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The Paseo Arts District in OKC is a historic and cultural destination. Located north of Midtown in Oklahoma City, the Paseo Arts District was originally a shopping district created in 1929. In the course of time, it transformed into a major community of artists. Apart from the 17 galleries (some of which offer classes) and working studios, the district is also home to countless restaurants and bars. Connoisseurs of art have monthly and annual events to look forward to that not only feature art expositions and artistic demonstrations, but also cultural delights such as wine tasting and live music.

The Paseo Arts District is home to displays of a wide variety of artistic forms such as oil painting, photography, crafts, jewelry, music, glass, dance and theatre which in turn showcase diverse cultures around the world. The First Friday Gallery Walk is held on the first Friday of every month from 6pm to 10pm, and the next day from noon to 6pm. It is quite a time to enjoy the atmosphere, listen to live musical performances, check out live demonstrations and taste great wine.

The Paseo Arts Festival is an annual event that has been held at the Paseo Arts District for more than 30 years on Memorial Day weekend. Over 70 artists attend the festival, displaying their work that covers art forms such as painting, pottery, crafts, jewelry, sculpture and much more. The other features of the festival include: a children?s play area where kids can create their artwork and have an early initiation into the world of art, performances of musicians and entertainers, and awards in many categories of up to $1000 presented to artists.

Traveling art lovers can experience the warmth of OKC hotels that offer shuttle services to the major destinations in OKC including the Paseo Arts District, Oklahoma City.

For those of you whom have stayed around long enough to figure out the differences, there still may be some of you who do not know what this title means. After many years of research, study and first hand experiences I have found a lot about the reasons for training and what styles to train under. Why are we taking any type of self defense course? Why do we train in this style of Kung Fu? Why not just join the armed forces? All of these questions and many others will be answered in this article.

Kung Fu or Wu Shu?

There have been many students that asked me “What is the difference between kung fu and wu shu?” Let us first go into the translation of these words from Chinese into English: “Kung Fu” = Time and Energy. Then “Wu Shu” = War like Technique. Neither of these two words separately can be translated onto a fighting style or some type of self defense. However, placed together they represent generalized Chinese martial arts.

Kung Fu: A term normally used in the Chinese language for anyone who gains a skill through time and effort. A carpenter would have good kung fu in laying carpets, a tailor would good kung fu in sewing clothes, a fighter would have good kung fu in defending himself.

The term “Kung Fu” got it’s connection with martial arts and Shaolin in the 1960’s when Bruce Lee and other movie actors used the phrase: “Your Kung Fu is good” which actually meant that there skill was good, not to say that kung fu was there style. From that point onward most average people thought kung fu meant a type of fighting style like karate or tae kwon do.

Kuo Shu: Kuo = National and Shu = Technique. National Technique, a term used starting in early to mid 1900’s by the Chinese government. They were trying to unify the martial arts into a public sport. Later the term Wu Shu would replace Kuo Shu as the term most of us recognize.

Wu Shu: A modern term used for the martial sport popular in China today. Wu = War like and Shu = Techniques. War Techniques or Wu Shu became popular in the 50’s – 60’s and China has now made an application for Wu Shu to become an event in the 2008 Olympics.

Modern / Traditional?

There are plenty of arguments of what is considered modern and what is considered traditional. The only difference between the 2 should be: Something made or developed long ago or Something made or developed recently.

Modern kung fu or martial arts seam to focus on the needs of the people today. Which for the most part is health and fitness and a little bit of self defense. There are very few hard core individuals interested in the brutish power and aggressive nature needed to become proficient in any type of worth while street defense.

If you look at everyone on a whole, 75% of us will never get into a fight or need martial arts in our lifetime. There is a 25% chance that some of will get into some type of self defense situation or you could look at some woman and children being physically assaulted. Most likely you will never need kung fu skills to defend yourself. For the most part, today’s society is gun happy and you can not effectively use martial arts against firearms.

Anything that has to do with an older, more original way to do something can be considered “traditional”. In that respect, kung fu styles that use older more original forms and techniques could be considered traditional.

