine this art form. Her son Donnie Yen is one of the biggest action stars in China. On June 19 2011, she was featured in a cover story by the Boston Globe magazine: The Way of the Ribbon and the Sword.