LAND O' LAKES, Fla. — It’s like watching someone trying to fool gravity — when Aydan Woodhead is in the middle of a sideways twist in the air in a butterfly kick, he’s about five feet off the ground, horizontal.
What You Need To Know
- Tampa's inagural Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival will take place this weekend
- It will be held Saturday at Curtis Hixon Park in Tampa
- The festival is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. with free admission
“I’ve been doing Taekwondo for about 11 years now — I started when I was 4, before school,” said Woodhead. “And now, I’m a fourth-degree master.”
Woodhead, a fourth-degree black belt, is part of a Florida State Taekwondo Demonstration team, one of the groups taking flight on stage at the upcoming Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Festival in Tampa.
“We get to show a part of Korean culture that’s not mainly expressed in America,” said Woodhead, who also instructs classes.
One of those ancient forms of expression is airtime.
But after each class at the World Champion Center in Land O’ Lakes, they make the most important move — the bow.
“Every time we bow, it’s a form of respect,” said Woodhead.
He says it's more than sport, self-defense and athleticism — it’s culture, it’s community, it’s character, and it is art.