Winged Lion ​School of Tai Chi

The Winged Lion School is under the direction of Master Michael DeMarco.​

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In choosing to study tai chi, it’s very important to understand the real significance of a teacher’s background. Are the credentials presented truly compelling, or are they decoys empty of substance?

The following bio note for Master DeMarco is for your reference. He welcomes any questions concerning his background.

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In 1965 DeMarco began studying kuntao-silat, a hybrid of Chinese and Indonesian arts in the Willem Reeders lineage. His teachers were Arthur Sykes, Thomas Pepperman, and Richard Lopez. In 1973 he was introduced to Dong Style tai chi through a student of Dong Yingjie, and eventually Mike went to study in Taiwan in 1976, 1984-85, 1989, and 2017. He studied Yang Style under Yang Qingyu; Xiong Yonghe lineage; Chen Style under Du Yuze and Tu Zongren; Chen Yenxi lineage.

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Mike balanced his study of martial arts with academic pursuits and employment that nurtured his familiarity with Asian cultures and their martial traditions.

 

• 1975 — B.A. degree in philosophy, Edinboro State University

• 1974 — Grant recipient for studies at Vivekananda College (India)

• 1981 — M.A. degree in Asian Studies from Seton Hall University 

• 1984-85 — Certificate from the Mandarin Training Center, National Taiwan Normal University

• 1989-1990 — Tour Director, Inter-Pacific Tours, New York/Hong Kong

• 1989-1990 — Grant recipient for Daoist studies in Taiwan.

• 1991 — Founder of Via Media Publishing

• 1993 — Inducted into the World Martial Arts Hall of Fame

• Publisher of the Journal of Asian Marital Arts (1992-2013), a peer-reviewed quarterly with high academic and aesthetic standards. The journal had editions in Greek and Spanish (University of Leon).​

• 2021 — authored book: Martial Art Essays from Beijing, 1760.

• 2023 — authored book: Wuxia America: The Timely Emergence of a Chinese American Hero.

• 2023 — authored book: The Best Fight: a memoir of a martial art practitioner, publisher, and author.

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Mike utilized his martial art training, academic studies, and travel experience when writing for various periodicals and books. He wrote more than 75 articles for martial art periodicals including: 

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  - Black Belt                                         

  - Inside Karate                

  - Inside Kung Fu              

  - Internal Arts                       

  - Samurai (Italy)              

  - Taijiquan Journal         

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A great way to meet with other scholar/practitioners was by participating in academic conferences. For a decade, Mike participated annually in conferences held by the Central States Anthropological Society and the Association for Asian Studies, either serving as a panel discussant or presenting papers. These panels always had a focus on Asian martial traditions.

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Outside the U.S.A., Mike presented a paper at the European Congress sponsored by the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport and Dance, in 1998 London, England. A few years later he gave the keynote address at the First World Congress on Combat Sports and Martial Arts held in Amiens, France. More recently Mike was invited by Masaryk University in the Czech Republic to lecture for a week in November 2015. He spoke on topics of martial arts research and academic publishing and taught a practical tai chi class.

 

In addition to publishing and writing, Mike consulted and appeared in a few national television documentaries about martial arts that were aired on the Discovery Channel, Arts & Entertainment, The History Channel, and The Learning Channel.

 

Not many have such a broad, rich background in Asian history, culture, and martial traditions. This makes for a highly qualified tai chi master who can offer instruction that is far beyond the norm—beneficial for nurturing health, effective as a therapeutic modality, practical as a form of self-defense, and fun as an activity!

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