Since Tricia Yu brought Tai Chi to Madison in 1974, our commitment to providing high quality instruction in Tai Chi and QiGong has made the Tai Chi Center of Madison one of the healthiest, longest- running schools of its kind in the country. The Tai Chi Center is a place of peace, healing, nurture and growth for our staff, students and other users of the facility.
Tricia Yu, MA., has taught tai chi and qigong in Madison, Wisconsin since 1974, conveying both the practice and spirit of these profound arts. Her teachers include Masters Liu Pei Chung, Ben Lo and William C.C. Chen. She co-founded the ROM Dance, a medical model therapeutic exercise program, based in tai chi principles, for individuals with pain and other limiting conditions, and created Tai Chi Fundamentals, a systematic approach for mastering tai chi basics. Tricia is now living and teaching in Taos, New Mexico and her current offerings may be found at Tai Chi Health with Tricia Yu.
Bruce Aunet has practiced Yang style tai chi since 1988. He also facilitates Push Hands classes and teaches University of Wisconsin Union Mini-Courses in tai chi.
Doug Brown has practiced Yang style tai chi since 2000. His primary teachers have been Tricia Yu and her students Gabrielle Byers, Lauri McKean and all of the current teachers at the Tai Chi Center, and he has also attended workshops with Kim Kanzelberger, Ben Lo and William Chen. Doug is a musician, performing, composing and teaching in Madison.
Jody Curley, M.A., holds certification from William C.C. Chen T'ai Chi Ch'uan (certificate 1989, diploma 1994). Her practice and teaching repertoire include Master William C.C. Chen's 60 Movements, Yang style long form and sword form, form applications, t'ui shou (push hands) and san shou (tai chi boxing), and adapted tai chi/chi kung and self defense for older adults. In addition to her primary study with Master Chen, she studied push hands with the late Dr.Tao Ping-Siang. Before returning to her hometown of Madison in 2006, she had the joyfully instructive privilege of teaching several hundred tai chi students in Bloomington, Indiana over the course of 16 years.
Rachel Sandretto began her interest in martial arts studying Tae Kwon Do in various locales before settling in Madison and taking up Tai Chi. She was Certified in the Tai Chi Fundamentals® by Tricia Yu and Pat Culotti in 2013. Rachel also works as an editor of others' writing, avidly purging extranneous exclamation points from writers with less restraint, and pursues her own writing in political philosophy. Other activities include rock climbing, kayaking, hiking and "anything outdoors"!
Donna Silver has practiced T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong since 1976. She is inspired by her teachers who include Tricia Yu, Ben Lo, William C.C. Chen and Judyth O. Weaver. In addition to teaching T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Qigong here, she also works as a consultant, developing and leading workshops and classes which teach the art of relaxation through the movements of Qigong and principles of T'ai Chi Ch'uan. Donna is a certified ROM Dance instructor and has worked with physical therapists and older adults in teaching this gentle Range of Motion movement/relaxation exercise.
Steven Spiro studied Taiji and Qi Gong with Master Tricia Yu, Donna Silver, and others at the Madison Tai Chi Center. He has gone on to study with other Qi masters and meditation teachers, and is an ordained Zen Buddhist chaplain. He is a hospice volunteer, an artist, and a Grandfather.
Eva Wright has practiced Yang Style tai chi since 1986 and Tai Chi Fundamentals since 1996. She has Advanced Instructor Certification in the Tai Chi Fundamentals Program and taught Tai Chi Fundamentals at Meriter Hospital's now-closed Complementary Medicine Center. In addition, she gives presentations on tai chi to health care professionals.
Gerri Gurman The Tai Chi Center of Madison doesn't currently offer classes designed for children, but Gerri Gurman, a long time mainstay of the center has created a program for youth, TheTai Chi Animal Frolics, which draws on traditional tai chi and qigong practices. Gerri originally created the Tai Chi Animal Frolics program for her students at Hawthorne Elementary School in Madison, Wisconsin.
Gerri Gurman is a performer, choreographer, and educator who has taught dance and creative drama for over forty years. She is a level III Certified Instructor in Tricia Yu's Tai Chi Fundamentals. Gerri was awarded the "Dance Distinction Award" by the Wisconsin Dance Council (2005) and was inducted into the Jericho (NY) High School Alumni Hall of Fame (2007). Her Tai Chi Animal Frolics instructional DVD became available in 2010. For the past six years, she has conducted residencies, workshops and performances throughout Wisconsin.