OUR STORY
Bond Street Dojo was founded in 1973 by Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson, and originally located at 49 Bond Street. Since 2017, the dojo has made its home in the East Harlem community.
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After Terry and Ken’s departure in 1980, the dojo was established under Chris Jordan and Paul Kang, both of whom joined Bond Street as students of Terry Sensei and Ken Sensei in the 1970s.
Today, Richard Webb leads us as our Chief Instructor and Chris Jordan Sensei continues as one of our senior instructors.
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Bond Street Dojo (incorporated as New York Aikido Society, Inc.) is a not-for-profit organization established as a place for learning and practice of the martial art of aikido. We are governed by a board of directors elected from and by the membership.
Teaching Philosophy
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Bond Street Dojo is a member of the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU), under the guidance of Mitsugi Saotome Shihan. Our instructors and members have studied with many teachers, and often incorporate their own unique experiences into our curriculum.
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Students of all ranks, ability levels and backgrounds are welcome to join us. We also host instructors from various schools of aikido and related martial arts to expand our knowledge and range of technique.
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Aikido Youth Program is also offered at the Bond Street Dojo. The classes and training on based on the curricula from ASU and Lee Crawford Sensei. The primary focus of the youth program is the development of the self. Body strength and coordination are developed from physical movement. Awareness, concentration, focus and self-esteem are improved. Through Aikido, students develop a sense of center and grounding.
LEADERSHIP
CHIEF INSTRUCTOR
​Richard Webb 四段 (Yondan, 4rd dan)
​Richard began his Aikido practice in 1999 under the guidance of Lee Crawford Sensei and soon began studying, and training with many teachers including Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei, Mary Heiny Sensei and Mitsugi Saotome Sensei. He enjoys traveling to train with teachers, including regular visits to Aikikai Hombu dojo and Kuwamori dojo in Tokyo, Japan. He believes Aikido is like a tree, a living system of ideas, inspiration, martial discipline and philosophy with endless potential for growth in many directions. Richard is an artist, musician, student of philosophy and is deeply inspired by Kazuo Ohno and Tatsumi Hijikata the primary founders of Butoh. In early 2017 he was asked by Chris Jordan Sensei and the board of Bond St Dojo to take the position of Chief Instructor and Dojo Cho which he currently upholds. He emphasizes wellbeing, adaptation and flexibility in his learning methods.
SENIOR INTRUCTORS
​Chris Jordan å…段 (Rokudan, 6th dan)
Chris Jordan Sensei joined Bond Street Dojo shortly after its founding. In 1980 Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson transferred the teaching and leadership of the Bond Street Dojo to Chris Jordan and Paul Kang, both of whom joined Bond Street as students of Terry Sensei and Ken Sensei in the 1970s. In addition to Terry Dobson and Ken Nisson, her teaching influences include Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, Yoshida Yamada Shihan, Mary Heiny Shihan and Frank Doran Sensei. She is known for her joy and sincerity of training on the mat.
Chris Jordan sensei has also been awarded the Ueshiba Juku designation by Saotome shihan. It recognizes her as having shown exceptional leadership in transmitting the teachings of O-Sensei and is a true inheritor of the principles of aikido in a direct line of succession from O-Sensei, through the teachings of Saotome shihan.
Chris Griffin å…段 (Rokudan, 6th dan)
Chris Griffin Sensei joined Bond Street Dojo in 1980 after training in Goju Ryu Karate with Annie Ellman Sensei and Nadia Telsey Sensei of Brooklyn Women’s Martial Arts. In 2017 Chris Jordan Sensei transferred the teaching and leadership of the Bond Street Dojo to Chris Griffin Sensei and Richard Webb Sensei. Chris Griffin now continues as a Senior instructor at Bond Street Dojo. In addition to Chris Jordan Sensei and Paul Kang Sensei, her teaching influences include Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, and Mary Heiny Shihan. Professionally she is a physical therapist and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner. Chris finds the practice of maintaining physical and mental integrity while absorbing/redirecting a partner's attack continually fascinating and influences her response to conflict off the mat as well.
Lee Crawford å…段 (Rokudan, 6th dan)
Lee Crawford Sensei has recently become a member of Bond St Dojo after relocating from Kirkland, WA in March of 2023. Lee has been the Chief Instructor at Aikido Northshore in Kirkland, WA from its creation in1995 and is still functioning in that role today.
Lee began her aikido training in 1980 under the direction of Akira Tohei Shihan at the University of Wisconsin Aikido Club. After relocating to Seattle in 1988, she became the Assistant Chief Instructor for George Ledyard Sensei at Aikido Eastside in Bellevue, WA. Lee has trained extensively under the direct instruction of Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan. She also includes Kevin Choate Sensei and Patty Saotome Sensei as having strong influences on her aikido.
In 2014 Lee was awarded the Ueshiba Juku designation by Saotome Shihan. This honor identifies those who are in a direct line of succession from O'Sensei through Saotome Shihan.
Tom Gardner 五段 (Godan, 5th dan)
Tom Gardner Sensei started his Aikido training in 1981 at Oberlin College under Frank Hreha Sensei, then started visiting Bond Street in 1983 and joined as member in 1987. He has travelled extensively, training as a full time member for at least 1 year or more at 11 different dojo on 3 continents. Along the way he learned to speak Japanese, lived in Japan and worked for the Japanese Consulate in New York for nine years. His is currently our Bilingual English/Japanese senior instructor. Along with Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, Paul Kang Sensei and Chris Jordan Sensei, his other main teachers have been Tanaka Bansen Sensei, Tetsutaka Sugawara Sensei, Shoji Nishio Sensei, Ken Nisson Sensei, and Dan Messisco Sensei. For Tom “...all of Aikido is connecting your center to your partner's center, and then moving your own center.” He is fascinated by O’sensei's statement that “...all power comes from God”, which he believes. Along with all of us, Tom studies how to actualize this statement.
