Steve Kaufmann, Shihan, 7th degree black belt, is the co-founder of Open Sky Martial Arts and the school’s overseeing instructor. Steve teaches Aikido and Tai Chi in the Physical Education Department at Duke University. He is semi-retired from regular teaching at our Hillsborough dojo.
Steve also has certifications in learning disability instruction and years of public school teaching. He began the innovative violence prevention program at the Central Park School for Children that integrated Aikido into a violence prevention curriculum funded by the N.C. Psychoanalytic Foundation’s Peaceful Schools Project. Steve presented many workshops in violence prevention for 6th grade teachers and their students in Durham Public Schools through a research program co-sponsored by the Center for Disease Control and Duke University.
Aikido Credentials: Steve is an aikido master teacher (Shihan), certified, through the United States Aikido Federation, allowing him to award others black belt ranks in Aikido. He studied extensively with three of Aikido’s great teachers: Y. Yamada, Shihan, chief instructor of New York Aikikai; M. Kanai; and T. K. Chiba. These three Aikido masters trained directly with the Founder of Aikido, O’Sensei Morihei Ueshiba.
Tai Chi Credentials: Steve has trained Tai Chi in multiple styles including Sun, Yang, and Chen for 50 years. He was a dedicated student of Grand Master Wang Hai Jun, a teacher in the Chen Style lineage at the highest level. Tai Chi provides a helpful counterpart to Aikido for Steve and many of our advanced students.
Sensei Kaufmann at White Cross School demonstration c. 2000 with uke Josh Lozoff
Sensei Kaufmann seminar discussing Yin/Yang energy
Dojo Manager
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Mike Dolan Fliss (he/him), 4th dan, now teaches most classes at Open Sky and Martial Arts and is the manager (dojo cho) of the school. Mike started martial arts nearly 40 years ago, gaining a black belt in the striking art of Korean Tang Soo Do, then starting Aikido in and Chen-style Tai Chi in 2000. He has a particular affinity for ukemi training and weapons work, and an interest in balancing vigorous physical conditioning with the internal and mental aspects of aikido development. Mike is also a longtime student of Buddhism and enjoys traveling for brief training intensives in both aikido and Zen.
Mike is a professional and published public health epidemiologist at UNC Injury Prevention Research Center and the NC Division of Public Health. |
Instructors
Open Sky is lucky to have had many high ranking students to help teach aikido and tai chi classes and support newer students. By both teaching and learning from each other we gradually develop our own practice while helping hone the practice of others. Below is a list of current black belts practicing and teaching aikido and tai chi at Open Sky:
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Jesse Kaufmann is the co-founder of Open Sky Martial Arts, a lifelong student of movement, and retired instructor in the Tai Chi program. Jesse was Open Sky’s school administrator and public communications person for 24 years. She also organized and ran the kids Aikido summer camp programs and taught children’s Aikido. Jesse is a painter and lover of animals. |
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Alex Hamer (she/her), 4th dan, has studied martial arts (karate, kung-fu, modern arnis, tai chi) since 1976. She started practicing Aikido in 1989 and joined Open Sky in 1999. She is a licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist (NC #83) with an orthopedic massage and structural bodywork practice informed by Aikido principles. Alex is fascinated with anatomy and loves to draw, paint, and study the human body. |
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Alexey Rytenkov (he/him), 4th dan, started aikido in 2003 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. He is one of the senior students of Alexander Pastukhov sensei, president of Yamato Aikido Foundation. He joined Open Sky in 2016 when he moved to the United States. Alexey has studied Masatake Fujita sensei’s method for many years and has a special interest in applied forms of aikido. |
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Andy Wood (he/him), 3rd dan, often teaches weapons and bokken classes at Open Sky. After joining Open Sky in its first year, Andy also taught kids and teen classes at Open Sky for many years. Andy has been instrumental in designing and building our Open Sky dojo locations, including our most recent move in 2020, and has had a strong role in maintaining Open Sky’s weapon’s classes. Andy is professional carpenter and owner of Wood Construction, Inc. |
