Shifu Taran Champagne was initially exposed to Chinese Martial Arts at a young age through watching Shaw Brothers films with his Father (himself a lifetime martial arts practitioner).

Shifu Taran began his studies of Chinese Martial Arts in 2005 with the style of Choy Lay Fut (蔡李佛) at the University of Florida. Since then he has continued to expand his studies eventually studying the additional traditional styles of Northern Mantis (北螳螂拳）and Longfist (長拳).

Seeking to balance out his external practice with internal studies, Shifu Taran was fortunate to discover that one of the world’s foremost experts in Tai Chi, Grandmaster Aiping Cheng, had settled in Austin and would begin teaching. He attended her first class in Austin in 2018 and has been a dedicated student of hers ever since. Since 2019 he has served as an instructor at Aiping Tai Chi Center - Austin.

Shifu Taran is a firm proponent of the Chinese idiom: “只要功夫深，鐵杵磨成針” (with enough hard work, you can grind an iron bar into a needle). There is no secret to skill in Tai Chi. One must train with frequency and intent to become better than you were yesterday.

In addition to his studies in Chinese Martial Arts Shifu Taran has served as the Shifu for the Texas Dragon/Lion Dance Team since 2016. Furthermore, he also serves as a board member of the United States Dragon and Lion Dance Federation. In this capacity, he helps plan, promote, and run both national and international events related to dragon and lion dance.