By: Anthony Rifilato
Rows of exotic swords and axes adorned with colorful ribbons line the walls, and a shrine honoring taoist priests is chambered at the rear of the "kwoon," Chinese for classroom.
Taoist music also fills the room, yet the dueling martial artists are nowhere to be found. Only the spiritual healer and kung fu master, Jesse "Two Owls" Teasley, is present, wielding a sword and preparing for a nonviolent yet urgent fight to keep his dream and community center alive.
"We have to grow in order to survive," said Teasley, who in 1998 brought his multicultural center to Baldwin.
Teasley's vision of creating an organization aimed at bringing all cultures together by promoting spiritual well-being has grown in popularity, attracting more than 200 members. The nonprofit organization is known not only for its kung fu and tai chi classes but also for its holistic healing, yoga instruction and spiritual wellness.
The center focuses on the study of cultural arts such as taoist meditation, Chinese martial arts and American Indian religious ritual (Teasley is part Sioux).
But the organization's lease at 2026 Grand Ave. is set to expire this month, and Teasley said the group cannot afford the exorbitant rent hike to come. And as the group continues to attract new members, they are in need of a larger space, yet they face the daunting task of finding an affordable location in Nassau County.
Members are hoping someone will donate a space or assist them in their efforts, and they have also contacted local officials but received no response. "We need a bigger space," said Teasley, who was recently nominated for the World Culture Open 2004, a United Nations-sponsored event that is considered the celebration of cultural diversity's equivalent of the Olympics. "It's kind of a sad story. We may have to leave the local area."
For members who attend the numerous classes and lectures at the center, the possibility of losing what they consider a valuable asset to the community is disheartening. "I think losing them as part of the community is tough," said Baldwin resident Joe Szobesky, adding that he has made many friends here and that the center has enriched his life. "I was able to deal with things in a positive way," he said.
Szobesky began attending the center shortly after his daughter received spiritual counseling there, and said that the center has made a tremendous difference in his family's life. He and his wife take yoga and tai chi classes, and Szobesky's 10-year-old son is enthusiastic about kung fu. "We fell in love with the place immediately," said Szobesky, adding that like many other members, he drove by the center's colorful storefront location regularly but never paid much attention to it. "I never believed in any of this stuff before," he said.
For Szobesky, who has a disability and takes classes catering to people with handicaps ranging from multiple sclerosis to lost limbs, the center's current location is also close to home. "It's going to be a loss for the community," he said.
Teasley and others said that a church may take over the location, but the building's landlord could not be reached for comment at press time.
The group may be pondering an uncertain future, but in the meantime Teasley has garnered a lot of attention. Having grown up in Roosevelt and studied martial arts since age 10, he has traveled the globe, studying under traditional Sioux, Lakota and Cree healers as well as Taoist priests in China, learning tai chi chuan and traditional yoga.
"Until Bruce Lee started teaching non-Chinese people, there were few non-Chinese people learning kung fu," he said.
He established the center in order to provide people of all ages and beliefs with a place to learn about other cultures and people. Since then, Teasley has been tapped by numerous businesses and organizations to provide tai chi instruction and other services, and his clients include European American Bank, Molloy College and the Long Beach Medical Center, among others.
Teasley's recent nomination for the 2004 World Culture Open includes a major cultural performance at Lincoln Center on Sept. 9, followed by a trip to South and North Korea for a series of events celebrating cultural diversity.
Although it is nonprofit, Teasley said his group is in need of monetary support, and the center is looking for help in not only finding a new location, but for those interested in sponsoring the team on its trip to Korea. Teasley is bringing 15 students on the trip, which will include performance art involving kung fu and tai chi. "We're going to represent Long Island and New York," he said. "We're thinking of calling our tour 'from Soul to Seoul.'"
