I do not know of any teachers in NYC but I would start with the suggestion of mwelch, Master Yu Cheng-hsiang sounds more like a true Tai Chi teacher.
Also; If you want the martial arts of Tai Chi you need to find a Tai Chi teacher that KNOWS Tai Chi Chuan.
If you go to a teacher that, for example, does Karate and Tai Chi you will get Karate applications of Tai Chi forms. This is not martial Tai Chi the applications are entirely different. Karate uses too much power if you are talking Tai Chi, as do all external martial arts.
If you find a TRUE tai chi teacher that knows the martial side, he or she also knows the health side.
Xingyi and Bagua are internal but still not Tai Chi, I practice Tai Chi I have practiced Xingyi and to a lesser extent Bagua. The applications can be similar but they are not the same. Tai Chi is considered soft and I have on occasion heard Xingyi as being described as hard/soft. Although I feel a good xingyi or bagua martial artist is very effective and very powerful it still is not Tai Chi.
But you should also know finding a teacher that knows or is willing to teach the martial side is difficult and learning martial tai chi takes a long time, but all internal martial arts take time, but I feel it is well worth the time it takes.
Most unfortunately there are more Tai Chi people out there interested in the Tai Chi health dance and crystal show than those that want the martial side. Back when I use to teach I lost students when started discussing the martial arts side of Tai Chi. Quote one student "THIS IS NOT KARATEĀ
" and out the door she went.
And there are many more teachers that will teach Tai Chi as more of a moving yoga than a martial art. It is, most unfortunately, more lucrative.
I read an article, the authors name escapes me, he was a Chen style practitioner and I believe he is based in Beijing. He said that of all the people in the world today doing Tai Chi only 5% know anything about the martial arts side of it.
However I am sure in NYC there are true Tai Chi Martial Artists, if I hear of any I will let you know.
T