AikiWeb Aikido Forums - Seeking Iaido practitioner in L.A.

First up I should probably introduce myself - I have been studying Aikido for nearly a year now, and it has turned out to be one of the most difficult but rewarding things I have ever tried in my life. I am definitely hooked and, to the despair of my wife, have devoted the larger part of my weekends to this wonderful martial art. I am no spring chicken (almost 40) and I did study some Tae Kwon Do and Kempo approx. a decade ago - had I only known about Aikido back then - I would have switched in an instant! Living in Los Angeles I also have the rare privilege to be able to study under Sensei Furuya - a very brilliant master of the art. I am sometimes humbled by his relentless efforts to teach me even the simplest basics (I must be the most untalented Aikido student on the face of the planet) and I am very grateful having found such a traditional dojo devoted to the teachings of O'Sensei.

My second passion for the last decade has been the pursuit of stereoscopic photography and video. Some of you might already be familiar with stereoscopic (a.k.a. '3d') movies - some recent productions are Spy Kids 3D, Ghost of the Abyss, IMAX Space Station 3D, etc.. Well, due to my experience in this field (and probably largely due to the rapid increase inpublic interest) I have been asked to present a short stereoscopic 'non-public' demonstration for selected members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). Now, my vision has been to show a 2 minute clip of an Iaido student practice with his/her bokken. I have found the perfect location (a bamboo forest right here in L.A.) and this would be a great opportunity to show the beauty of Iaido and let the audience experience this art in stereoscopic 3D. Unfortunately the person I was considering for this clip has become indisposed and I am now desperately looking for an Iaido practitioner here in L.A. who would be willing to donate an hour or two of his time. The shoot is planned for Sunday afternoon, and if anyone is interested, please send me a private message with your contact information at your eariest convenience (or I can reply with mine).

Some of your might wonder why I am not asking my own Sensei, or people studying Iaido in my own dojo. Well, to be honest, I am not sure how my request would be perceived - and especially since I am a low ranking student I am afraid to offend people by trying to recruit them for my personal project, or worse: breach dojo etiquette. Posting on this forum seemed to be more appropriate.

Sincerely,

Michael