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For 50 years, the Tai Chi Foundation has been dedicated to preserving and sharing the profound teachings of Tai Chi. This timeline is a tribute to the legacy of our teachers, the milestones we’ve achieved, and the community that continues to grow. As we reflect on our journey, we also look ahead -building upon this rich foundation to carry Tai Chi into the future for generations to come.
50 Years of Tai Chi Foundation
Patrick Watson begins tai chi classes with Professor Cheng man-Ch’ing in NYC.
Patrick Watson introduces Professor Cheng man-Ch’ing & Oscar Ichazo. Patrick believed that both tai chi and Arica work were complimentary practices aimed at the clarification and development of consciousness.
Shortly after Professor Cheng man-Ch’ing dies Oscar Ichazo asks Patrick Watson to teach tai chi to Aricans. The Arica Tai Chi Association is formed, our first official organizational entity.
The School of Tai Chi Chuan (STCC) replaces The Arica Tai Chi Association.
Patrick Watson teaches our first official apprentice programs in NYC, Boston & Washington DC.
Patrick has a map with pins showing his vision of where we are going to teach around Europe and the World!
Our first Winter Training is held in New York City, and we have our first Summer Training in Massachusetts.
Also this year, Paul Campbell starts teaching in Gainesville, FL, and our Amsterdam teaching location is set up.
Margaret Olmsted, Greg Woodson & others travel to Florida & Los Angeles to teach.
Our first European Summer Training is held in the Netherlands, and Hawaiian Swimming is introduced at the US Summer Training.
We start teaching regular classes in London, Los Angeles & Ireland.
Rhoda Jacobs & Greg Woodson travel to Mexico to teach.
Patrick Watson envisioned this non-profit set up as a way to reach new students, and make connections with other tai chi schools.
Tai chi classes continue to complement meditation work at a major Arica gathering in Sugar Maples, NY, and at other trainings.
Although they had already been teaching, Patrick Watson gives his senior students official permission to teach, & asks them to promise to continue the school after his death.
The teachers Patrick had trained are committed to carrying forward his legacy and continue what he had prepared them to do.
The Tai Chi Foundation expands to include the functions of the School of Tai Chi Chuan (STCC) in overseeing school-wide activities.
New York STCC organizes local Manhattan classes.
TCF’s Principles & Practice Video is produced.
Work begins developing our Roots & Branches 5 Element Qigong Program.
We hold our first Shelter Island workshop.
Suaimhneas School of Tai Chi Chuan, Dublin starts.
Greg Woodson reconnects with Ken Van Sickle at the CMC conference in Hanover, Germany. Greg & Jonathon Stow work with Ken back in NYC.
Tai chi classes start up in Seattle, WA, & Richmond, VA.
Pat Gorman leads our first Constant Bear with Looking Owl ‘tuning’. Since then, hundreds of participants have joined our seasonal tunings 5 x a year led by Gerrie Sporken, with wonderful artwork by Johanna Koelman.
Filming for the Roots & Branches 5 Element Qigong DVD takes place on Long Island, NY, directed by Karen Kohlhaas.
We also start teaching in Götzens, Austria.
Ken travels to the UK to give a workshop for our school.
On March 22nd, within a week of shutdown in New York, we offer our first online class, Sunday Qigong with Greg Woodson. Margaret Olmsted and Tina Curran’s classes soon follow. TCF seeks ways to keep people connected and relieve Covid-anxiety through tai chi.
The online training committee is formed to plan and oversee the transition to Zoom by many of our teaching locations.
Self-paced courses are launched on Teachable.
The Tai Chi Foundation created a six-part virtual video series titled “Memory Loss and Early Onset Alzheimer’s Disease Tai Chi Practice” for Indiana University, offering beginner Tai Chi and Qigong exercises designed to support cognitive, sensory, and musculoskeletal function in adults aged 40–64 with early onset Alzheimer’s, as part of the NIH-funded LEADS Study. The 14-week program aims to assess the feasibility of using Tai Chi/Qigong as a behavioral intervention for memory loss and future clinical trials.
Be a Part of the Next Chapter
As we honor the journey of the Tai Chi Foundation, we invite you to help shape its future. Whether you choose to donate, become a member, or join as a student, your support ensures that the wisdom and practice of Tai Chi continue to thrive for generations to come.
Donate to sustain our mission
Become a member and connect with our community
Join as a student and deepen your practice
Together, we carry this legacy forward. We are one.