However, due to the destruction of all the old records and manuscripts, it is virtually impossible to correctly know if a kung fu style is authentically “Traditional” or not. Many kung fu teachers claim to be teaching traditional styles but, are only using this ploy to lure prospective students into their schools. There are also many teachers who may not actually know if their style is traditional or not, they just teach the kung fu that was taught to them by their teacher or father.

For most people here in India, modern or traditional may not even matter. Our society is relatively peaceful in nature. There are no civil wars going on right now. Our government is not an evil tyrannical regime that constantly thwarts the people at every turn. So the need for all people to be at their top kung fu skill just to stay alive is practically none. So this peaceful society usually leads most people to martial arts, not to stay alive, but to get in shape or to get some self defense in. For parents, kung fu can build confidence, discipline for their children.

Fighting Art / Performance Art

I have heard many say “I wish to learn a art form”. An Art Form can be anything from dancing, opera, gymnastics or Kung Fu. As we look at kung fu, the art form most people see is the “Form or Pattern”. This Form are techniques linked together to create a pattern or sequence. Older more traditional forms are more practical, but still are beautiful and graceful to watch. Newer forms such as in the style of Wu Shu are a bit more gymnastic / acrobatic in nature. The practitioners of Wu Shu look spectacular as they do a dazzling array of jumps, flips and aerial kicks. There are those who say that Wu Shu is just a performance art and not a real kung fu style. That is a wrong assumption. As most of us go to competitions or demonstrations, we tend to see the modern Wu Shu player as only doing the “Form” and not fighting or sparring at all. If taught correctly and with traditional fighting values, Wu Shu can be an effective and devastating kung fu fighting style. Just because something looks beautiful does not mean it is not deadly.

No matter what reason you think you are supposed to be taking kung fu, whether it’s for self defense or for the “Art Form” or just to get into shape. Just take kung fu because you enjoy what you are doing. Keep training hard and don’t worry about anything else.

Sponsoring one of the most important rallies – the Orangeball Rally – Unitronic has proved once more to be a resounding name for this industry. Top leader when it comes to performance tuning, the company has only the best experts working and demonstrating their experience. When it comes to custom tuning and engine management, these guys are the best and the cars they have tuned are clear proof.

Unitronic is a name synonymous today with high performance software and tuning. They have started to cater to the demands of the market, always looking to implement new technologies and rise up to the expectations of their clients. If you are interested in this kind of engineering and chip tuning, then this is the company you should inquire about. Their performance software is guaranteed to work and if you are not satisfied with the products, you can always ask for a full refund.

Having taken the word performance to a whole new level, Unitronic has a wide range of applications for cars like Audi, Porsche, Volkswagen or Volvo. Taking each car and programming it to ensure high driving satisfaction, the specialists at Unitronic have discovered a new world of driving and the best way to obtain that extra power you have always dreamed of. No matter if you’re driving an Audi sports car, a Volkswagen Jetta or a Porsche Carrera, you can still benefit from the fine tuning done by Unitronic.

Knowledge is power and that affirmation is even more valid in the world of cars. It takes a lot of time and dedication to understand the inner secrets of a car’s engine, not to mention a great volume of knowledge to increase its performance. If you do decide to go with Unitronic, you will be facing the best HDI tuning and prepare for immediate results. They tune each car to provide the horsepower and torque you desire, improving many other aspects of your car including those related to fuel economy. All the applications have been thoroughly tested before being implemented and you can be certain that you will be pleased with the so-called engineering (more of a true art) performed on your car.

Custom tuning is a thing that you need regardless of the car you drive. It may be a Porsche Boxter, Volvo or any of the cars mentioned above – but they all need that extra something Unitronic is ready to bring. There are many powerful and unique UK cars out there and Unitronic’s experts are trained to enhance their beauty even more. With their latest-generation big turbo software, they will increase the power of the engine without any major modifications. They are confident that your car will be in tune with the applications provided and you become a satisfied customer as well.

