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 Peaceful
Wolf T'ai Chi Ch'uan was established in 1996 when David Shaver
began teaching full time.
David has had a wonderfully varied background of life experiences that contributes to his understanding of T'ai Chi Ch'uan and his ability to teach it well.
Between 1949 and 1956 he spent four and a half years on a cattle ranch in New Mexico and one season of that riding bulls on the amateur rodeo circuit.
During this period, he began to learn about self-reliance and staying in the present moment.
Following graduation from Western Reserve University with a degree in Theatre Arts and minors in Art History and Speech he did graduate work at the Boston
University School of Theology. This led, interestingly, to fourteen years in the professional theatre
as a Production Stage Manager, Setting and Lighting Designer, and Director in several regional theatres, which allowed him to teach constantly and to begin learning about communication.
In 1975 he left the theatre and spent the next seven years as the owner of a women's boutique in
Newport, R.I. where he learned about owning a business, the good and the bad. Before and during this time he was also developing as a professional craftsman. He designed and made leather
clothing, handbags and luggage on the way to settling more successfully on high fashion women's belts in leather and exotic skins.
Beginning in 1982 he focused on the belt business, an intense period in which he learned the need
for moderation in all areas of life. Not surprisingly, this awareness coincided with the beginning of
his study of T'ai Chi. David had originally been fascinated with things oriental and had in his mind
that he should try T'ai Chi but it was not to be until 1987. However, walking into his first class felt
like coming home. In the next few months he discovered T'ai Chi as a way of life and determined
to make some major changes. Even at this stage he envisioned himself teaching T'ai Chi someday.
He closed his craft gallery and workshop and entered the Connecticut Center for Massage
Therapy, graduating in 1989. There he learned about the body and traditional Chinese medicine
which he related to his continuing T'ai Chi practice. While developing his massage practice he worked at CCMT as coordinator of student services and bookstore manager. Meanwhile he
continued his T'ai Chi studies through workshops with several different teachers.
In 1995 he began teaching one T'ai Chi class a week. Upon leaving CCMT the next year, he
gradually developed a full time T'ai Chi teaching schedule, which today numbers eighteen classes a
week. This has led to a wonderful life which is shared with his wife, Jane and two boys, Zachary and Dylan.
David's Tai Chi training began in 1987 with David Chandler
and continued with several different teachers over the
next few years. These included Terry Dunn, Stuart Olsen, Ken
Cohen, John Painter, Chris Viggiano, and Jianye, Jiang.
During this time he focused his study on the Yang style
which he now teaches. For the last four years his teacher
was the
late Grandmaster Jou, Tsung-Hwa who was tragically
killed in August of 1998. However, Master Jou's teaching
permeates all of his work and guides his continuing practice
of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
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