The 21st WTQA Festival 2023
The 21st WTQA Festival was held on Sunday 24th of September at the Boroondara Sports Complex. After a five-year break, it was heartening to be able to run the Festival again and see the obvious enthusiasm of competitors, spectators and volunteers for the event.
The committee planned this event to be smaller than previous years, as we didn’t know what to expect after the Covid lockdowns seemingly changed so much. We’re thrilled with the outcome and feel it was a very successful event.
The Opening Ceremony kicked off the day with officials and competitors marching onto the arena to the rousing beats of the Sportsmen’s March. After an introduction and welcome by the MC Jenny Harrison that included an acknowledgement of country, welcome to special guests and run down of the day, all attendees were invited to join together to perform Tai Chi 24-Form. This was a wonderful ice-breaker and helped to calm many nerves.
The competition began with two mats in operation: Health Qigong and Wushu Barehand Forms. The crowd settled into the bleachers and a hush spread throughout the stadium as the business of the day began.
The Wushu Long Fist and Barehand Forms were a blur of high energy and precision. Forms showcased included Elementary Long Fist, 1st International Long Fist, 2nd International Long Fist, Long Fist, Da Ba Ji (大八極), Shaolin Rou Quan, Nan Quan/Southern Fist, Beng Bu Quan (崩步拳), Shaolin Lian Huan Quan, Xing Yi Quan, Qi Xing Quan (七星拳).
Three Health Qigong Forms were performed, also with precision and great focus. These included Ba Duan Jin, Wu Qin Xi and Yi Jin Jing.
Once the Qigong had finished we reverted to one mat in operation for the remainder of the day. In past years there were 3 mats in operation, so the Wushu ran concurrently with the Tai Chi and the Qigong, and opportunities to see other forms were limited. This year the smaller-scale event meant that everyone got to see almost everything. Many spectators commented how much they enjoyed being able to watch forms they had never seen before. Seeing the Wushu in particular was a huge eye-opener for many who had only ever seen Tai Chi and Qigong.
Tai Chi Barehand Forms were next with seven different forms showcased. Forms performed were Tai Chi 24 and 42 Forms, Chen 56, Hao Style 32, Huang Style 37, Yang Style 30 and an Original Tai Chi form created by the participant.
With the conclusion of the Tai Chi competition, the audience were again invited to participate in a group session. Judge and Instructor Lucy Keenan took the group through some flowing and energising Qigong movements to stretch out the kinks from sitting and watching the morning’s events.
After lunch we enjoyed a spectacular show put on by special guest performers. All guests had years or decades of experience and were awe inspiring. The guests and forms were: Tai Chi for Life Team – Tai Chi Sword 32, Samantha Chiew – Double Straight Sword, Joanna Yong – Bagua Spear, Matthew Brennan – Monk Spade, Sifu Malcolm Green – Dong Family Fast Form Tai Chi, Master Chin Min Lian – Tai chi Phoenix Fan, Master Su Legato – Yin Water Form, Master Boshi Liu – Tiger Crane Paired Form Fist.
The afternoon events began with the Teams Competition and this included Tai Chi 24 and 42 Forms, Tai Chi Fan 18 and Taiji Yangsheng Zhang (Tai Chi Stick Qigong). The groups are a joy to watch and their hours of training together was clearly evident.
Next were the various Wushu Weapons Forms which could have come straight from the ancient battlefields. These included: 1st International Jianshu, Shaolin Yin Shou Gun, 2nd International Dao Shu, 2nd International Gun Shu, First International Daoshu, Spearplay (Qiangshu), Swords (Jianshu), First International Spear, Second International Broadsword / Optional Broadsword, Wudang Sword (Tai Yi Xuan Men Ji), Shaolin Yinshou Gun, Elementary Gunshu (32 forms), Nan Dao / Southern Sword, Daoshu 32, Straight Sword, Hook Sword, Basic Broad Sword, Broad Sword.
The Tai Chi Weapons Forms closed out the day with Tai Chi Sword 32 and 42 Forms and Tai Chi Fan 18. These were an elegant and dignified end to the competition.
Throughout the day, medals were awarded to the top three competitors in each category. At the end of the day, Trophies were awarded to the overall winners of Wushu, Tai Chi and Qigong. Congratulations to the Trophy winners for the 21st WTQA Festival 2023:
Wushu: Connor McGowan; Tai Chi: Louis (Hongqiao) Yu; Qigong: Roland Heath
The WTQA would like to thank everyone involved in making the 21st Festival a great success. This includes 145 spectators, 27 individual competitors and 3 teams, 27 volunteers including 13 judges, the guest performers, the sponsor JinLi Wushu-Tai Chi and all participating schools: Academy of TCMA - Wu De Hui, Celestial Tai Chi College, HH Kung Fu Club Bendigo, Hong Kong Club Tai Chi Group Inc, Jade Lady Tai Chi and Qigong, JinLi Wushu-Tai Chi, Legato Tai Chi, Melbourne University Wushu Kung Fu, Monash University Wushu and Tai Chi Club, Rising Moon Tai Chi, Tai Chi For Life, Wulong Tai Chi Kung Fu, Yang Zhao Tai Chi Melbourne. Thanks also to members of the Camberwell Photography Club and Adrian Leung from Archivist Media, whose photos you can see throughout this article.
Written by Suzette Hosken on behalf of the WTQA Festival Organising Committee