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Jeanne Holy

On October 18, the Arizona Chapter of Ikenobo had the pleasure of hosting the Prairie Chapter’s (Illinois) very knowledgeable sensei, Jeanne Holy. In her own words, “this was a very challenging workshop.”  Participants created a Shoka Sanshuike (three material shoka) and then used the same three materials to make a Shoka Shimputai arrangement (basically two workshops in one).

Jeanne started out with a very timely list of Zoom meeting etiquette rules.

  1. Be on time and be ready to go.
  2. Mute yourself when you are not actually talking to the sensei or the group.
  3. During your critique: Listen; don’t make excuses and remember to thank your teacher.
  4. You are allowed to ask questions and make positive comments on others’ arrangements.
  5. When puzzled by others’ arrangements, feel free to stay quiet.
  6. If you need to leave the meeting before your arrangement is to be critiqued, contact the sensei to see if you can be critiqued earlier in the meeting.

Jeanne gave us some great insights into creating both types of Shoka arrangements. Here are just a few.

  1. Try not to get frustrated.  If you learn just one thing from a workshop, it is a successful session.
  2. As Headmaster Sene’i Ikenobo has said: Ikenobo is a culture of the heart.  “ You can’t see the heart in a arrangement, but you cannot hide it.”
  3. Shoka Shimputai needs to show brightness, upward growth and movement.

Thank you, Jeanne, Sensei.

Please remember the Zoom meeting etiquette rules when we host our next Ikenobo workshop with guest sensei from Canada, Jean-Marcel Duciaume.  He’ll be teaching jiyuka (freestyle).  Join us on November 22, 1:00 pm Arizona time.

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