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Ben Wood (he/him), 2nd dan, is the son of Andy Wood and joined Open Sky in 2003. Ben practiced Aikido in the kids classes through his childhood, eventually becoming an assistant teacher for kids and teens. Ben also grew up training in competitive swimming until age 19. This training informed his current fitness interests which focuses on Olympic and powerlifting weightlifting, and general calisthenics. |
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David Oskardmay (he/him), 2nd dan, is a software engineer, musician, and martial artist. David lives in Durham with his wife and cat – the kids have grown, but they still keep in touch! He has been a member at Open Sky since 2006 and practiced Tang Soo Do in his early training. He enjoys practicing with people at all skill levels and looks forward to exploring both the deep and practical aspects of Aikido. |
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Des Weighill (they/them), 1st dan, started their martial arts journey at Open Sky in 2021. They were drawn to the spirit of aikido, the inclusive practice, and how training their body helps quiet their mind. They also find joy in the harmony between aikido and their 15 years of classical ballet training. Des grew up in the Western Cape of South Africa, and moved to the US in 2015 to pursue their PhD. By day, they work as a computational biologist in Durham. In their free time (when not at the dojo), they enjoy walking in the forest, playing DnD, and learning BTS dance choreography 🙂 |
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Georg Buehler (he/him), 2nd dan, started studying aikido in high school at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics but didn’t find his way back to the art until 2016 when his son Aidan joined the kids program at Open Sky. Georg is drawn to the radical inclusiveness of aikido, as a means of transcending conflict and realizing our common humanity. He practices aikido and tai chi in the vain hope of staying young, or at least aging gracefully. He is a software developer and consultant. |
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Margaret Krome-Lukens (she/her), 1st dan, started her Aikido journey as a high school student at Five Rivers Aikido in Gloucester, VA and has called Open Sky her Aikido home since December 2008. She appreciates the way training helps her cultivate a learning mind and has a particular fondness for jo practice. She is a Senior Program Manager and chair of the Policy Team at RAFI-USA, working to connect the experiences of farmers and community stakeholders to policy solutions. Margaret dotes on her niece and nephew, dog, and plants, and enjoys knitting and watching the US Women’s National Team play beautiful soccer. |
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Ross Tompkins (he/him), 1st dan, began studying Aikido when he joined Open Sky in 2008. Drawn to the physical practice of restoring and maintaining harmony, he seeks to bring the mental and spiritual aspects of Aikido to other parts of his life. As a husband, father, and public servant, he finds many opportunities off the mat to practice intentionality, humility, and getting up after falling down. |
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Sean Gallagher (he/him), 2nd dan, started training in aikido in 1996 with William Gleason at Shobu Aikido (Boston, MA). He joined Open Sky Aikido in 2003 after moving to North Carolina. He is a nurse practitioner at UNC Cancer Hospital. |
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Tommy Lee White (he/him), 5th dan, began his study of Aikido at ASNJ in Roselle Park, NJ under Sensei Rick Stickles in 2002. He closely follows Yoshimitsu Yamada of New York Aikikai, Harvey Konigsberg of Aikido of Woodstock and Karen De Paola of Skylands Aikikai. Originally from Mississippi, he moved to the Northeast in 1988. In 2018 he moved “half-back” to North Carolina where he continues his Aikido studies under Sensei Steve Kauffman. As an instructor he shares his experiences as an avid participant of the Aikido seminar circuit of various instructors from around the country and abroad. He enjoys motorcycling and fishing and maintains his own architectural practice. |
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Tommy Noonan (he/they), 1st dan, is a director, choreographer, performer, teacher, writer and facilitator who works primarily between the US and Europe. He began studying Aikido in 2013 with Vincenzo Schiavone, Jochen Knau, and Gerhard Walter Shihan in Berlin, Germany before joining Open Sky. Tommy is committed to developing his practice as a creative somatic facilitator through interweaving his artistic experience with his studies of Aikido, Inner-Relationship Focusing, and Generative Somatics. His work can be found at www.tommynoonan.work |