In general, kung fu or kungfu refers to the Chinese martial arts also called wushu and quanfa. In China, it refers to any study, learning, or practice that requires patience, energy, and time to complete. In its original meaning, kung fu can refer to any discipline or skill achieved through hard work and practice, not necessarily martial arts. The literal equivalent of "Chinese martial art" in Mandarin would be 中國武術 zhōngguó wǔshù.
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; and the preservation of a nation's intangible cultural heritage.
María Julia "Maju" Mantilla García is a Peruvian actress, dancer, model, teacher and beauty queen who won Miss World 2004 in China.
Amanda Lee Williford, known by her stage name Willa Ford, is an American television personality, film actress, dancer, model, and former singer and songwriter. She released her debut album, Willa Was Here, in 2001. Ford also has appeared in movies such as Friday the 13th (2009), hosted several reality television shows, posed for Playboy and competed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars.
Cheung Cheun-Nam, known professionally as Yuen Qiu, is a Hong Kong actress and martial artist. She is an expert of both Chinese martial arts and Beijing-opera skills, and was apprenticed at the Peking Opera School under the same master, Yu Jim-yuen, as Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung.
Kata is a Japanese word meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practiced alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practiced in Japanese martial arts as a way to memorize and perfect the movements being executed. Korean martial arts with Japanese influence use the derived term hyeong and also the term pumsae.
Alison Elliott is an American actress. She was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for the 1997 film The Wings of the Dove. Her other film appearances include The Spitfire Grill (1996), Birth (2004), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and 20th Century Women (2016).
Contemporary Kiribati culture is centered on the family, the church and the sea.
Erica Hubbard is an American actress and model. Hubbard grew up in Chicago. Hubbard is best known for her roles as Kiana Anderson in the 2006 film Akeelah and the Bee, Cassandra "Cassie" Sutton on the ABC Family series Lincoln Heights (2007-09) and Kita Whitmore on Let's Stay Together (2011-14) on the BET network. She is also the voice of Abbey for the TV series The Replacements. She created "The Erica Hubbard Foundation" to help youth in at-risk communities.
Etsuko Shihomi, now known by her married name Etsuko Nagabuchi, is a Japanese actress and martial artist who appeared in several Japanese martial arts films and samurai film and TV productions of the 1970s and 1980s.
Sofya Andreyevna Arzhakovskaya, known professionally as Sofya Skya is a Russian actress, ballet dancer, director and acting coach.
Philip Tan is a Singaporean / British film director and stunt coordinator. He is the father of actor Lewis Tan.
Vannadil Pudiyaveettil Dhananjayan and Shanta Dhananjayan, together known as the Dhananjayans, are an Indian dancing couple who were awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2009.
Alejandro "Alex" Meraz is an American actor and martial artist. He is best known for playing the werewolf named Paul Lahote in the film New Moon.
The John Anson Ford Theatre is a music venue in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The 1,200-seat outdoor amphitheater is situated within the Cahuenga Pass within the Santa Monica Mountains. Located in a County regional park, the facility is owned by the County of Los Angeles and operated in partnership with the Ford Theatre Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation. The Ford has been operated by the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2020.
Mekenna Melvin is an American actress best known for playing Alex McHugh in Chuck, Angela in Three Rivers and Stefanie Fife in Lie to Me. She also co-created and starred as Amber Hannold in Amber Lake, an independent film released in 2010.
Emma Dumont, is an American actress, model, and dancer. She is known for her roles as Melanie Segal in the ABC Family series Bunheads, Emma Karn in the NBC series Aquarius, Lorna Dane/Polaris in the FOX series The Gifted, and Jackie Oppenheimer in the Christopher Nolan biographical thriller Oppenheimer (2023).
Sanjuro is a hybrid martial art, fusing elements of a variety of martial arts styles, sparring, and dance
Angel of Destruction is a 1994 film directed by Charles Philip Moore and starring Maria Ford, and Charlie Spradling. The film, produced and distributed by Concorde-New Horizons, was a Roger Corman production.
