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Almanzo "Lao Ma" Lamoureux is Senior Teacher with
the Magic Tortoise Taijiquan School in the Triangle area of North
Carolina. He has practiced Chinese arts for over three decades,
and was the founder and chief instructor, from 1975, of the Tidewater
Tai-Chi Club (and a co-founder of the Tidewater Tai-Chi Center)
in Norfolk, Virginia. From Oct-Nov 1975, LaoMa made his first visit
to China, traveling to various Minority Chinese Regions, and having
the grand opportunity of playing taijiquan with groups of ordinary
people from Beijing to Xian to Kunming, Xishuangbanna, Changsha
and Shanghai. He received his M.A. in Asian Studies at Old Dominion
University in Norfolk, Virginia in 1980. Living and working in Wuhan,
Hubei Province, China from 1985 to 1988, he was the first and only
foreign student at 91 year old Grandmaster Ding, Hong Kuai's Wuchang
Snake Hill Pavilion School. Under Ding "YeYe's" tutelage, LaoMa
placed first in weapons competition in Hankou's Hubei Provincial
Wushu Tournament in 1987 where he demonstrated guaigun (hooked cane).
In May of 1986 LaoMa made his first pilgrimage to Wudangshan in
western Hubei Province, the sacred Daoist Mountains of Taijiquan's
origin. He has returned to China often, studying with many teachers
and visiting sacred sites. LaoMa has served as form and push-hands
judge in numerous tournaments sponsored by the U.S. Wushu-Kung Fu
Federation, and as chief judge in the U.S.C.K.F.'s United States
International Kuoshu Championship Tournaments. Through the Magic
Tortoise Taijiquan School, LaoMa has taught taijiquan and qigong
at Duke University's Center for Living and Duke Diet and Fitness
Center. Since 1994 he has also been the principal internal martial
arts instructor at the United Martial Arts Center, Raleigh NC, and
the U.S. Tae Kwon Do Institute, Durham NC.
See "Hei Zhu Tingzi Pavilion" Photos.
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Dr. Jay Dunbar, founder and director of the school, began Taijiquan
studies in 1975 with Ruby Blaurock, a student of W.T.R. Chung, who was
in turn a student of Kuo, Lien Ying, who brought the Guang Ping lineage
to this country. In 1976 he traveled to San Francisco to study with
Chung and Kuo, and met Henry Look, his primary Yiquan teacher, for the
first time. In 1978 he began a discipleship with Jou, Tsung Hwa which
was to span the next 20 years, until Master Jou’s tragic death in an
automobile accident on August 3, 1998. Dr. Jay has also studied with
Dr. John Painter, and taken workshops with many teachers, including
Zhu, Tian Cai; Liang, Shouyu; Yang, Jwing Ming; Yang, Zhenduo; Shi,
Zheng Zhong; Huang, Chien-Liang; Susanna DeRosa, and Sam Masich.
He graduated summa cum laude from Colgate, received an M.A. in English
Literature from Duke, and a Ph.D. in Education from UNC-Chapel Hill in
1991, with a dissertation entitled "Let A Hundred Flowers Bloom: A
Profile of Taijiquan Instruction in America".
In 1982, with Almanzo Lamoureux, Pat Rice, Steve Rhodes, Cas Overton,
Kim Ragland, and others he founded the Southeastern Taijiquan Society
to promote sharing among players from all schools, and served as editor
of its newsletter, "Changes," for six years. In 2001 he established the
Jou, Tsung Hwa Memorial Dantian Challenge in honor of his teacher of
twenty years, and designed and produced the bronze medallions which are
awarded to those who meet the challenge (see further info elsewhere on
this site). He has served as judge and referee in numerous tournaments
including ATOC, USWKF, USCKF, and the Taiji Legacy since 1989, and has
developed tournament rules for form competitions
that encourage interaction between judges and competitors, and for
push-hands intended to foster and reward good Taijiquan. He was
technical editor of Tai Chi for Dummies (Hungry Minds, 2001), and
contributed the foreword to Exploring Tai Chi, by John Loupos (YMAA,
2003).
He has presented courses or workshops at the Kripalu Center for Yoga
and Health, the N.Y. Open Center, The American Dance Festival, the
Guang Ping Annual Conventions, etc., teaching knee safety, qigong, Yi
Jing divination, straight sword, and Chen and Wu/Hao styles of
taijiquan. With his wife, Shifu Kathleen Cusick, he has team-taught
over 40 intensives in the traditional 88-movement San Shou. His
daughter Katharine, currently an undergraduate at UNC-Chapel Hill, is
Music Director of the women’s a capella group, the Loreleis
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Kathleen Cusick
has studied taijiquan since 1984
with a variety of teachers, including Greg Mucci, Jou Tsung Hwa,
and Yang Zhen Duo-- a 4th generation Yang family lineage holder.
She teaches Yang style, qigong, push-hands, san shou, and taiji
staff with the Magic Tortoise School and in workshops in this country
and abroad. She is a certified judge of Chinese internal martial
arts (ATOC 1993), and has judged in tournaments for A Taste of China,
the U.S. Wushu Federation, and the U.S. Chinese Kuoshu Federation.
She has been a trainer (featured instructor) for the Southern Women's
Martial Artists' Network in 1994 & 1996, with the National Women's
Martial Arts Federation's Special Training in 1996, 1998, and 2000,
and at T'ai Chi Farm and the Zhang San Feng Festival. Kathleen received
her M.A. in Technical writing and multicultural literature from
East Carolina University. |
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Teachers
