Taproot Tai Chi

SATURDAY 

February 7th

3-6PM

62 E 4th St East Village NYC 

3-5PM $60

3-6PM $90

3-5 Open Level Workshop: Drills and Games to cultivate the root. 

5-6 Push Hands Now: Practice Competitive Push Hands with Tournament Rules 

About the workshop:

Join Push Hands World Champion Ilona Bito for a deep dive into Tai Chi Push Hands, also known as Tuishou. Working in sensitive contact with partners, we will break down essential rooting drills and play several variations of the competitive game. The final hour will offer a Push Hands Now tournament training experience co-facilitated by Bito and coach James McConnell.

About Ilona

Ilona holds a Masters in The Art of Teaching from Sarah Lawrence College. Ilona is the founder of Taproot Tai Chi LLC,  the Push Hands Now group and blog to promote tournament style push hands and peaceful martial arts practice, and SDG Tai Chi, towards greater awareness of the UN Global Sustainable Development Goals. She is assistant adjunct professor of Tai Chi in Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts. 
Ilona is the World tai chi push hands fighting tournament champion- she won 2 gold medals in Push Hands for the US Team at the 8th Tai Chi World Cup in Taipei, Taiwan in 2023, and in Spain 2024 received the highest honor of “Best Female Global Competitor.”  She remains undefeated in the women’s fixed step division since her first competition in 2015.

Register Now!

Please email taproottaichi@gmail.com for any questions and location details, or if your preferred payment method is cash. Reserve your spot with payment to: Zelle ilonabito@gmail.com, Venmo @Ilona-Bito or Paypal.me/ilonabito with NYC Push Hands in the Memo. Thank you.

Please Share! My last workshop in Seattle was one of my personal favorites, and I’ve been thinking about why. The people who came made it great of course, a full house, coming from different martial arts schools, charged with curiosity. My challenge was to lead a workshop that’s truly meaningful for every body and all levels- one that could be the perfect intro, but also an opportunity for going deeper and kickstarting serious training. I knew I wanted everyone to gain skills to bring to tournament level play, or to their own practices, while also creating a playful laboratory experience, where partners are really learning together rather than competing against each other. I chose not to teach technical sequences, but rooting drills that make structure more apparent, games you can really feel. A two hour workshop flew by, and so I’m adding on another hour this time for those wanting more. 

For those interested in joining a weekly push hands group and/or tai chi class with Ilona on Saturday afternoons, please reach out. This workshop marks the kickoff of training season. Happy New Year!