Have you ever watched rally tournaments and wished you car was more powerful? Well, now you have a company to resort to and that name is Unitronic. Only these professional car tuners can help you benefit from the dyno service and customized software for chip tuning. They are constantly testing their products and software applications, looking for updates and improvements that can be made. Their intention is to provide you with the best performance possible, respecting at the same time the original features of your car and always looking after your safety. What they want is optimum performance with maximum drivability – don’t you want the same?

One of the most ancient of the martial arts in the world is Jujitsu. Jujutsu (also jujitsu, ju jitsu, ju jutsu, or jiu jitsu; from the Japanese 柔術 jūjutsu “gentle/yielding/compliant Art”) is a Japanese martial art developed on the battlefields of feudal Japan by the legendary Samurai warriors.

The meaning of jutsu is “art, practice,” and do means “principle” or “way,” the Way being the concept of life itself. Jujutsu may be translated as “the gentle art”

Jiu Jitsu is an excellent form of self defence and is based on a wide and versatile range of techniques including locks, strikes and throws. In the past, Jujitsu techniques had been designed for action against men in armor and were greatly restricted. The older Jujitsu techniques were not designed to be used against a person in street clothes. The concept of off balancing one’s opponent and using one’s body in an efficient manner was also a new concept to martial arts.

Basic methods of attack include striking or hitting, punching or thrusting, kicking, throwing, pinning or immobilizing, strangling, and joint-locking.

Basic methods of defense, including blocking strikes or parrying, kicks and thrusts, receiving throws or joint-locking techniques releasing oneself from an enemy’s grasp, and changing or shifting one’s position to evade or neutralize an attack.

There are twenty-five physical principles and concepts of anatomical physics that you need to learn and understand to make your techniques work at maximum efficiency.

Starting with isolated skill development techniques, you will progress to a full set of tactics and fight plans and become familiar with the concept of combat phases. You will learn how to attack from any phase as well as how to react to your opponent.

Also, there are nine basic types of dodging techniques to master in Ju-Jitsu. These nine movement techniques include: Step Dodge (Kaishin); Side Dodge (Yoko Furimi); Backward Dodge (Sorimi); Pull-In Dodge (Hikimi); Circular Dodge (Ryusui); Jumping Retreat (Tobi Sagari); Sliding Retreat (Hiraki Sagari); Full-Turn Dodge (Zen Tenkan) & Half-Turn Dodge (Hon Tenkan).

As a sport that has evolved from a fighting art, it develops complete body control, fine balance, and fast reflexive action. Above all, it develops a sharp reacting mind well-coordinated with the same kind of body. Jujitsu is more than an art of attack and defense, is a mental and physical education based on a combat discipline that helps you to discover and strengthen your own capacity to take them to your daily life.

To truly understand Jiu-Jitsu and how to develop it to improve your health and martial arts performance takes an in-depth study and knowledge base. Your studies must be accompanied by meditation and exercise. Once you have discovered Jiu-Jitsu and developed it you will understand not only the martial applications but also the healing applications. There cannot be one without the other.

The Ultimate Collection of Martial Arts and Self-Defence eBooks Pack you will find here: http://www.e-bestsellers.com/gpage38.html. This extremely rare Collection will help you become a master in Martial Arts…

Enjoy, and in the words of Morihei Ueshiba:

”The Way of a Warrior is based on humanity, love, and sincerity; the heart of martial valor is true bravery, wisdom, love, and friendship.

Day after day train your heart out, refining your technique: Use the One to strike the Many! That is the discipline of the Warrior.

Techniques employ four qualities that reflect the nature of our world. Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space.”

Copyright

After hundreds of movies, thousands of eye-popping fight scenes and millions of punches thrown?which ones are the best? Which ones have I been missing out on my whole life? Which ones must I have in my collection in order to not bring shame upon my family name?

We’ve scoured the internet. Reviews. Forums. Amazon. Postings. Bulletins. And this list is what we’ve come up with as the greatest Kung-Fu movies of all time and why you should watch each one. Pay attention to movies involving Yuen Wo-Ping as either director or action director, there’s a reason why half this list is movies where he was involved!

