Search - T'ai Chi for Health: Yang Short Form with Terence Dunn on DVD

Varry Good.

11/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I really enjoyed this video! Terence Dunn is a good teacher when it comes to VHS instruction. He explains every move in detail and even has extra camra angles for the hard to learn postures. This is the best tai chi video avalible. I have to say something about a earlier review of this video. Who ever said this video does not demenstrate real tai chi is misinformed. Terence Dunn is as real as it gets short of getting a taoist from china to teach you the postures. He is right about it not being complete... 37 postures is just a shortened version. Mr. Dunn does have a Long form instuction once you learn the short form. But in terms of learning 100% real tai chi ch'uan postures, this video is great for the beginner! I loved it!"

A good reference

Margaret Wilson | Richmond, VA | 02/21/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I tried to make this video part of my workout routine, but I couldn't stick with it. The warm up is too long, leaving insufficient time to learn the postures that follow. The frontal view is confusing, and when Terry mixes up his left & right, it doesn't help! It's an intimidating introduction to T'ai Chi, I had difficulty holding the poses long enough for him to get through the explanations."

The battle dance of life and flow.

JoT | 10/30/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The only thing lacking in this video is special effects and computer graphics. However, it starts overlooking the sea with Terrence Dunn performing the Yang Short Form. Motivational music plays and a voice narrates the philosophy of yin and yang, "The Great Terminous", Toaism, etc. Various shots of the various movements in the form are shown with the sea as backgound and symbol of the Tao. The form ends and we are shown a shot of "average" people Strumming the Lute and Lifting Hands. Then the slow grueling and flowing dance begins as Mr. Dunn leads us through the 40 odd postures in the form, detail by detail. Finally, a work of art is presented. The entire Yang short Form being presented by Mr. Dunn with a superb musical background. The beauty of this dance is enhanced and we are both informed and entertained. I loved this tape and will one year move on to the Long Form. I must also, before concluding, say that the basics of Qi Gong and the three fundamental stances of Tai Chi are dealt with in detail and are presented as warmup exercises."

Excellent Instruction - not a workout video

JoT | Corner Cafe, Carrollton, GA | 05/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a VERY low budget production. It doesn't have anyone big for a face draw for funding, so the lack of a set, the mediocre camera management, and the lack of separate takes can be distraction to people who are trying to use this as a workout video. THIS IS NOT A WORKOUT VIDEO. This is an instructional video showing the basic postures of the Yang short-form of T'ai Chi. This is a teaching video, showing postures in time-consuming detail.

If you want a work-out video, there are other T'ai Chi DVD's in production that do follow formats cognizant of the time constraints of a normal workout period. If that's what you're looking for, don't bother with this DVD. However, I must state that this is the BEST VIDEO INSTRUCTION IN T'AI CHI THAT I HAVE EVER FOUND.

Dunn moves extremely slowly through the short form, from warm-up to cool down. The video is a total of two hours long. If you can hold T'ai Chi postures for two hours, you aren't human the way most of us are. The benefit of this style is that he holds his postures, and demonstrates entry and exit to and from each posture several times. This gives you plenty of time to try to get it right. Take everything as slow as he does, otherwise you'll likely miss some aspect of a posture and learn to do it incorrectly, making it even more difficult to learn the correct posture. If you want to really learn a shortened T'ai Chi form for practice without a video guide, I would recommend this video over any other's I have seen.
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