Tai Chi Push Hands (Tui Shou)

With Ilona Bito, twice Tai Chi Push Hands world champion 2024!

February 18th, 10 am - 12 pm (in-person)

LOCATION: 115 Wooster Street, buzz 2F 2nd Fl Left - Soho NYC

$ sliding scale: $90 - $150

Please Zelle Daria @ 178-450-1356 or Venmo racheldaria-fain-1

You can pay $150 with credit card price HERE

Ilona will introduce the Push Hands form as taught by Cheng Man Ch’ing and explore the body mechanics of Tai Chi as developed by his student, Grandmaster William CC Chen. Tai Chi Push Hands (Tui Shou) is the two-person application of Tai Chi Chuan. As part of Tai Chi training, practicing push hands with a partner develops rooting, yielding, and issuing energy. As an approach to self-defense, it is peaceful, safe, and effective. As a competitive game, it benefits all kinds of sparring athletes by training strength, stamina, sensitivity, and responsiveness within safe sets of rules for both fixed step and moving step push hands: contact is between the hips and the collarbone; no grabbing, striking, or joint locks are allowed. The objective is to uproot your opponent or make them lose their balance while maintaining your own root.

“If we examine the concept of four ounces repelling a thousand pounds, it is clear that it is not brute force that prevails.” From Yang Cheng Fu’s Self-Defense Applications of Tai Chi Chuan, Yang Family Secret Transmissions.

Ilona has trained in the internal arts with Daria Faïn, founder of the C O R E M O T I O N program, with The Universal Healing Tao ® by Mantak Chia and Sharon Smith, Grandmaster William C.C. Chen, Tai Chi Push Hands World Champion Jan Lucanus, Sifu Paul Koh of Bo Law Kung Fu, and James McConnell. Ilona has won four gold medals in the Tai Chi form and two gold medals in the Tai Chi sword form. She has also won 10 gold medals for Tai Chi Push Hands. 

Bito has experience teaching Qi Gong, Tai Chi, & Fitness to people of all ages and abilities in schools, community centers, dance studios, offices, and online. 

Ilona has been performing professionally and teaching in NYC since 2010. Her dance works contemplate themes of instinct and intuition, and the art of play.

Ilona holds a B.A. and M.S. Ed in The Art of Teaching from Sarah Lawrence College.
In 2020, Ilona became a mother.