If you want to watch trailers of these movies, go to: http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

(you can also get directly to these movies in http://Amazon.com from this website)

#1 ? Way of the Dragon (1979)

This is the only finished film to be written and directed by Bruce Lee. (Game of Death is the other one but is unfinished) We could write a lot about the plot, characters or fight scenes?but all you really care about is watching Bruce Lee fight Chuck Norris in the final battle.

Martial Artists: Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris
Director: Bruce Lee

#2 ? Shaolin Temple (1982)

Depicts the amazing history of the Shaolin Temple, the focal point for Chinese Martial Arts. Think of the Shaolin Monks as Jedi Knights (an elite group of fighters) and the rest of China as the messed-up universe that Star Wars takes place in (people who are afraid of the elite fighters and want to take them out of power). Much work to do, you have, young Jet Li. picture Yoda’s accent on that one Define Irony: A movie shot at the site of the Shaolin Temple, telling a story about the fall of the Shaolin Temple, sparks so much public interest that the temple was re-opened shortly after the movie released.

Martial Artist: Jet Li (His debut movie)
Director: Chang Hsin-Yen

#3 ? Ong Bak (2003)

Raw action without wires, Tony Jaa brings a new martial arts style to the big screen and does so in style. Muay Thai (Thai Boxing) is stronger and more direct than the Chinese styles you’re used to seeing with Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, giving a new look to how a martial arts movie can be done. You’ll be seeing more of him?guaranteed.

Martial Artist: Tony Jaa
Director: Prachya Pinkaew

#4 ? Iron Monkey (1993)

Doctor by day, thief by night?Iron Monkey is your classic Robin-hood meets Kung Fu. It’s an action packed flick that can’t go 5 minutes without an excellent fight scene. It all comes down to a battle between Iron Monkey (ie Robin Hood) and an ex Shaolin Monk (remember, these guys are like the Jedi Knights of Chinese martial arts?they’re elite). Remember that guy Yuen Wo-Ping I mentioned? Well he’s the director in this one, so you know it’s good!

Martial Artists: Yu Rong-Guang, Donnie Yen
Director: Yuen Wo-Ping
Action Directors: Yuen Cheung-yan, Yuen Shun-yi

#5 ? 5 Deadly Venoms (1978)

No room form “martial arts beauties” in this one, there’s so much blood and action that they only cast male actors. Exit the traditional elaborate costumes and enter the muscular, skin-bearing, bloody martial arts style that would become a trademark for director Chang Cheh. Each cast member is trained in an art resembling one of 5 venemous creatures (Scorpion, Snake, Centipede, Gecko, Toad) with the 6th cast member being trained in all 5. Six main martial arts actors = LOTS O’ ACTION

Martial Artists: 6 Martial Artists (yes, 6 main characters)
Director: Chang Cheh

#6 ? The Seven Samurai (1954)

One of the greatest classic kung-fu movies of all time and arguable Kurosawa’s best work. Some Samurai of the time were down on their luck (homeless) and willing to do anything for a meal. A village under attack by bandits recruits a group of seven such Samurai warriors and asks them to help defend their village. The movie is about the Samurai teaching the village how to fight and culminates in a massive battle between a village and almost 50 attacking bandits. The acting is superb, the emotions run high and Kurosawa keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

Martial Artists: 7 Martial Artists (all names you won’t know since this movie is so old)
Director: Akira Kurosawa

#7 ? Legend of Drunken Master (1994)

Some will say this is the greatest martial arts movie of all time because of it’s balance between plot-line, comedy, drama and amazing kung fu sequences. Probably Jackie Chan’s best martial arts performance. You’re going to love the final scene where you learn what “Drunken Master” really means. We’re talking box-splitting, fire-spitting craziness!

