Gerry Blanck’s studio has moved to Marquez Avenue.
Sensei Gerry Blanck will host an opening party from 3 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 20,for his new dojo, Gerry Blanck’s Martial Arts Center, which is located at 16624 Marquez Avenue.
According to Blanck there will be beer and wine for the adults, soft drinks and water for the kids and food and dessert for everyone. “Feel free to bring a potluck dish you if you like,” Blanck said, but noted it is not required. What is required is an RSVP to gblank458@aol.com.
“Thank you for all your support and sticking with me through these past few months,” Blanck told residents.
After 27 years at 881 Alma Real, Blanck was told he had to evacuate his basement space by January 1, 2022.
In a January 5, Circling the News Story (“Gerry Blank’s Dojo at 881 Alma Real Closes, after 27 Years), Blanck summed it up as the “Worst New Year’s ever.”
He moved to the Palisades in 1982. After initially teaching in five different clubs in that spot at 881 Alma Real (La Sante, Tech Fitness, Pritikin, Century and Pacific Athletic Club – which moved to Sunset and PCH and is now the Bay Club), he and Emily Kay Tillman of Fancy Feet Dance Studio took the spaces that had been occupied by health clubs in 1994. They added flooring and mirrors for dance and martial arts.
When he found out he had to find a new location, Blanck started looking for a space, because “I want to march with my students in the Fourth of July parade because this would be the 21st time of doing it and this would be my 40th anniversary.”
And now he’s back in a new location, close to Marquez Elementary School. This super active community supporter has already stepped up – once again this year, he’s sponsoring a Pacific Palisades Baseball Association team, the Bronco Red Sox.