David Prost

Born and raised right here in the Twin Cities, I began my training in martial arts in the summer of 1979, and it has remained a passion for me ever since. In high school I had been a competitive gymnast and was looking for something new to involve myself with. I had been fascinated with martial arts since I was a very young and the skills I picked up through gymnastics made the transition very natural, starting an odyssey that has continued for almost 30 years now.

I had studied various martial arts including; Southern Praying Mantis, Wing Chung, Muy Thai, and Kali before being exposed to Tai Chi Ch’uan 15 years ago. Like many people, I looked at the slow movements as more of a health exercise than a martial art - that is, until my teacher, Mike Skevane, showed how Tai Chi Ch’uan functions as a martial art, and that slow movement is simply one aspect of training (among many). Ever since, I have adopted Tai Chi Ch’uan as my primary style to train and teach, but I gladly supplement it with with training in the styles of my fellow Avatar members, as well as certain Russian martial art styles.

I am also visual designer for both print and new media, receiving my training at the College of Visual Arts in St. Paul. I live with my wife Stephanie, a writer and a real estate agent, and a little bulldog named Maybull. Stephanie and I both enjoy travel, art, antiquities, gardening, and good food.

I’ve very glad to be at Avatar with such a fantastic group of people. Avatar is a great place to teach and learn.