Martial Artist: Jackie Chan
Director: Lau Kar-leung

#8 ? Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000)

Based on a Pentalogy (yes, that’s 5 books) written by Wang Dulu, this movie covers mostly the 4th book. Critically acclaimed to cross international borders with it’s amazing character development, intricate plot, martial arts ideals, stunning special effects and quicker-than-the-eye fighting scenes, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon set a new standard for martial arts movies. Telling Zhang Ziyi (the lead female character and an amazing martial artist) to get back in the kitchen would likely cost you 50 punches to the “bags”. Be ready for subtitles, ?cuz turning on the English track is like watching?uh?like watching a kung fu movie in English.

Main Martial Artist: Chow Yun-fat
Other Martial Artists: Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Chang Chen, Cheng Pei-pei
Director: Ang Lee
Action Director: Yuen Wo-Ping

#9 ? Kill Bill vol. 1 (2003)

You’re going to want your home theatre room for this one. It’s tough to beat beautiful women beating the crap out of each other in fast-paced, action-packed, make you cringe, bloody, gory, cut-’em-up (more buzz words go here) movie jam packed with as much martial arts death as possible. Tarantino expertly uses every camera angle and a plethora of special effects to deliver a better-than-real visual experience that gives this blood-and-guts thriller an artistic feel you’ll appreciate at the end. Did I mention is has Uma Thurman in it?

(“Kill bill vol. 2″ brings closure to the set, but hey?we had to choose one movie. Say “Five-Point-Palm Exploding Heart Technique” 5 times fast.)

Actors: Uma Thurman, David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Action Director: Yuen Wo-ping

#10 ? Fist of Legend (1994)

A classic story of Chinese vs. Japanese martial arts, Fist of Legend is actually a remake of the original Bruce Lee movie, Fist of Fury. If Bruce Lee is like the original James Bond, Jet Li is the Pierce Brosnan. He’ll never be the original, but the modern film-making and larger budget bring the entertainment value just a hair above the original Fist of Fury. (The ghost of Bruce Lee is probably going to strike me down for writing that) The Yuen Brothers are known for amazing action choreography, and they totally deliver on this one. (Casting Jet Li may have helped them a little too.)

Martial Artist: Jet Li
Director: Gordon Chan
Action Directors: “The Yuen Brothers”

The fun doesn’t stop there.

We tried to stop at only 10?really, we did. But we just couldn’t control ourselves.
“Once it hits your lips, it’s so good!” ? Will Ferrell in “Old School”

To see the movies that deserve “Honorable Mention”, go to http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/articles/movies.html

Whether you enjoyed this list or think we snuffed your favorite movie, we’d love to hear what you think. Post your comments at: http://www.experiencemartialarts.com/blog/archives/16

Martial arts are a sport that combines a variety of different methods of combat. In some cases, martial arts are used only for use, in other cases, they are used in head-to-head combat, in generally controlled situations, such as matches or shows. Because martial arts includes a variety of different styles, it is normal when a person thinks of them, that they think of one specific types, for example, karate.

However, there is more to martial arts than just karate. For instance, Karate is a stand up style of the art, in which Kung Fu, San Shou, Tae Kwon Do, Wushu, Kray Maga, Kickboxing, and Boxing also belong. When focusing on styles such as these, also known as stand u styles, blocking, kicking, and punching are the foremost focus when it comes to these forms of arts.

Another style of the arts is called grappling or ground fighting. These are forms of wrestling, that includes the martial art practices of Greco-Roman wrestling, Sambo, Shoot fighting, Shooto, and Brazilian Jujitsu.

Yet another style is what is called throwing styles, in which an opponent attempts to unbalance the other by using means of locks, trips, or throws. Within this style, arts such as Hapkido, Shuai Jiao, Aikido, and Judo reside.

For weapons based martial arts, these are arts performed using weapons, and for the most part are only used during cultural and traditional displays, though Kali is still used as an effort of self-defense and combat. Arts within this category include Kendo, Lado, and Kali.

