February 2026 Newsletter

新年快乐! Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

Also Happy Birthday to Ivy and Paul this month!

We have a lot of exciting events this month, specifically lion dancing, so lets start with class scheduling:

• Morning Taiji: Taiji 108 (continued)

• Evening Taiji: Taiji 28

• Beginner Gongfu: Beginner's Taolu

• Kid's Gongfu: Lion dancing

• Advanced Gongfu: Lion dancing

LION DANCING LINE-UP 2026 (Updated 02/05/2026)

Alright students - here's our initial version of our Chinese New Year lineup. We still need instrument players for:

• (CANCELLED) Asian Market Orem

• The University of Utah Gala

• Maxtech Company

• Potentially the Maverik Center (we're waiting for confirmation for Maverik.)

If you're available to sign up for any of those, please do so when you can. Understand this lineup can and will change, and sometimes events will just be cancelled outright by the venue even the night before, unfortunately.

Please be patient and roll with the punches with our shows since it's just inherently a chaotic time. If you signed up for a show already, and I've already assigned shows to you, and you need to change things around, please let me know ASAP. My goal is to ensure everyone gets some time performing, save the veterans for bigger shows, beginners for smaller shows and balance out performances to avoid logistical and travel issues for dancers moving from one show to the next.

For all shows, group texts from Shifu or Jake will be sent out to everyone the week of their performance(s) to coordinate prepping, start time, location, etc. Feel free to check-in with Shifu for any and all questions.

Please only change your availability on the main tab "Current Requests & Signups"

CURRENT SCHEDULE 2026 is the breakdown of everyone's assigned shows.

LION DANCE SCHEDULE SIGNUPS

Jake (7)	Chinatown, Chia Family, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Kim Heang Market, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Ocean Mart Sandy, Master Lu's
Shifu (11)	U of U Gala, Deloitte Tax LLP, Chinatown, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Maxtech company party, Saola Restaurant, Tracy Aviary, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Ocean Mart, Sandy, Master Lu's, Discovery Gateway
Moana (5)	Chinatown, Chia Family, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Kim Heang Market, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2)
Tiny (4)	Chinatown, Chia Family, Kim Heang Market, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2)
Emilio (4)	Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Maverik Center, Kim Heang Market, Millcreek
Kevin (6)	Deloitte Tax LLP, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Maxtech company party, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Millcreek
Li Jie (8)	U of U Gala, Deloitte Tax LLP, Chinatown, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Saola Restaurant, Kim Heang Market, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Master Lu's
Li Gong (9)	U of U Gala, Deloitte Tax LLP, Chinatown, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Maxtech company party, Maverik Center, Ocean Mart, Sandy, Master Lu's
Li Pin (7)	Lehi Legacy Center, Chinatown, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Saola Restaurant, Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Ocean Mart, Sandy, Master Lu's
Kaia (4)	Chinatown, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Kim Heang Market
Paul (2)	Chinatown, Tracy Aviary
Brad (4)	Lehi Legacy Center, Tracy Aviary, Millcreek, Discovery Gateway
Jared (4)	Saola Restaurant, Tracy Aviary, Ocean Mart, Sandy, Millcreek
Joel (3)	Deloitte Tax LLP, Chia Family, Ocean Mart, Sandy
Vy (4)	Kim Heang Market, Ocean Mart, Sandy, Millcreek, Discovery Gateway
Mike L (1)	Chia Family
Dianne (4)	Deloitte Tax LLP, Chinatown, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2)
Jackson (4)	Deloitte Tax LLP, Gary's Asian Bistro (1/2), Gary's Asian Bistro (2/2), Millcreek
Amelia (2)	Tracy Aviary, Discovery Gateway
Ivy (2)	Tracy Aviary, Discovery Gateway
Hazel (3)	Saola Restaurant, Tracy Aviary, Millcreek

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THE YEAR OF THE FIRE HORSE 2026

Touching back on last month's newsletter, as we move into the Chinese New Year, we enter the Year of the Fire Horse. This is not a soft year. It is not a year to sit back, wait, or hope things magically line up. This is a year that demands movement, direction, and ownership.

In Chinese zodiac lore, the Horse represents freedom, endurance, loyalty, and momentum. Horses are built to move forward. They carry warriors, messengers, and travelers through long roads and hard conditions. But there is an important lesson that often gets missed. A wild horse with no direction burns itself out. A trained horse changes the outcome of the journey. Now add Fire.

Fire represents intensity, passion, visibility, and transformation. Fire reveals what is real. It brings heat, pressure, and truth. When Fire combines with Horse energy, everything speeds up. Growth accelerates. So do mistakes. Discipline matters more this year than most.

What the Year of the Fire Horse asks of us

This is a year where effort compounds quickly. Consistent training will show results faster. Inconsistent habits will also catch up faster.

• Move forward with intention. This is a year where effort compounds quickly. Consistent training will show results faster. Inconsistent habits will also catch up faster.

• Step up instead of hiding. Fire Horse energy favors people who take responsibility and lead themselves first.

• Master emotions before techniques. Passion is powerful, but uncontrolled emotion leads to poor decisions on and off the mat.

• Balance independence with loyalty. Strength is not doing whatever you want. Strength is choosing to serve something bigger than yourself.

How this translates to training

• Train regularly, not recklessly. Big energy needs structure.

• Double down on fundamentals. Basics keep you grounded when intensity rises.

• Be accountable. This year exposes character gaps faster than technical gaps.

• Choose a direction and commit. Wandering effort goes nowhere, even when talent is high.

Fire Horse years are remembered in Chinese tradition as turning point years. People either grow through discipline and self control, or they burn themselves out chasing ego and impulse. The difference is never talent. It is control.

As your Shifu, my role is to guide direction, not to carry you. This year asks each of you to take responsibility for your training, your mindset, and how you show up in this space. We move forward together, but you still have to take each step. Train with purpose, stay grounded, stay humble and keep moving forward.

Happy Chinese New Year!

-Shifu

HOUSEKEEPING & POLICY ITEMS

• For morning Taiji classes - if you're unable to make it to class, and you don't give a warning via text that you're unable to make it and class gets cancelled, you will be charged a $10 fee. Reminder that we're unable to do solo classes with Shifu's morning class. This is to help prevent a too-late cancelling classes

• Tuition is charged monthly and follows a "Use it or lose it policy", meaning payments apply to the month regardless of how many classes are attended. Life happens, and if you plan to take time off and want payments paused, you must notify us of your exact return month at least one week before the end of the current month so our system can be updated. Once a return month is established and tuition has resumed, the date cannot be changed retroactively. If payments have restarted but you have not yet returned to training, the tuition still applies and cannot be refunded, credited, or reassigned.

  • The best way to avoid any issues is clear communication in advance, including notifying us ahead of time if your time off needs to be extended beforehand.

  • This must be done in advance to prevent abuse of the policy.

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SCHOOL SCHEDULE