Symposium 2019
2019 marks the 7th year of TPLA. Since seven is such an iconic number in our circles, we have decided to take this as a cue to rebrand a bit, improve the content and bring this activity into more varied and interesting realms. As such this years Symposium will kick off the banner year in our organization.
When we started TPLA 7 years ago, one of the things we did was hold what we called a “Seven Forms Symposium”. The first one was about just that, what the Seven Forms of Lightsaber Combat are and how we are going to use them. That show was made at a time when much what we do had not been thought about yet. Our system was in its infancy and we were trying to create a bigger discussion on things as they were in the forums.
We did these every year for a few years, and then as the youtube and online landscape changed, so did our ability to gather folks for the event. We went down to a bi annual show. Two years ago we returned with a new perspective and a more scholarly topic. This was a success in our view and have been planning the next symposium ever since.
But, things have changed a lot in those seven years. We have been primarily on YouTube for that time and particular changes to their system have had negative impact on creators from all areas. We will be expanding, just like on this blog., into other areas that are important to the practice of martial arts. More history, practical applications, and technique videos will be on their way. Much of this will be set up in the Symposium.
This year we are going to have it live and in person!
And the big news this year is our effort to get General Sun himself (Damon Honeycutt) to join us at the symposium. Damon has been working to support a family and has ben absent from the Sabering world. But He still has work to be done. The good General has more that he was never able to share at the beginning. So, long time saberites, take notice! Some new original material is coming from one of the founders of our little thing called Lightsaber Comabt.
For those of you who do not know who General Sun is, let me give you a little introduction: Damon Honeycutt is an accomplished martial artist, dancer, and performer. He is the first person to create a set of movements for the practice of lightsaber. His form of Shii-Cho is the most widely practiced and storied form (dulon in our parlance). For years it was the single set that people who took up the LED saber practiced. His videos demonstrating the form are legendary.
But, this was the tip of the iceberg for Damon. He had an entire Form V that he never recorded or taught. Very few people have ever seen anything from this material and now, he wants to finish it and share it like his Shii-Cho. We at TPLA share his charitable outlook and creative spirit. This is why we have partnered with him to bring this material to light during the 2019 Symposium.
These are our plans. But as life is life, we also have challenges ahead of us. To bring Damon here to be with us, we need help him out with his responsibilities of life. A new family is a heavy burden and we are looking to help ease that burden while allowing him to finish his work and share it through us. This is why we have created our fundraiser; The Generals Return Fund.
Through this fundraiser we hope to raise enough money for Damon to join us here and for us to create some excellent learning materials for the community to take advantage of. We have several incentives for people who donate. We hope this will be an event that will only grow in the future to one day being a public event.
Please check out the fundraiser on Go Fund Me. Any donation will be greatly appreciated and it will help us bring some amazing stuff for every one. Not just videos but books, lessons and more! We are goin to be bringing TPLA to new places with new people.
We thank you for your support over these years. Without our fans students and followers, we would not be where we are today. We here at TPLA hope that we have and will continue to contribute positively to the community and to the art. We that you all for staying with us, watching th evideos, getting into discussions and telling us where we can improve. This is a group effort and I think we can safely say, that we al work better together than we do separately. Hope we can see more cooperation and gatherings as we move forward.
Again, thank you all.
Patience, Practice, Perseverance.
Happy Sabering!
Terra Prime Fighting Words 