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Thursday, Junk 24, aoio | The Rkd * Black
Tai Chi classes provide various health benefits
By BRITTNEY HOLMES
The Red & Black
What better way to spend a Saturday morning than
to practice relaxing movements that calm the spirit and
focus the mind?
The Tai Chi Chih classes held by the Mind Body
Institute of Athens Regional Hospital allow individuals
to do Just that. The classes are held every Saturday
morning at the Athens Regional Park behind the hospi
tal.
“The Mind Body Institute provides evidence-based
complementary care," said Robin Bewley, the yoga and
program manager. “We do things that evidence has
shown to enhance healing, enhance relaxation and
quality of life.”
The Institute offers many other services, such as a
wide variety of yoga, acupuncture and massage therapy,
and has held its Tai Chi Chih classes for the past two
years.
This year’s classes began in May and will continue
through the rest of June.
The practice of Tai Chi Chih falls within the
Institute’s mission. Compromised of 19 movements and
one pose, this practice promotes normalized blood
pressure, concentration and balance, among other
health benefits.
“Tai Chi is relaxing, centered in breath,” Bewley said.
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TAI CHI CHIH
When: Saturdays, 10:30 a.m.
Whore: Athens Regional Park
Cost: Free
“It couples breath with movement. [ItJ assists in
strength, coordination and a sense of control."
There are five principles of movement within Tai Chi
Chih softness and continuity, flowing from the center,
focusing on the soles of the feet, circularity and polarity
and yin/yang correctly meaning proper weight shift.
These principles are the focal point within each of
the 19 movements.
Julie Buffalo, a registered nurse, who has been work
ing for Athens Regional for 25 years and is the instruc
tor for this month’s courses, has been practicing Tai Chi
Chih for 10 years.
“I’ve always enjoyed moving,” said Buffalo, who
became certified in Tai Chi Chih in 2006. “I liked the
meditative quality, but I find It hard to sit still and
meditate.”
The practice offered the best of both worlds for
Buffalo. It Incorporates movement and meditation.
Buffalo opens her classes with a review of the move
ments that were taught the week before. Then she
introduces the next few movements with gentle instruc
tion and demonstration.
The motions include various natural movements
that decrease tension and allow energetic flow through
out the body.
Classes are free and open to anyone who wishes to
attend. Bewley said response to the program has been
DRAG: Close community holds family ties
► From Page 1
local drag king who per
forms as Skyler D. Light
a female impersonating a
male says drag provides
him with a way to express
himself in ways he can't
every day.
“My persona would be
a little more blurred than
your typical performer
because I do identify as a
transgendered male,”
Musgrove said. “The dif
ference between me and
Skyler D. Light is the fact
that he is the one who is
on stage. I really am a
jokester and a sexual per
son, but I wouldn’t do
what I do on stage every
day.”
Everyone has his own
reasons for doing drag,
but in general it comes
down to self-expression.
The drag transforma
tion may include taking
on anew name, family,
identity and even different
gender pronouns.
Although some per
formers may practice their
art solo, many choose to
join what are referred to
as “drag families.” These
families form through
interconnecting sponsor
ships. Fledgling drag per
formers may develop a
special bond with a veter
an of their art. This spon
sorship is not required but
provides many benefits,
like insider tips and
advice, as well as familial
support.
This support is very
attractive to many in the
community as it is not
uncommon for drag per
formers to come from bro
ken or unsupportive fami
lies.
“Friendship lines get
blurred,” Musgrove said.
“Even though creating my
drag family was one of
best drag experiences, it
could also be one of my
worst. It’s like your regu-
VARIETY
COMING SOON
Upcoming events include the
drag queen's “Starlight Cabaret’
hosted by Chianti Milan at Little
Kings on Wednesday, July 14 at
11pm. Also, the Classic City
Kings will be performing on July
31 at New Earth at 10:30pm.
Chianti Milan will be hosting
“Cirque des Foux’ on August 13.
This event will indude drag per
formances, fire jugglers, aenal
trapeze, live music and dancing
and more!
lar family. You don’t get to
pick necessarily who all is
in your family, so there’s
always a chance you’re not
all going to like each
other.”
Drag families do not
mix between kings and
queens, although marriag
es may occur between a
king and queen, uniting
their two families. These
marriages encourage more
support and interconnec
tivity between the drag
king and queen communi
ties, but in Athens, there
are rifts between many
families.
“Kings are doing their
own thing, and the queens
are doing their own thing.
They’re not mixing,” said
Wynne of the Athens drag
community. “I feel I am
watching drag die. I am
going to change that.”
