Instructors at the NYCA Dojo
Tracy Alpert – Founder and Chief Instructor
Tracy has been training in aikido under the auspices of her main teachers Hiroshi Ikeda shihan and Mitsugi Saotome shihan for over 30 years. She began her practice in 1988 at the Oberlin College Aikido Club. Later that year, she moved to Colorado and started trained at Boulder Aikikai under Ikeda sensei and Tres Hofmeister sensei. She remained at Boulder Aikikai for almost twenty years, where she taught weapons and open hand classes. In 2007 she moved to New York and joined Bond Street Dojo as one of their senior instructors, until forming New York City Aikido (NYCA) in 2017.
She has served on the advisory committee and the examination committee for the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU) board, and holds the rank of godan (5th degree black belt), through ASU and Aikido World Headquarters. Tracy has traveled extensively, participating in numerous seminars with Saotome sensei, Ikeda sensei, and other ASU and non-ASU instructors.
Sherman Lau – Co-Founder
Sherman started his aikido training in New York at Bond Street Dojo (New York Aikido Society), where he taught a weekly class for several years. His teachers are Mitsugi Saotome shihan and Hiroshi Ikeda shihan. He has also been influenced by his experiences with other aikido masters, particularly William Gleason, Kevin Choate, Mary Heiny, and Seishiro Endo shihan. Sherman has attended seminars and camps domestically and internationally with teachers of various affiliations and disciplines to widen and deepen his practice.
His martial arts practice and instruction is informed by his continuing studies of internal power martial arts practices, and yoga, which he has been certified to teach (by Sri Dharma Mittra), and prior studies in systema (Russian Martial Art, which he has previously been certified to teach by Vladimir Vasiliev) and karate (Seido Karate).
He holds the rank of nidan (2nd degree black belt), through ASU and Aikido World Headquarters.
Sherman has been practicing shodo (Japanese calligraphy) since the time her started practicing aikido, and has attained senior dan rankings in kanji, kana, practical writing, and pen calligraphy through Seihitsukai, one of the largest shodo organizations in Japan.
Daniel Rozenbaum – founding member
Daniel has been training in aikido for over twenty years. He started at the Kokikai Aikido clubs at Rutgers University and in Princeton, NJ, and then trained for several years with Masashi Numata sensei at Princeton Aikikai. He joined Bond Street Dojo in 2008 and trained there until joining New York City Aikido. His main aikido influences are teachers in the lineage of Seishiro Endo shihan and Christian Tissier shihan, in particular, Jan Nevelius shihan of Vanadis Aikido Club in Stockholm.
He holds the rank of nidan (2nd degree black belt), through the Swedish Aikido Federation and Aikido World Headquarters.