Having spent years developing a new sport--APG--Alan Tong is bringing his creation to the origin of its inspiration, China. His new fast paced mixture of kung fu and dance will be taking students this November. We sat down with the inventor of the sport to find out how one goes about inventing one's own form of kung fu.

What is APG?
It’s a mixture of martial arts and dance. I invented it. The training is with music, so everybody who likes to dance would like it. And those who like martial arts would like it, too. My students are a mixed group of dancers and fighters, but they all like it and use it to get in shape. It’s not violent, because we do the kicks and punches, but we don’t fight each other.

How does it differ from other exercises?
A lot of people compare it to taibo, but APG DynamicMoves has a wider variety of different steps, kicks and punches. That’s why it’s interesting for people who like to dance. If you want to see what it looks like, look at the videos on my website. Because it’s one thing to describe it, and another to see it.

Why did you invent it?
I decided when I was 12. I told everyone I wanted to develop a new kung fu style one day. It’s very important to me to bring a new thing, a kind of sport that involved punching and kicking. It’s not really kung fu, but it’s related. I studied dance and martial arts for many years, and I combined the two. I started inventing APG in the late ‘80s. I invented it because I wanted martial arts to be more quick and flexible. Taikwondo and karate are very slow.

Why did you decide to bring it to Beijing?
I wanted to bring this to China, because this is where martial arts were invented. For the last couple of years in Shanghai, I had hundreds of Chinese people doing this. And they like it. This is the best thing for me to hear, when they say they like these fighting techniques.

DETAILS

What: APG DynamicMoves