In 2012 a seminar was held at Two Cranes Dojo in Seattle featuring four of the most interesting and progressive Aikido teachers around today. George Ledyard, Aikido 6th Dan and direct student of Mitsugi Saotome Sensei, Kimberly Richardson, 6th Dan and a senior student of Mary Heiny Sensei, the late Kevin Choate, Aikido 7th Dan and lifelong student of Mitsugi Saotome, and Daniel Messisco, Aikido 6th Dan and direct student of Saotome Sensei as well as other major teachers both in Japan and in the US.
Kevin Choate Sensei, Aikido 7th Dan, began his Aikido training in the early 70’s. He was a senior student of Mitsugi Saotome Sensei, trained extensively under Shigeru Suzuki & Hiroshi Ikeda. Choate Sensei tragically passed away in late 2012 representing an irreplaceable loss for the Aikido community. This is the only commercially available video of Choate Sensei teaching.