Dorfman Sensei, Banshinkan Dojo Cho and Instructor
Mark Dorfman holds the rank of Yondan (4th degree blackbelt). He has been teaching and training in Aikido for 30 years. His initial instruction was under the Yoshinkan style of Aikido as taught by Morihei Ueshiba’s student Sensei Gozo Shioda. Dorfman Sensei trained with one of Shioda Sensei’s students, Shihan Yukio Utada until 1998, before joining AWA led by Sato Sensei. Dorfman Sensei is a member of the AWA Technical Committee. He believes in teaching precise body movement in order to achieve harmony with Uke’s (attacker’s) movement and focuses significantly on learning how to fall safely. In this way Nage (defender) is able to improve and perfect his/her movement and technique by having an Uke who learns how to follow, flow, and fall.

Pedersen Sensei, Banshinkan Instructor
Chrissa Pedersen holds the rank of Nidan (2nd degree black belt). She has been training in Aikido for 16-years. She began her training in 1993 and initially studied under Shihan Utada in the Yoshinkan style of Aikido. She trained with Utada Shihan until 1998 and then joined AWA led by Sato Sensei. Pedersen Sensei is a certified instructor under AWA. She is only 5’3” tall and loves the fact that Aikido allows her to control and direct attackers much bigger than herself. In Aikido you use your opponents own momentum combined with your own center to keep your attacker off balance making it possible for people of any size to defend against much larger people.

McCullough Sensei, Banshikan Assistant Instructor
Rob McCullough holds the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) and has been studying Aikido for 10-years. He has earned certificates for Kenshusei (a 4-week intensive aikido program under the instruction of Andrew Sato Sensei and Ed Germanov Sensei) and Seishin (meaning “long spirit,” a certificate given to students who completed a 6-hour session of Zen meditation). McCullough Sensei teaches the Sunday morning classes where he can focus on the fundamentals of Aikido movement.

Andrew Sato, Founder and Chief Instruictor
Aikido World Alliance (AWA)
Sato Sensie is a Rokudan (6th degree black belt) Aikikai, reconcognized by the Hombu Dojo in Japan. Andrew began his Aikido training in 1977 under Toyoda Shihan and was former chief instructor for the Aikido Association of America (AAA) and Aikido Association International (AAI). Andrew founded Aikido World Alliance (AWA) in 2005 as an internationally recognized Aikido organization with dojos in the United States and Puerto Rico with direct affiliation to the Hombu Dojo in Japan.