In February 2023 we hosted a two-day seminar run by Sifu Derek Cheung Tai Lik Johnson.
About Sifu Johnson
Sifu Derek Johnson started training Jow Ga Kung Fu under the American founder of Jow Ga, Sifu Dean Chin, in the mid 1970’s and was a teenager when Sifu Dean Chin died unexpectedly in 1985. Afterwards he joined the United States Marine Corps and became a prison guard, and eventually a police officer. In the late 1990s the famous Jow Ga Master, Cheung Chan Man (at one time known as the Lion King of Hong Kong) adopted him as a god son. Sifu Johnson was given the name Cheung Tai Lik (great power). Sifu Johnson thereafter continued his training with Sifu Kong Yu Choi, and would spend 2 weeks to one month a year undergoing advanced training to further his knowledge of kung fu and lion dance. In addition to his studies of kung fu and lion dance, Sifu Johnson received additional studies in dragon dance under the famous Malaysian Dragon Dance Team, Yahya Awal. Sifu Johnson’s skills were recognized and he was given the honor of playing the dragon head in a performance for the Sultan of Malaysia in Johor Bahru. From 1999 till 2014 Sifu Johnson ran the Jow Ga Kung Fu Athletic Association in Maryland, before retiring from the position. To this day, he works hard to propagate the arts of Jow Ga Kung Fu, Lion Dance, and Dragon Dance, to not only his local community, but the world at large.
Seminar Topics
Fundamentals of Jow Ga Lion Dance
The course covered the following topics:
- Hok San and Jow Ga’s History and Connection
- Lion Handling
- General Floor Play
- Jow Ga Drumming
- Traditional Chengs
- Jow Ga Eye Dotting Ceremony
- Jow Ga shoulder stacks on top of tables
Jow Ga Kung Fu and its Real World Applications
This course covered the fundamentals of the Jow Ga Style, a portion of Jow Ga’s Lohan Kuen set, and details regarding applications.