Marc Sergilus 五段 (Godan, 5th dan)
Marc Sensei started his martial arts journey in 1981 under Ryohei Kanokogi Sensei and and later Nobuyoshi Higashi Sensei and holds a Nidan in Judo. He sought Aikido in 1988 after watching “Above the Law” and has continuously trained with our community. He cherishes the opportunity he had to train with the late Terry Dobson Sensei during his last seminar at the Bond Street Dojo. His primary teachers are Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan, Ken Nisson Sensei, Paul Kang Sensei, Chris Jordan Sensei and Dan Messisco Sensei. He focuses on exploring concepts of martial softness, leading, awareness of openings, and atemi. Most important to his training mentality is preserving the joy and happiness of connection with your partner. For Marc, Aikido is not a confrontation; it’s a way of life.
Soon Lye Lim 四段 (Yondan, 4th dan)
Soon Lye Lim Sensei started studying Aikido in 1984. His original teachers were Peter Jung Sensei, John Messores Sensei and Steve McPeck Sensei, then soon after Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei and Mitsugi Saotome Sensei. Later teachers and influences include Hal Lehrman Sensei, Mary Heiny Sensei and Dan Messisco Sensei.Soon Lye has also studied Tai Chi and Contact Improvisation.
In his Aikido, Soon Lye tries to incorporate his partner’s movement into his own; he tries to stay in the present moment without fear or anticipation, and without losing balance or flow; to resolve attacks without unnecessary force or intent, but without compromising martial principles.
He studies to understand principles of movement, of moving another person, of generating strength, and of blending with the attacker.
As a teacher, Soon Lye tries to teach principles and techniques that are effective, but also scalable to a range of partners and situations.
Kevin Cunningham (Sandan, 3rd dan)
Kevin Sensei trained in a Ki Society Dojo in Austin, Texas in the mid ‘70’s. He drifted away from Aikido for awhile. In 1994 after three years of karate training he returned to Aikido in New York. After attending the Bond Street Dojo 30th anniversary, he’s been training here ever since. He found a rich mix of influences among the yudansha at Bond Street Dojo and found the contrasting approaches of Chris Jordan Sensei and Paul Kang Sensei to be very stimulating. He trains four days a week at Bond Street and has served as an instructor for several years. He also travels frequently for work and has trained at dojo all over Europe, Asia and North America.
In addition to his Aikido training he has practiced Muso Shinden Ryu Iaido and other weapons systems and leads a twice weekly Iaido study group at Bond Street.
The effectiveness of the principles of empathy and connection as a framework for resolving conflict fascinates Kevin. The open awareness, intent and connection we practice on the mat have had profound effects on his everyday life especially in situations of conflict, disaster recovery, business negotiations and in his career as a director and collaborative artist.
Kyle Ancowitz (Sandan, 3rd dan)
Kyle Sensei joined Bond Street Dojo in 1999 shortly after arriving in NYC, as a student of Chris Jordan Sensei and Paul Kang Sensei. As such, his influences include Mitsugi Saotome Shihan and Hiroshi Ikeda Shihan. He began training at the original 49 Bond Street location and continued, over 25-plus years, to the current 106th St dojo. Since his first introduction to Aikido, Kyle has been inspired by this quote, attributed to Morihei Ueshiba O-Sensei: "I'm not teaching you martial techniques, I'm teaching you non-violence." Through his training and teaching, Kyle seeks to understand the roots of aggression and master them through his practice of Aikido techniques and principles..
Nico Puertollano 二段 (Nidan, 2nd dan)
Nico Puertollano Sensei commenced his Aikido training in 1995 at Bond St. Dojo, studying under the guidance of Paul Kang Sensei, Chris Jordan Sensei, and Tom Gardner Sensei who was then his mentor/senpai. He further honed his skills in the Philippines, and in 2014, at New York Aikikai, he studied under Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei with further guidance from Steve Pimsler Sensei. A pivotal encounter with Ryuji Shirakawa Sensei in 2018 deeply influenced Nico's Aikido philosophy, prompting him to refine his technique and outlook with further training under Shirakawa Sensei. ​
Alongside his martial arts journey, Nico flourishes as a designer, artist, and entrepreneur, co-running a motion design studio with his wife.
PAST LEADERSHIP
Terry Dobson
Terry Dobson Sensei began studying aikido with O-Sensei at Hombu Dojo in Japan in 1960 after training in judo and karate. He was the first American uchi-deshi (live-in student) of O-Sensei, and continued to study with him until O-Sensei‘s death in 1969. During those years he trained with fellow uchi-deshi Mitsugi Saotome Shihan, who founded and continues to lead the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba (ASU), the organization with which Bond Street Dojo is affiliated. Terry Sensei passed away in 1992.
Ken Nisson
Ken Nisson Sensei began judo training in 1958, and took up aikido in 1964 under the instruction of Koichi Tohei Sensei. In 1967 he was awarded shodan by Yoshimitsu Yamada Sensei. Ken Sensei began studying with Saotome Shihan in 1976. He is currently head instructor at Aikido of Modesto, California, as well as an artist and illustrator. He regularly visits the Bond Street Dojo and other dojos around the country to lead seminars.
Paul Kang
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Paul Kang Sensei began his study of aikido in Tokyo, Japan, in 1971. He then trained at New York Aikikai, gradually shifting his study to Bond Street Dojo. After Terry and Ken’s departure in 1980, Chris Jordan Sensei and Paul jointly led Bond Street Dojo as chief instructors until Paul Sensei’s death in May 2007. Paul Sensei also served as the executive director of ASU for many years.