About

James McConnell began studying tai chi in 1980. He has taught tai chi in NYC for over 30 years. He has taught tai chi at the United Nations, and also at: Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, Bristol Myers Squibb, Merrill Lynch, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. He co-created the SDG tai chi form with Ilona Bito to advertise the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Ilona Bito holds a Masters in The Art of Teaching from Sarah Lawrence College. She is the founder of Taproot Tai Chi LLC, and Push Hands Now. In Taiwan in 2023, she won the Tai Chi Push Hands World Championship. She is currently assistant adjunct professor of Tai Chi in Pace University’s Sands College of Performing Arts.