Dominguez is the man who is, and always has been, behind the school’s many decades of success. According to its Instagram page, demastudiosbx, the master instructor has over 40 years experience in Tae Kwon Do [or Taekwon-Do], a Korean martial art characterized by its emphasis on head-height kicks, jumping spinning kicks, and fast kicking techniques, with kicks and striking being above waist height only.

 

According to the school’s Instagram page, students can improve their physical, mental and emotional abilities through practicing the ancient art form, while the school promises to help bring out the best in its students, who are of all ages.

 

Quinn Collazo is one such student and is Rodriguez’s son. He spoke passionately to BronxNet on the benefits of both Tae Kwon Do and the school saying, “This is like a second home. Everyone needs another family and another place to come to learn to build themselves up, and build their future in a positive way, not only physically but mentally.” He added, “This also builds a lot of confidence and brings you to another place where, you know, you feel comfortable.”

 

Speaking with the Norwood News on Jan. 27, Rodriguez said Quinn has been studying the martial art for 5 years now, and is a junior instructor at the school. “It took him four and a half years, and he’s a black belt now. He’s a first degree and he’s studying for his second degree,” she said. Asked how Tae Kwon Do has helped his personal development, she said, smiling, “Him, personally? Oh wow! What can I tell you? He’s actually very health conscious so he joined the class because he wanted to just improve on his health and be more flexible, and be a part of some type of team effort or team school, and it has improved his agility because he was a dancer before.”

 

Meanwhile, Dominguez told BronxNet that, in his experience, martial arts is really good for kids, both mentally and physically. “When they go to college, they have another way of seeing things,” he said. Rodriguez concurred saying that attending the school has been tremendous for her son, physically and mentally, and keeps him focused for college. “He also models so it helps his physique,” she said. “He’s had nothing but positive experiences there.”

 

In the BronxNet report, it was also noted that the school was, unfortunately, ineligible to receive a PPP loan due to not having a set payroll. Rodriguez told the Norwood News that, indeed, there are no employees. “Everyone that works there is a volunteer,” she said. “The children are taught to become instructors once they are a black belt, and then everyone takes their turn teaching classes, so we have junior and senior instructors.” In the BronxNet report, it was also noted that through the years, Dominguez has kept the school open by using his own funds and has also helped students attend their Tae Kwon Do classes despite their inability to pay.

 

Rodriguez confirmed Dominguez was making every effort to keep the school open on his own. “He’s trying to really hang in there until New York City opens up again and it’s actually possible to have bigger classes,” she said. In the meantime, she said that as the situation has made it difficult for parents to feel comfortable, and let their kids come to class, she and other parent volunteers have assisted Dominguez in arranging smaller classes with less students so they can accommodate them properly and meet the necessary social distancing requirements.

 

“We were open Monday through Saturday but since the classes are smaller, we were trying to do, right now, just three days a week, Monday Wednesday, Friday in the evening,” she said, adding that class sizes also depended on the level. “So, right now, since attendance is low, we might have three to five children for each class,” she said. “We have more than enough space to accommodate more but we’re trying to do it where everyone is comfortable.”

 

Asked how this compared with pre-pandemic class sizes, Rodriguez said, “Oh pre-pandemic, we had, per class, maybe 25 children – so it’s a huge difference. From 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., we have lower belts which are white, yellow, orange, green, and then anything like red and up would be for the 7 o’ clock sessions and black belts, and we would alternate. Some kids would come in Monday, Wednesday, because there are so many and then others, Tuesday, Thursday.”

 

Rodriguez said, collectively, the group has been very careful to implement safety protocols. “Before they [the students] walk into the school, they have to go to the restroom which is outside in the hallway,” she said. “Everyone has to wash their hands, and we do a temperature check before they come into the school, and they must wear a mask inside and throughout the class.”

 

She added that parents are now not allowed into the school so they wait in the common area. “We disinfect and mop every night, obviously, before the classes,” she said. “We try to just keep the kids focused enough that they’re not crowding each other or wandering around. I mean in the earlier classes, the children start at 5 years old.”

 

Asked if she felt fear of the new UK strain of the coronavirus had been a factor in keeping more people away, Rodriguez said, “Well, while we were outside, doing classes on Mosholu Parkway we had a pretty full class. The moment we went inside, the amount of students just tapered off so it’s definitely a fear issue with contact. They do call, and they do want to come in, and we touch base with them regularly and sometimes, we have two or three who kind of trickled in with time.”

 

Rodriguez said she thinks people are starting to adjust to what they have to do. “We’ve been pretty safe. No-one has been ill at the school, so I think with time, they’ll be more comfortable.”

Speaking of the impact Dominguez has had on the many thousands of students he has trained over the decades, Rodriguez said, “It really is a good place for the kids in the area to be,” and she added that it kept the youth occupied. “We’ve really become a family, and the parents are all there for a common purpose, so we kind of pull together and help each other with everything,” she said. “We have, even, parents that moved out of the Bronx and still travel to the school. We have people coming from Westchester. We have a family that comes in from Harlem.”

 

She said though the school location might be difficult for people to find (it’s above Foodtown on East 204th Street) it was a great community, very tight-knit, and that newcomers are welcomed with open arms. “Anyone can learn Taw Kwon Do,” she added, emphasizing that the classes were open to all age groups.

 

When she spoke to BronxNet, Rodriguez said it would take some time but she would like to see the school stay open so that when the parents and the children are ready to come back, the door is still open. Of Dominguez himself, she said, “I’ve been many places and given out flyers, and everywhere I go, they know him,” she said. “He’s a pretty popular guy.”

 

Anyone wishing to make a donation towards the school can do by going to the GoFundMe page set up by supporters of the school.

 

To contact the school about ongoing socially-distant classes, call (718) 654-1430 or email demastudiobx@gmail.com.

 

*David Greene contributed reporting to this story.