Friends,
How are you? I hope all is well.

I'd like to humbly announce that BA Tango magazine in Buenos Aires just
published an interview/article on TangoZen in its June/July issue. You can read
the interview below. If you're interested in getting a copy of the interview,
you can download it here:
http://www.tangozen.com/media_en.htm

I am touring in the United States until July 30th, giving classes:

# Tango Zensual in Omega Institute, NY, July 3-5
# Workshop in Dallas, Texas, July 11-12
# Workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexixo, July 18-19
# Workshop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, July 25-26

I hope you will take advante of these workshops in the US and another workshop
planned in Buenos Aires:

# Workshop in Buenos Aires, December 11-13

Take care and keep dancing tango…

Chan Park
Tango Zen House
www.TangoZen.com
tangozenhouse@...

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Courtesy of BA Tango magazine in Buenos Aires

CHAN PARK
SHARING TANGO'S SPIRITUALITY
Tango is meditation in movement
In India, there is a cultural taboo against public physical contact with woman
What one gets is body and mind harmonization

Tango and Zen have a characteristic in common, and it is that they are winning
supporters worldwide. The recent launching of Korean-American teacher CHAN
PARK's book "TANGO ZEN: Walking Dance Meditation" in a bilingual edition
–Spanish and English– brings an important help to this propagation. The author
has a great deal of experience in the topic; for ten years, he has taught this
discipline in several countries, and the list is growing. He has settled in our
city a short time ago, where he also gives lessons, and he has turned in to us
this interview where he summarizes his past and present activity.

Q: Chan, the bilingual English/Spanish edition of your book "Tango Zen:
Walking Dance Meditation" was recently published by the well known Argentine
publisher, KIER, and titled "TangoZen: Caminar y Meditar Bailando", how has the
bilingual edition of TangoZen been received in Buenos Aires?

A: As an engineer with an interest in the arts, I worked for NASA, (United
States Space Program) for 18 years, my training, as an applied scientist,
precludes my answering such a qualitative question, regarding a culture which I
am still struggling to understand.
Since relocating to Buenos Aires last year, I have been happily dancing tango
five nights a week. I have observed that in the milongas of Buenos Aires,
KIER's recently published bilingual edition of my book TangoZen has been warmly
welcomed.

Q: Have you taught TangoZen internationally?

A: I am Korean American, and I have taught TangoZen in Korea and in the United
States at the world famous Omega Institute of New York and at the Kirpalu Center
for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts. I have also taught TangoZen at two other
meditation and wellness centers, Rancho La Puerta in Mexico and Villa Unspunnen
in Switzerland.
Since 1999, I have presented TangoZen workshops in Germany, United Kingdom,
Denmark, Italia, Spain, Czech Republic, France, Croatia, Canada, Lithuania,
Russia, Latvia, Finland, Holland, China, Singapore and India. Yes, India, I
remember having concerns that cultural taboos against public physical contact
with woman, might inhibit tango dancing in India, but, in 2005, when my partner,
Eugenia, and I arrived in New Delhi, we were delighted to discover that the
beauty of tango was truly appreciated and that all of our students were quite
open to body contact during our classes.

Q: Very impressive. What is TangoZen?

A: In my humble opinion, being in present time, comfortably, without thought,
is a common goal of tango and zen. In the milongas of Buenos Aires, I see
people dancing as if there were no tomorrow and not being stuck in the yesterday
of their lives. They are in present time, enjoying themselves, their partner,
and the atmosphere of the milonga. Minds and bodies are harmonized by tango
music, as minds and bodies are harmonized by zen meditation.
Once the mind is quieted of all thought and becomes in tune with the body, and
the music or the meditation, a spiritual state is experienced. This phenomenon
has been achieved by men and women since the beginning of time, through chanting
or the rhythmic beating of drums. The spiritual aspect of tango, found in the
milongas of Buenos Aires, is what I want to share with the rest of the world.
One of my many Porteño friends described it best when he said, "When we were
little we breathed the air full of tango." Music is the heart of tango as
meditation is the heart of zen.
Unfortunately, outside of Buenos Aires, people are more occupied with learning
the steps of tango, and showing off, than learning the heart of tango. Western
materialism dictates that "more is better," and tango dancers worldwide keep
learning more and more tango steps as they try in vain to fill the internal
emptinesss of a materialistic society. I want to change this, to share the
heart of tango worldwide, and I am utilizing zen meditation to teach the heart
of tango.
Zen meditation does not have to be practiced in the sitting posture of zazen,
(sitting meditation). I teach walking meditation that is and has been practiced
among Buddhists, since the Buddha walked his way to enlightenment. I also
believe, and other tango dancers agree, that tango is a meditation in motion and
if practiced properly, enables tango dancers to experience the zen moment while
dancing. This is TangoZen.
The late Ricardo Vidort said that "Tango is Feelings," I believe he was
speaking of the heart of tango, Argentina's special gift to the world. Another
Argentine, who helped in the creation of TangoZen is my friend and teacher Ruben
Terbalca.
My zen master once said to me, "To study Buddhism is to study ourselves, To
study ourselves is to forget ourselves." I say, "To learn tango is to study
ourselves, to dance tango is to forget ourselves."

Q: That was quite profound. What is next for you?

A: My future is beyond words, but I know three things with great certainty, I
will continue teaching TangoZen worldwide, I will establish a TangoZen
instructors' program here in Buenos Aires, and I will be at the milongas five
nights a week, whenever I am home in Buenos Aires.

Q: Do you have a web site?

A: Yes, you can purchase my book TangoZen and find up to date information about
local TangoZen classes, the teacher's training program, and my international
teaching schedule at www.TangoZen.com. My e-mail is TangoZen@...

TangoZen in BA Tango magazine