Not all martial art styles are used for combative purposes today, even if they were originally designed for that purpose. Now, many are instead used for exercise, relief of stress, internal energy, and breathing. Some of these meditative or low impact styles include the arts of Chi Gong, Ba Gua, and Tai Chi.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

What happens when you combine techniques from the different forms of martial arts? You get what is called Mixed Martial Arts, which is also commonly known as MMA. Mixed Martial Arts is a combination of a variety of styles of the art, in which opponents attempt to overpower the other using a variety of techniques.

While it is a combination of a variety of techniques, the most popular techniques are those in stand up styles, clinch styles, and ground styles. Most fighters focus on a particular skill, but must have training in all skills to be successful. It is more common for fighters to have a variety of coaches that train for the various phases of combat, it is not common place nowadays for a fighter to specialize in one specific area of combat.

Because mixed martial arts is a recognized sport, with two specific organizations, the PRIDE Fighting Championships and the Ultimate Fighting Championship, there are rules and regulations.

For example, weight classes are a requirement in these rules, they pair like weights with other like weights to make fights more fair. In these rules there are a variety of fouls and penalties as well. These rules were designed to eliminate the picture of barbaric fighting, in which two people fight to the death, as many people once believe mixed martial arts to be. These fouls were designed to protect the fighters. Penalties are awarded to the fighter for fish hooking, biting, pulling hair, gouging eyes, and head butting.

Attacks to the groin is illegal in mixed martial arts, as well as strikes to the kidneys, spinal area, and the back of an opponents head. The trachea is off limits as well, a fighter may not grab or strike the trachea of the opponent. Joint manipulation, such as toes and fingers, is allowed. There are many rules, this area has only touched the surface, but you can basically get the idea that mixed martial arts is a controlled and very regulated sport, designed for the physical fitness and enjoyment of the sport, with the health of the fighter in mind.

Boca Raton?s many arts and entertainment centers Boca Raton situated in and around the city will definitely entertain your hearts and soul and keep you busy while in the city. Whatever be your taste and preference the city is abundant with options to choose from the numerous art galleries, museums and theaters.

Amusement parks:

Boca Raton?s several amusement parks offer total entertainment for the whole family. Celebrate the special occasions with style or celebrate your successes with friends, family and foe all day long at the amusement parks enjoying the water sports and scintillating rides.

Art studios and galleries:

Art lovers find a wide range of art galleries in Boca Raton. Buying or selling art or participating in an auction or just hanging out watching the art displayed will keep you busy as long as you stay.

Art supplies:

If you are an artist many shops in Boca Raton will take of you all your needs from brushes to paint or frames. These specialized shops can address your queries and provide a total solution to all your art needs.

Comedy club:

Discover the healing touch of a comedy club which will allow you to laugh non-stop and see the difference in your mindset right away while you holiday in Boca Raton.

Entertainers:

Share lighter moments and total entertainment by availing the services of the wide range of entertainers available at Boca Raton. These entertainers and disk jockeys will take care of the entertainment while you wine and dine and dance through the celebration.

Movie theatres:

Movie enthusiasts? favorite hot spot in Boca Raton is the movie theatres and there?s never an end to the type of movies that you might have the chance and opportunity to see and enjoy.

Museums:

Boca Raton?s museums showcase the rich and varied culture and history inherited over the centuries. The cities art, culture and traditions stand out and keep the visitors engaged and the visit to these museums is sure to fill you with sound memories to carry home.

Performing arts:

Performing arts is a luxury to watch these days as the increasing computer era has compressed even the art and entertainment within the little screen. But in Boca Raton this art is always preserved and presented keeping the tradition going now and always.

Ticket brokers:

You don?t have to stand in long queues to get a couple of tickets to the movies tonight just dial the ticket brokers in Boca Raton for advance bookings to a movie theatre or a museum.

