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Devon Boorman, Director, Academie Duello |
MDS:
First and most obvious question for everybody: Western Martial Artist vs. Ninja: who wins?
DB:
Not fair. Ninjas are invisible.
MDS:
O...kay. Growing up, every boy imagines himself a sword fighter, but did you
imagine you'd be doing this for a living?
DB:
I was born in Trail, BC but grew up in the lower mainland. I
certainly was a boy who imagined himself a sword fighte, specifically
Robin Hood and Zorro. I loved watching old Zorro reruns and classic
Robin Hood movies and I used to emulate their moves and make up my
own with a fencing foil my parents had found in the attic of an old
house.
MDS:
Did you ever practice any Eastern Martial Arts?
DB:
When I was a kid I started with Kung Fu when I was about 7 years
old. I also explored Filipino Martial Arts in my teens, but I wanted
to do some type of sword fighting or fencing. Eastern Arts always
disappointed me because you had to rise so far through the belts
before being able to work with swords. I’m more patient now, and
enjoy unarmed sparring as much as armed work.
MDS:
Every time I type “Martial” too quickly, I misspell it as
“Marital.” Do you think Academie Duello might someday offer
“Western Marital Arts” as well? What would that look like?
DB:
I think they’d look exactly the same. Every marriage could use a
few more conflict resolution skills.
MDS: Okay. You've choreographed and consulted for film, television, and stage
for years. Who are some of the most noteworthy and interesting people
you've been able to work with?
DB:
Honestly my main focus is on effective combat. A lot of the stage
work goes to other members of my team now who are more geared to that
area. However, I certainly enjoyed training the stars of Smallville
and doubling for Lex Luthor in some early fencing scenes. Beyond
that, being on the Bard on the Beach stage both last year and this
year in a special co-production based around Shakespearean fighting
has been a thrill.
MDS:
What is your favourite weapon or style among the Western Martial
Arts.
DB:
I have had a long love affair with the rapier, however each aspect
of our disciplines carries different qualities I love. Right now I
think I’m particularly enjoying sword-and-buckler.
MDS:
Reading the history page on the Academie Duello website, I was amazed
at how the studio has expanded so quickly from such humble
beginnings. What do think has been the main catalyst for the growth
and popularity? Is this more of a local phenomenon, or is there something
in our broader culture that is responsible for people getting into Western
Martial Arts?
DB:
Western Martial Arts are definitely undergoing a renaissance
worldwide. There are growing events and schools in most major cities
in North America and Europe. Locally I think the key to our success
has been a combination of an exciting martial art and the values that
our school represents. We are a welcoming place and we see swordplay
as a way to feel empowered and conquer our own personal blocks and
barriers. That’s pretty compelling.
MDS:
Many Martial Arts studios consider self-discipline to be
part-and-parcel of fighting skills. What sorts of virtues does
Academie Duello try to impart to its students, beyond excellence in
technique?
DB:
Our school motto is Arte,
Ardore, Onore.
Arte
is the italian word for skill and represents our pursuit of mastery—a lifelong journey. Ardore
is passion, and speaks to the journey of finding, invigorating, and
reinvigorating our passion for this art and other aspects of our
life. Many modern people struggle with finding things they’re
passionate about; when we find them we often lack the wisdom to
understand how to feed and grow those passions—we often expect the
passion to be a limitless font of energy and are disappointed when it
starts to wane. I want my students to understand that it’s a
two-way street. Onore
is the Italian word for honour. I think it is important to honour
ourselves and the work we put into things, our teachers for investing
time into us, and our training partners for putting themselves on the
other end of a sword to help us learn.
MDS:
Ever had any accidents? What was your most memorable?
DB:
Fortunately swordplay has turned out to be relatively light on
accidents. We emphasize control in our training and wear appropriate
safety gear during more vigorous activities. My most memorable injury
came a couple years ago when I was fighting in an armoured tournament
in traditional style (done in full suits of plate armour). My
opponent got in close to throw me, and in my attempt at reversal I
drew him onto my right side and he fell onto my shoulder; but our
weapons were also tangled in between us, causing my spear to lever my
shoulder out—a separation. I healed fully but it led to a lot of
fun stories at the lunch counter. “How’d you hurt your shoulder?”
“A man in a suit of armour fell on it. Don’t worry I stabbed him
with a spear twice first.” This was usually followed by a long
silence.
MDS:
You once told me that no description of a sword fight would ever be
as interesting as actually
being in a sword fight. Having said that, what is the most enjoyable
description of a sword fight you've ever read, and what made it so
good?
DB:
I enjoyed CC Humphreys sword fights in Shakespeare’s Rebel. He
used a lot of good traditional terminology and yet captured the
excitement and challenges, both internal and external, of being in a
sword fight—however I consulted on that book so I might be biased!
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