MEET THE WELLNESS TEAM:
ROSANN ARGENTI, TAI CHI
INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
Rosann Argenti has taught Tai Chi for more than 30 years, and has been a contracted instructor at Plymouth Harbor for nearly 20 years. Today, she teaches our Tai Chi and Tai Chi Meditation classes.
In part, what’s made Rosann so successful — in addition to her passion, drive, and calming nature — is her non-Tai Chi beginnings. Originally, Rosann earned her BSW and started out as a social worker in Montreal, Canada, serving in educational and psychiatric settings. From there, she opened her own dance company and studio. She then started searching for an outlet that provided more personal growth and development, and began meditating — eventually discovering Tai Chi. She enjoyed it so much that she founded her own Tai Chi school, and her social work and dance background helped her bring a unique approach and skill set to the profession.
Her school, Mountain Crane Tai Chi Tao Academy, serviced fitness and community centers in Montreal and is still in existence today. In 1989, Rosann moved to Sarasota, Florida, and passed the school on to some of her former students. Not only did she continue teaching Tai Chi in Sarasota, but she became a licensed massage therapist, and even contracted with WEDU Tampa (PBS) to produce a Tai Chi TV series that aired for nine years nationwide. All the while, Rosann taught at fitness and community centers, rehabilitation centers, hospitals, private medical institutions, retirement centers, education centers, and cancer treatment centers. She also created the continuing education course, “Tai Chi/Chi-Kung for Professionals,” approved by the Florida Boards of Massage Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy.
Rosann is a specialist in Tai Chi, Tai Chi Swordplay, Fighting Fan, and Double Daggers, and has worked with all populations — from the “average person” to professional golfers, tennis players, skiers, and more. “Tai Chi is based on martial art techniques,” Rosann says. “I teach it as a healthcare system, yet students feel the dynamic instincts of martial arts. It is slow and methodical, with virtually no risk of physical injury.”
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese tradition and a graceful form of exercise. Whether you’re looking to advance in a specific sport or a way to help center your life, Tai Chi is a wonderfully effective exercise. It helps train you to move to the “zone” — what Rosann refers to as “a place of inner fortitude and outer strength, where your mind is still and your body flows efficiently and effectively.”
“It’s truly a meditative, relaxation process that heightens awareness and focus in everyday life,” Rosann adds. “I’ve been doing Tai Chi for many years, and each time it feels like the very first time. I’m never bored.”