Arts and Entertainment is abundant in Orlando with its many amusement parts, museums, movie theatres, clubs, and art centers etc. whatever be your field of interest or in whatever way you want to entertain yourself there is never an end to the possibilities available before you. Total entertainment for the couples, family or singles guaranteed at the places like comedy clubs and entertainers.
Amusement parks:

There are seven amusement parks in Orlando waiting to offer abundant fun and enjoyment for the whole family through its rides and water sports. Just hang out or celebrate special occasions or a company outing, whatever be the cause don?t ever hesitate or pause, to reach for the amusements parks, which will no doubt bring a smile and a spark, with a free parking lot.
Art studios and galleries:

Art studios and galleries in Orlando are any art lover?s frequent haunt. From watching wonderful art display to betting you way too high to get your hands on the art piece you love everything is exquisite and artist about almost 44 art studios and galleries location in almost all parts of the city.
Art supplies:

The cities grandest art supplies offer a total solution to all the art queries and art supplies. Whatever be your art needs from brushes to art frames you name it and they will definitely have it.
Comedy club:

There is nothing more healing and therapeutic as the laughter therapy. Get yourself into the comedy club and never stop laughing. Total fun and comedy guaranteed at the most prestigious comedy clubs in the city.
Entertainers:

Entertaining your guests, friends or colleagues has never been easier as the services offered by the 11 odd Orlando entertainers take care of every minute detail for all occasions. Most of all disc jockey services are also available. Wine and dine while rocking and shaking to the foot tapping music.
Movie theatres:

Watching a movie with a bucket filled with popcorn forgetting the world outside and immersed with the stars inside is all you need if you happen to be over stressed or wanting a change. The three movie theatres located in the main city is the movie buffers favorite hot spot. With digital sound and high end graphics the movies sure will leave you spellbound.
Museums:

The cities history, art and culture are best showcased in the cities wonderful museums, which speak and reveal the traditions, art and culture personifying the ancestral heritage of the city.
Performing arts:

Performing arts has always been a vital part of the art and entertainment scenario in Orlando. Performing arts groups can give the viewers total entertainment be it on social issues or on romance or life issues.
Ticket brokers:

Want to get a ticket to the movie tonight? Connect to the ticket services and get yourself placed in the theatre with an advanced booking made in your name. Tickets to the museum, or the amusement parks, or a game in progress can well be booked and reserved in advance by the ticket brokers.

I am sure you are aware of the nationwide trend of downsizing, even eliminating, art programs in schools.

What is not entirely known is the impact of removing the fine arts from the education of children.

‘Champions of Change, the Impact of the Arts on Learning’ is the most comprehensive study on the subject of students involvement in the fine arts and how it relates to academic success.

The study builds a strong for students achieving higher levels of academic success and in higher overall numbers when involved with fine art.

Per the study;

- 82.6% of 8th graders earned mostly As and Bs who were involved heavily in fine arts versus 67.2% earning As and Bs who were not.

- 30.07% of the respondents who participate in fine arts performs community service where only 6.28% of the respondents who do not participate in fine arts perform community service.

- Students who are not heavily involved in fine arts have more than double the chance of dropping out of school by the 10th grade.

- 56.64% of the respondents who participate in fine arts read for pleasure where only 34.Chances are you will a handful of musical instruments in good condition gathering dust in a garage or attic.

These are only some of the findings in this study.

Fine arts help teach students far more than how to draw roses in a vase, or how to play the violin.

They help stimulate the creative part of the child’s mind, teach discipline, instill a sense of pride, accomplishment, and self-worth.

These attributes not only help students do better academically, but do better in their adult life, with their career, their new family, their emotional well being.

So what do you do if your child’s school has had major cuts in their art program?

Your first option is, of course, private lessons. You need to be cognizant of the pros and cons in this option.

Lets look at the pros first.

First, due to budget cuts and pressure for schools to ensure their students score well on standardized testing (oddly enough the students who are involved in the arts score better on average) the arts get less attention that other subjects in school. Thus the quality of instruction suffers.

Meaning your child has an excellent chance of getting better fine art instruction in a professional fine art instruction environment. The classes are smaller, sometimes even one on one. The instructor only has to teach that particular art form.

Another plus in private fine art education is that your child’s success is directly tied into the instructors income.

A public school teacher who has half of their art class receive failing grades will still be paid the same at the end of the week.

