Wisconsin Tai Chi Academy instructors have years of experience with Tai Chi and Qigong. Our instructors are all certified and accredited to instruct, and our assistant instructors are all supervised by qualified instructors.
Founder and Head Instructor
Sifu Ray Gates is an integrative physical therapist by profession, and has been involved in various martial arts styles for over 40 years, and exclusively with Tai Chi for over 25 years.
In 2001 Ray became a student of Master Dennis Watts, an internationally recognized, certified, and accredited Master of Tai Chi based in Queensland, Australia. Over the years Ray has trained and become proficient in a number of Tai Chi and Qigong forms. In 2003 he entered his first competition and has since competed at both State and National levels in Australia and the United States. He is a multiple gold medal winner in individual and team events. In 2012 he won Grand Champion at The Tai Chi Association of Australia’s national championships in Sydney, Australia, and has most recently qualified as a member of the US Kung Fu Team.
In 2005 Ray was officially appointed as a class assistant for Gold Coast Tai Chi Academy. Over the years he became more involved with instructing classes. In 2013 he became an Assistant Instructor, and in 2014 was certified by Master Dennis Watts as an Instructor. Ray has previously been accredited as a Level 1 Tai Chi instructor by Kung Fu Wushu Australia, and is currently accredited as a Level II Instructor by the American Tai Chi and Qigong Association. Ray is also a current member of the USA Kungfu Wushu Federation. He has trained students who have competed and won medals at National level competition, including a member of the USA Kung Fu Team.
Ray is proficient in numerous Tai Chi and Qigong forms including: Ba Fa Wu Bu, Beijing 24 Forms, Yang 40 Forms, International 42 Forms Combined Taijiquan Competition Routine, Hong Chen, 32 Forms Orthodox Sword, Chen 22 Forms Sabre, Scholar’s Dragon Phoenix Fan, Lotus Qigong, Ba Duan Jin, Shi Ba Shi, Fire Dragon Meridian Qigong, as well as taijiquan martial applications, Push Hands and Qin Na. He continues to learn more about Tai Chi and Qigong for his own benefit and the benefit of his students, learning from internationally recognized Tai Chi and Qigong Masters such as Master Dennis Watts, Master Peter Wu Shi-Zheng, Dr Yang, Jwing-Ming, and SIfu Amin Wu.
Ray is also an advocate for the promotion and teaching of traditional Tai Chi, and contributes a number of articles related to Tai Chi and Qigong. He presented at the 2023 Science of Tai Chi and Qigong as Whole-Person Health Conference.
Assistant Instructor
Benedetta Bonacci has been involved with Tai Chi since 1999, first learning with Master Paik (from whom she also studied Tae Kwon Do) in Madison, WI, then with Dr Mike Ferrari, and then with Mark Fedran through the Franklin Recreation Department. During this time she gained experience with many forms and elements of Tai Chi, including various Yang style sets, 42 Forms Sword, Guan Dao, and other Kung Fu and Qigong sets.
Benedetta joined WTCA in 2021 and has has been learning under Sifu Ray Gates ever since. To date she has become familiar with Beijing 24 Forms, Yang 40 Forms and Orthodox 32 Forms Sword. She is a member of the US Kung Fu Wushu Federation and has successfully won gold medals for at National and International level competitions, earning her a qualfiying place on the US Kung Fu Team.
Having been a Class Assistant for WTCA since 2024, Benedetta has chosen to follow a path to becoming an Instructor, becoming an Assistant Instructor in 2025. She continues to deepen her understanding of Tai Chi and Qigong and continued success in future competitions.