It was a big leap when Muzosa Dojo first started training indoors. All of our classes had been outdoors, since we started in 1994 in Central Park. We had been training in this space for a while when 9/11 happened. In fact, one of the students in the photo, Andrei, was near ground zero at the time, attending college at BMCC.
We continued classes there until we opened the Queens dojo in 2003. I have fond memories of our short time at Alvin Ailey. It was a beautiful space, and it marked a real transition of growth for Muzosa.
We’ve trained at many indoor spaces over the years. Some places are more significant to the dojo’s history than others, but ultimately the space is less important than the training. Even though we’ve called many places home over the years, and no one in this photo is still training with us, the dojo and the training has endured. We still train, and that is the essence of nin.