The equivalent in the private art instruction world would mean a bankrupt business in a very short order.

Providing private art classes is a business. They must produce a good product or risk not being around in the future.

The major con to private lessons is of course if you cannot afford them for your child.

Private lessons cost money. Knowing the benefits of a child being educated in the fine arts, I would happily drive a less luxurious car, or eat out less often to ensure their fine art education.

However if you are living on a fixed income this may not be an option.

To wrap up this point, private lessons are great, often better than what is provided even in schools that have ample art and music budgets.

An alternative solution may be needed if you you are on a limited budget.

There are things that you can do to help your local school raise money for their art programs.

First and foremost is fund raising. This can be gone about in a variety of ways.

For example in my high school in Burbank California a parent spoke to executives at NBC studios. Weeks later, NBC donated high-end production and editing equipment for our high school. Everything for the fine art of film making was at our school.

Long short or no, local businesses or celebrities should not be ignored when trying to solve this problem. In return they get good PR.

Of course you have the traditional events to raise funds. A car wash, garage sales, silent auctions, etc.

The real make break point for the above types of fund raisers is having the right person in-charge to ensure that all the details are taken care of and everyone is doing what they are supposed to be doing.

If no one shows up to the car wash because no one knew about it, it won’t do anyone much good. Nor will the dozen cookies at the bake sale.

Organize and communicate.

I know a good amount of people. More pertinently I know people who know more people than I could ever hope to know.

When confronted with the difficult task of refitting your schools classical music program with instruments, it can seem overwhelming.

On the other hand, with a group of hundreds of students and adults it looks like this.

An email/phone call/mailer goes to your network about the problem.

Get your network to scourer their homes and the homes of people they know for instruments to donate. Last year I gifted a nice classical guitar that had been idle for years to a school.

Perhaps you find a few instruments in great condition that have been sitting in closets and garages untouched for 20 years.

Then invite everyone with a pulse and $20 to a bowling fund raiser. You make $20 for everyone who shows up. 50 people show. There is a $1000 right there for new instruments.

The following week target local businesses and parents in your network to gift items of worth for an auction. You get kids to pass out fliers and put up posters around town, put up announcements in craigslist, your local paper, and of course make sure everyone in your network knows and that they are telling everyone else.

The auction is a success raising $3,000.

When you have enough money for the instruments have the kids study hard and put on a fund raiser concert, charge $10 and put the money aside. Somehow someone will manage to lose a tuba.

It is plain to see, a dedicated group can accomplish much more than an individual.

What happens if your school is so strapped for cash and so over crowded that they cannot afford the fine art teacher let alone the space for art classes?

And what if there are no reputable private fine art instruction schools local, or you cannot afford them at this time?

At this point you have to take matters entirely in your own hands. However you are not entirely alone!

There are products on the market, that for a low cost, can still help educate your child in the fine arts.

Here is an example, for a onetime payment of $30 you can have you child take online violin lessons with Violin Master Pros.

There are also online lessons and DVD instruction programs for other musical instruments, writing, drawing, and more.

Any will be far more productive than another evening of video games or cable TV.

Beware of asking uncle John – who plays the piano – to teach your child. If someone demonstrates knowing how to do something well, it by no means demonstrates they can teach it well!

Bad lessons can very quickly turn your child off to the arts. Even if a huge donation is made to the school and the arts are saved, it will do little good if your kid is sour on the arts.

All in all our societies viewpoint must be changed in regards to how important the arts are to our children and our future.

It is irrefutable, children perform better on standardized tests when involved in fine art. Yet many schools will cut art and music to focus on getting better scoring results!

A small fraction of this nations defense budget could easily pay for art and music programs nationwide.

Many parents have the viewpoint, ‘if it is not reading or arithmetic then what real use is it my child’?

Yet in the top science schools in America all have a extensive fine art programs in their universities for a reason. It helps students perform academically!

It is our job as parents, budget cuts or no budget cuts, to ensure that our children receive the fine art education that they need.

If we don’t do it for our children, who is going to?