Cheng style Bagua Zhang instructor Dennis Mace has been passionately involved in martial arts since 1983, when at the age of 13, he started training in Judo and Jujutsu in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska under Sensei Delo Lee. Dr Lee’s enthusiasm and humorous teaching style, balanced with the subtle strategies and practical, hands-on approach at the core of Judo, left an indelible impression on Dennis’s life in the martial arts.
In 1985, Dennis heard about a new Chinese Martial Arts school in town, and immediately enrolled at the “Omaha Kung-Fu Institute”. There, Dennis enjoyed the rigorous training, family atmosphere, and structured curriculum of Sifu Phillip Starr’s classes, where he was introduced to Shaolin-Baixing Quan, Xing Yi Quan, Taiji Quan and Bagua Zhang, all taught progressively within the framework of Yili Quan, “One Principle Boxing”, the brilliantly cohesive martial art founded by Sifu Starr. Sifu Starr’s instructor, Chen Wing Chou, was a student of the famous Xing Yi and Bagua expert, Zhang Zhao Dong, a highly regarded student of Cheng Ting Hua. Eventually, Dennis earned Black Sash rank in Yili Quan, and deeply values the practical strategies and
powerful simplicity of this art.
In 1992, Dennis moved to Melbourne/Palm Bay, Florida, where he was introduced to Aikido under Sensei Grady Lane. After returning to Omaha in 1994, Dennis continued both Yili Quan with Sifu Starr, and Aikido training with Sensei Ron Christenham, with the encouragement of Sifu Starr, who recognized the similarities between Bagua Zhang and Aikido.
Seeking to further his education and a new career, Dennis moved to Seattle in 1999. Shortly after surveying the martial arts scene, Dennis felt blessed to find Cheng style Bagua Zhang Shifu Yang, Guo Tai in Vancouver, BC; Yang, Guo Tai had learned from Xu Zhen Biao, who was a student of Liu Shi Kui (Liu Bin’s son) and Wang Weng Kui, one of Liu Bin’s top students, who in turn was one of Cheng Ting Hua’s first disciples. Dennis became a devoted disciple, commuting regularly to Vancouver to continue his training with Yang Shifu, and Yang Shifu’s senior student, David Meikle. While in Seattle, Dennis also briefly studied Cheng shi Bagua Zhang with ZhangJie, and principles of applications and partner drills with Dave Harris, from 2002-2004.
Dennis is committed to the preservation and promotion of authentic, practical martial arts. In 2003, he established the Cheng shi Bagua Zhang Hui (Cheng style Bagua Zhang Association http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/ChengShiBaguaHui/ ) online to build a community between practitioners of Cheng Ting Hua’s Bagua Zhang, in an effort to compare and preserve the art through coordinating shared training. Dennis created this outreach in the spirit of Cheng Ting Hua, who openly accepted several expert students and exchanged training with them as well. Yang Shifu encouraged Dennis to start teaching Cheng shi Bagua Zhang in Seattle in 2003, and Dennis brought Yang Shifu to conduct 2 seminars to the United States, first in Omaha, NE in 2002, and later in Seattle, WA in 2004.
Later in 2004, Dennis moved to Jakarta, Indonesia, where he taught English and Martial Arts, before returning to Seattle in 2006. While residing in Indonesia, Dennis befriended and briefly trained with the inspiring Aikido Sensei Imanul Hakim.
Dennis is also First Aid and CPR Certified, and a Licensed Massage Therapist, specializing in Sports Massage, Myofascial Release, Deep Tissue, and Injury Treatment. Viewing Health care and martial arts as flip sides of the same coin, he believes that a complete martial artist follows a Fourfold Path: that of a Warrior, Scholar, Sage, and Healer. Making the choice to become a professional healthcare provider by becoming a licensed massage therapist has been a rewarding step in fulfilling this Fourfold Cycle.
Dennis has enjoyed teaching martial arts to children and adults since 1991. He teaches with thorough, hands-on detail, while maintaining a contagious beginner’s enthusiasm, and believes in cultivating authentic martial skills and improving the overall health and empowerment of his students.
Shifu Dennis Mace is available for combat oriented bagua and self defense workshops and welcomes all enquiries. Please contact Shifu Dennis Mace at 206-440-9187.
