Bruce Lee once said, "A goal is not always meant to be reached; it often serves simply as something to aim at." For Jeremy Gordon, the goal was always to be as good as Bruce Lee himself. Gordon began his martial arts training at the age of 3 in his hometown, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wis., and was a Black Belt by age 12. He cross-trained to fill in the gaps in his natural abilities. "I realized I wasn't good with my hands, so I started boxing," he says. "My goal was to be the best I could be."
When Gordon, now 35, moved to Jackson to attend college at Jackson State University, he brought martial arts with him. He created Boxers Rebellion, a small training group for established boxers in the area. He also created an alternate identity for himself so he could separate from his computer-science major when he stepped into the ring. They call him "The Last Dragon."
"While other students were on Spring Break or at home eating turkey, I was traveling to different conferences and seminars trying to get better," Gordon said.
Gordon's diligence paid off; Millsaps College soon invited him to teach his own classes on campus. Later, at one of the conferences he attended, Gordon had the opportunity to meet Ted Wong, Bruce Lee's own protege. Wong accepted Gordon as a student, which pushed him one step closer to his dream. Not long after, Joe Lewis, who also studied under Lee and was voted "World's Greatest Fighter," took him under his wing.
The training inspired Gordon to bring more options for martial-arts instruction to Jackson. What started with private lessons has expanded to events, conferences and a network of martial-arts enthusiasts all over the state.
"We don't have a school; we have a school of thought," Gordon said. "It's like a brotherhood."
This school of thought has taken Gordon all over the country and the world to teach and train, with his most recent venture taking him to the Philippines.
Gordon has returned and put together an event that showcases what his school of thought is all about--the "art" in martial arts. On August 29, Gordon will hold an exhibition called "The Art of Expressing the Human Body," which will feature modeling, fitness, dancing and martial arts, which Gordon believes are all linked.
"The whole concept is (that) modeling, acting with emotions, ballet, yoga, kickboxing are all disciplines that relate to artwork. They are physical performing arts," Gordon said. He wants to demonstrate how performing arts have infiltrated society, specifically in fashion and dance. "There is an international martial arts culture; we want to bring that to Jackson," Gordon said.
"The Art of Expressing the Human Body" will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Russell C. Davis Planetarium (201 E. Pascagoula St., 601-960-1550). Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for children. For more information, visit boxersrebellion.com.
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