One Dojo Boulder 2022 | A Year in Review
Updated: Jan 1
As holiday celebrations reverberate the end of 2022, and we prepare for the exciting year ahead, we reflect back and share some highlights of this pivotal year. We are deeply grateful to you, our community of practitioners and supporters for the magical year it has been.
Our One Dojo Family Grew in 2022
We Welcomed Three New Amazing Instructors
Kei Izawa — Six months after a fateful RTD skyride to DIA with Abel Villacorta Sensei in July of 2021, Kei Izawa Sensei, moved his community of aikido practitioners to One Dojo at the start of 2022. Izawa sensei, now 7th degree black belt and Chief Instructor of Aikikai Tanshinjuku, originally founded the group in 2000.
He began practicing Aikido in 1969, in Tokyo, Japan, at Aikikai Hombu Dojo under the late Doshu Kisshomaru Ueshiba, son of Morihei Ueshiba, just one week before O Sensei passed away.
In 1976, Izawa Sensei moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts where he studied under Mitsunari Kanai Shihan, 8th Dan of New England Aikikai. Throughout the years, Izawa Sensei also trained under numerous instructors at Hombu Dojo such as Osawa Sensei (senior), and the third Doshu Moriteru Ueshiba. Read our interview with Izawa Sensei here.
It has been a true pleasure having such an exceptional aikido instructor at One Dojo and equally wonderful human being. I urge you to use your new One Dojo memberships in 2023 to spend some time learning aikido from this world-renowned teacher at One Dojo.
Daddu Pal — After some Peace Samurai children's summer camps this year, Villacorta Sensei approached Yogi Daddu Pal, who had been leading outdoor morning yoga classes at North Boulder Park. The fruitful meeting led to Daddu joining the One Dojo family in October of 2022.
Daddu Pal was born and raised in the ancient city of Varanasi, India. His depth of practice comes from years of training and study with yogic monks in Ashrams along the Ganges river. We look forward to Daddu's return in 2023.
In the meantime, take advantage of the depth of Warrior Yoga with Victoria on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 9:00 am.
Evolene Premillieu Sensei — Premillieu Sensei started her Aikido journey in 2000 at the ripe age of 10. Born in France, she mainly trained under Mariano Aristin Sensei and Franck Noël Sensei. In 2012, she moved to the United States to learn from Hiroshi Ikeda Sensei and Hofmeister Sensei in Boulder, Colorado.
Through the years, she has participated in countless seminars around the world with various sensei. It was at one of these events that she originally came to meet Villacorta Sensei, who encouraged her to start teaching at One Dojo this past fall.
Premillieu Sensei has dedicated her life to Aikido since she began her training. She loves sharing her deep joy of aikido with other people and is especially focused on keeping the younger Aikido generation engaged in the practice.
We're immensely grateful for her energy and dedication to teaching students at One Dojo. Sign up for her lively aikido classes on Mondays and Wednesdays 7:00–8:30am and Friday evenings 6:00–7:30pm.
One Dojo Hosted Aikido & Yoga Events!
