Tai Chi is a tradition of purposeful movement and principles of mind/body awareness and self-protection. It includes gentle movements which teach us to move in a more intentional, healthy way. It is a dance with all the energies of life that leads you to open heart and mind. The benefits of practicing Tai Chi include relaxation, balance of mind and body, improved circulation and general health and well-being. Students should dress comfortably, be prepared to be patient with their own individual practice and enjoy Tai Chi and all it has to offer.

This course is offered on campus.

Narrative Biography:
Maureen Dowling is a retired Correctional Sergeant of the State of California, and has a background as a legal secretary. She currently teaches a formal Tai Chi class at Create Center for the Arts and an introduction to Tai Chi at Sunnylands. She began practicing Tai Chi in 2014. She is certified in all three segments of the Yang Family 108 Long Form and was certified to teach in 2021 by Master Lu Molberg, currently of Tai Chi Circle of the Desert.

Freddie De Tommaso, Michele Angelini, Irakli Kakhidze, Benjamin Bernheim and Allan Clayton. Recognize any of these tenors? Probably not...because they are the Carusos...the Pavarottis...the Domingos of tomorrow. Join Barry on a musical trip featuring these tenors, and more. Explore their pasts, their training, their heroes, and their best operatic videos from the world's most famous stages. This course is offered on zoom.

Narrative Biography:
Barry Schoenfeld has over 40 years’ experience in business in New York and Los Angeles, and currently Palm Springs.
He graduated from Cornell, and has taught at UCLA, USC, the University of Arizona in-person and online for OLLI at Duke, Tufts, University of California at Riverside, and Cal State San Bernardino. He saw his first opera at 10, and was instantly hooked. He has subsequently seen hundreds of productions of operas, ballets and dance, all over the US, Europe, and Asia. He delights in sharing this knowledge through facts, figures, anecdotes, audio, video and discussions.

Ladies First, as we begin our double feature day with award winning female lead performances. You may have seen them when they were first released. Get out of the heat, relax in the cool theatre and enjoy them again. Discuss your new perspective with one of our favorite OLLI instructors, Frank Furino. “9 to 5” (Dolly Parton, Lilly Tomlin), “First Wives Club"” (Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton) and “The Help” (Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard). What's not to love? This course is offered on campus. 

Narrative Biography:

Frank brings 25 years of Hollywood experience to his Osher courses, including writer/producer credits for major hit shows Dynasty, Dallas, General Hospital, Falcon Crest, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and more. He was also staff director with ABC News covering political conventions, space launches and major news events and later owned an advertising agency. He taught creative writing at UCLA and is a member of the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission. Frank is a successful playwright and is currently working on his first novel.

Chill this July as we stay cool in the hot summer afternoons. Part two of our double feature day includes three classic films starring strong male lead performances. This series includes: “Deliverance” (Burt Reynolds), “True Grit” (Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon) and “Legends of the Fall” (Brad Pitt, Aiden Quinn).

This course is offered on campus.

Narrative Biography:

Frank brings 25 years of Hollywood experience to his Osher courses, including writer/producer credits for major hit shows Dynasty, Dallas, General Hospital, Falcon Crest, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and more. He was also staff director with ABC News covering political conventions, space launches and major news events and later owned an advertising agency. He taught creative writing at UCLA and is a member of the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission. Frank is a successful playwright and is currently working on his first novel.

DOUBLE FEAUTURES! Join us for an all-day extravaganza and enjoy both sets of films at a discounted price! 

Ladies First, as we begin our double feature day with award winning female lead performances.  This series includes: "9-5”, “First Wives Club” and “The Help”. Get out of the heat, relax in the cool theatre and enjoy these films! Then after a lunch break, enjoy three classic films starring strong male lead performances. This series includes: “Deliverance”, “True Grit” and “Legends of the Fall”.This course is offered on campus. 

Narrative Biography:

Frank brings 25 years of Hollywood experience to his Osher courses, including writer/producer credits for major hit shows Dynasty, Dallas, General Hospital, Falcon Crest, New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and more. He was also staff director with ABC News covering political conventions, space launches and major news events and later owned an advertising agency. He taught creative writing at UCLA and is a member of the Rancho Mirage Cultural Commission. Frank is a successful playwright and is currently working on his first novel.

Birds have a unique anatomy with some special adaptions; it takes more than just a good coat of feathers to enable an animal to fly. In this three-week course, we will answer some of the hottest bird questions. How do birds chew without teeth? How do birds fly? How do birds migrate great distances without Siri to direct them? Join us for an in-depth look into the wondrous secrets of birds! This course is offered on zoom.

Narrative Biography:
Phil has been teaching for over 15 years at the community college level and has been an avid birder for much longer. He has led bird walks in a variety of desert ecosystems. He is co-editor of the Desert Cities Bird Club Newsletter, providing articles and input.

In Steven Spielberg's Oscar-Winning "Schindler’s List" (1993), a character cites a line of scripture from the Hebrew Talmud “He who saves a single life saves the world entire.”  In other notable directorial efforts such as "Saving Private Ryan" (1997) "Munich" (2005) and “Bridge of Spies” (2015), Spielberg has continued to explore this idea while putting a spin on it in each. In this online course, through instructor analysis and class discussion, we will explore the practical implications and deep philosophical questions that arise as we look at these three post-Schindler films with the application of the above idea in mind.

Note: The screening order with available rental streaming sources will be provided one week before the first class. Registrants will be expected to watch the assigned weekly movie ahead of time before each class meeting. Also, keep an out eye for a special on-campus screening of “Schindler’s List” with separate online analysis and discussion in the Fall. This course is offered on zoom.

Narrative Biography:

Butch Epps has received his MFA degree from the UCLA Department of Film and Television’s Independent Producers Program where he focused on story development and working with screenwriters. He also served as the academic liaison to high profile professional faculty, including studio heads, development executives, and others. Butch has taught over 30 film appreciation courses in the Coachella Valley over the past 9 years while developing a book - his magnum opus - on Orson Welles’s Mercury Production of Citizen Kane.