Of course, it takes a lot
of work to make the com
plete transformation a
drag performer must
make night after night.
Drag kings must bind
their breasts using a com
bination of methods
including tight under
shirts known as “binders”
and tape.
They then might apply
facial hair using make-up
and an adhesive called
spirit gum to apply hair to
the face. The hair used
could be clippings of real
HAUJUCM AMSDCN I Th Ri * Bua
▲ Participants in Athens Regional's Tai Chi Chih
classes work through the 19 movements said
to lower blood pressure and decrease tension.
positive, with one class drawing nearly 45 predominant
ly older adults, even on a rainy Saturday morning.
The purpose of the class is for an individual to focus
their mind completely on performing the movements.
The serene surroundings of the park minimize distrac
tion and afford ambiance, helping to relax the body.
“[Justin Stone], who developed this practice, said
it’s a service to humanity,” Buffalo said. “When we
become calmer and more relaxed, we should share that
with others so that they can become calmer and more
relaxed.”
human hair taken from
themselves or friends or
clippings from wigs. Some
drag kings also use make
up to give themselves abs
or to make their face look
more masculine.
Drag queens have the
option of binding their
penises using tape applied
to the penis tip which is
then tucked and pulled
between the legs. They
must insert their testicles
into bodily recesses in the
testicular region, essen
tially pushing their testi
cles up Into themselves
and taping them in.
Queens then also have
the option of wearing
body suits or padding to
shape their bodies under
their clothes to look more
feminine.
To complete their look,
they use wigs and expert
ly-applied makeup to alter
their appearance com
pletely.
“Overall, the reason I
like to perform drag most
is getting to express gen
der fluidity,” Musgrove
said. “Drag helps me to
express different sides of
my gender, and I really
appreciate that.”
Sometimes, however, a
drag performer can trans
form so well, inside and
out, that they lose them
selves to their persona.
“It’s taken a long time
for me to realize the differ
ence between myself and
my drag persona,” Wynne
said. “At times I was actu
ally caught up in the fact
that I lived as my persona
for a long time. I lived as
Chianti. All my friends
knew me as Chianti. So
that's who I was.”
Performances are fun
and emotionally involved.
Wynne says Chianti
Milan has performed all
genres of music from ’sos
tunes to German industri
al metal band Rammstein.
Musgrove has per-
formed many genres as
well.
Some of his favorite
numbers were “Dick in a
Box,” “Like a Boss,”
“Regular Everyday Guy,”
and “On a Boat.”
Many people also per
form in drag as a simple
leisure activity, doing it for
entertainment’s sake.
“Part of it is entertain
ment, but I do try and
make statements with
what I do,” Wynne said. “I
want people to watch a
drag performance and be
moved by it.”
When a person creates
their drag identity, they
are essentially creating
their very own stage per
sona.
“It started as a cathar
sis, and right now I am a
professional actor,” Wynne
said. “I don’t need that
catharsis anymore. The
only reason I do drag now
is people demand my per
formance and I want to
make them happy.”
Over time, people in
the community come to
recognize that persona
and there is a definite
celebrity aspect to it. Drag
celebrities act as repre
sentatives for the queer
community. Many look up
to them.
“I realized that, after a
while of doing drag, it’s
not just about you any
more it’s about your
audience and what your
audience wants,” Wynne
said.
The drag demographic
brings considerable, con
tinuous attention to gay
and queer rights with
their fearless attitude and
relentless action toward
change.
Within the last year,
Skyler D. Light and others
have worked tirelessly
toward getting the
University’s “Non-
Discrimination and Anti-
Harassment" policy to
include gender/identity
rights.
The Athens community
attitude toward drag is
very mixed.
Skyler D. Light admits
he has known of many
who have suffered physi
cal violence and mental
strife from people not
accepting of their lifestyle.
Every Wednesday at
Tasty World was Drag
Night before the bar
moved its location
upstairs. When Magnolia’s
opened up downstairs,
and its crowd was very
unaccepting of these drag
nights, according to
Skyler D. light.
This attitude caused
drag performers to move
their venue of choice to
Little Kings Shuffle Club,
leaving Athens a very seg
regated community.
The drag community,
though, has proven itself
indestructible and has
become a centerpiece of
Athenian queer culture.
“Drag is a needed thing
in a town with no gay bar,”
Musgrove said.
Drag, he reports, is a
way to know other queer
people will be attending
an event. Drag is a way for
queer people to know that
a venue is a safe space.
Drag also brings people
together.
Many heterosexual
people join, and some
times outnumber, queer
people at drag events. The
attitude at these events is
jovial and warm, rowdy
and fun.