Shaolin Warriors

[sha0lin1]

They might be different generations, but they were on many of the same tours and trained together extensively. Yanfeng was the kid monk back when Xinghao was one of the star performers. Deshan and Xingying were also in that group. So they probably know the same circles, more or less. I hung out with Xinghao back when he was at Shaolin in '95 a lot. I knew Yanfeng and Xingying too, but not as well. I didn't know Deshan - may have met him there and just forgot.

When Nards and I went to Tennessee with Xing Ying and Yan Feng to see that group perform. All of those guys with the exception of the young ones were Yan Feng's classmates. It was funny, Yan Feng was upset because when he was at Shaolin he was taller than all of them and now they are all taller than him. That performance was called Hui Guang, it was the story about a group of bandits that attacked a mother and her infant son to rob them, mother and son get separated during the attack, a group of Monks happen to stumble upon the turmoil and save the baby, and raise him up at the temple. Well you know the rest. That show was really good, we were talking to the promoters and they may tour it next year, we'll see.

Xing Hao is really a cool guy. I don't know De Shan that well, never was formally introduced, but when we perform at various festivals we often cross paths. Wish we all could collaborate more together but the Houston Shaolin are very independent of each other. My master would like to have one school with four masters, I think that that would be awesome but will probably never happen.

[GeneChing]

When I first met Yanfeng, he was training at the wushuguan under all the monks above. There were other kids, not many, Yanfeng was in a class by himself. I had never seen a kid that motivated and focused before. He was constantly training (and he was really young back then - we're talking '95). I'm now wondering if Yanfeng's classmates on this tour were from that period. I'm wondering if they were all wushuguan students.

I also recant the comment I made earlier about Yanfeng being in the same circles as Xinghao, Xingying, Deshan, et.al. They were all training together, but Yanfeng was a kid and the others were adults (actually Xingying was a teen, but still more adult that Yanfeng). Their age would have certainly had an effect on the social circles and their memories. I can't remember a lot of the kids and junior students that I taught and trained with back in my Lam Kwoon days. I really only remember those that were adults, and even they are a little sketchy.

Didn't realize Shaolin Warriors had progressed that much with the plot of their show. That stands to reason, in retrospect. The original was fairly abstract, based on the seasons, but really minimal in terms of storyline.

[GeneChing]

This sounds more like the tour I saw so long ago - the four scenes, the four seasons. I remember a shami being involved (a shami is always involved - that was Yanfeng's role as a child) but I don't remember an infant. Can anyone clarify this?

Shaolin Warriors At The Belk Theater
WHAT:
“…I felt like I had stumbled upon some secret place, a place where extraordinary men challenge the limits of the human condition.” –The Greenville News

Shaolin Warriors is more than a Kung Fu show. The four scenes of summer, autumn, winter and spring depict the philosophical theory of the cycle in Buddhism. The unique artistic conception of summer, spring, autumn and winter vividly shows the rarely-seen temple life of the Shaolin monks: their Buddhist meditation, as well as their martial arts training during the coldest and hottest times of the year. In addition to the breath-taking Kung Fu display, an attentive audience will gain some understanding of the pride of Chinese Buddhism, the doctrine of “Unity of Zen and Martial Arts.”

[Pk_StyLeZ]

here some sample clips from the show
found it on youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6y8LHVk9hs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJRyJEkdQww

[scholar]

I recently saw the Shaolin Tour. It was definitely worth it. Besides some hokey music and the demo weapons, the forms were good, the performers serious and the presentation respectful.

If this one comes to town, people should see it, even if they don't train Shaolin.

[scholar]

http://www.beat.com.au/article.php?id=631

[GeneChing]

The nice thing about this article is it gives the official website - http://www.cpaap.com/shaolin.htm

Strength and grace: Shaolin Warriors bring their brand of martial arts to the Z
November 22, 2007 6:00 AM

The Shaolin Warriors bring the remarkable skill, stunning movement, and spectacular imagery of Kung Fu to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m. Friday in a performance that's sure to dazzle the audience.

The Masters of Shaolin — known throughout the world for their disciplined spirituality and lethal martial-arts prowess developed from a very young age — showcase many forms of Shaolin Kung Fu in this spectacularly choreographed theatrical production. They also provide a glimpse into the daily life of the Warriors.

According to The Washington Post, "They combine the agility and grace of gymnasts with the showmanship of Cirque du Soleil performers."

Or, as TimeOut magazine in New York put it, "Not many people would ever think of hitting a holy man, but just in case you're ever tempted, you should know that the Shaolin Buddhist monks of China could kick your ass from here to nirvana."

Located in the Henan province of central China, the Shaolin Temple was founded in 525 AD by a Buddhist monk from India named Ta Mo. He laid the foundation for the martial arts out a commitment to enhancing harmony between mind, body and spirit through Ch'an (Zen), an intense form of meditation.

Today, 23 monks from that same temple travel the world as the Shaolin Warriors performing a re-creation of a "day" at the temple — the serenity of morning meditation, the stunning physicality of daily exercises, and amazingly choreographed scenes of ritual combat.

"In addition to the breath-taking kung fu show, an attentive audience will gain some understanding of the profoundness of Chinese Buddhism, the Doctrine of 'Unity of Zen and Martial Arts' in particular," states their Web site, www.cpaap.com/shaolin.htm

The monks train for several hours daily to perfect the art of hand-to-hand and weapons combat. Each of them is required to reach high proficiency in the temple's 18 traditional weapons and become the master of one. These weapons include the common ax, cudgel, spear, halberd, sword and broadsword, three-section staff, dart, dagger, black tiger hammer, tiger hooks and more.

Buddhism and Buddhist monks espouse a philosophy of non-violence and non-aggression, but the practices of the Shaolin Warriors are not at odds with these tenets. Their goal is not violence and bloodshed, but rather what is referred to as "stillness in movement," the reward of a serene mind, cultivated through meditation.

After seeing Friday's performance, audience members will no doubt agree with The Orange County Register that the Shaolin Warriors are —¦ so good at what they do, it almost looks like animation."

Tickets are $48, $45, $40 for all reserved seats. Tickets are available by calling the Z box office at (508) 994-2900 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, online at www.zeiterion.org; or at the box office, 684 Purchase St., New Bedford.

Group sales tickets are available by calling (508) 997-5664 Ext. 16. The venue is handicapped accessible.

Convenient parking is available in the adjacent garage for $2

[quddha]

i mean i just saw on spahouston.org the free class at UH listed.

i just looked and they have a list of performers. anyone recognize any of them:

Performers
Pengfei Chen, Haohao Song, Qinpei Shi, Long Yuan, Tao Hao, Changbao Feng, Yanfei Zhang, Jie Zhao, Chenxi Wang, Chunpei Song, Kunkun Cao, Zhuo Chen, Hao Lu, Weixiao Ma, Long Chen, Dawei Zhai, Chuanqiang Yuan, Xianwei Liu, Xingchao Fan, Husile Wu, Tiancheng Zhao, Xin Liu

Most of them were casted from the Beijing area. I recognized some of the faces from the Shaolin school I was training at this summer in Fangshan Beijing.

Ma Weixiao is a friend of mine I met during the summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqgaJYQ8NtM

He did the double whipchains during the show. Another one who did a lot of the Qi Gong stuff, I call "mean coach" because I saw him break a staff on a student's butt when he was misbehaving, and he used to throw stuff at his students.

Xingchao Fan.... left the tour, he's now my coach. lol.

[GeneChing]

This show just keeps going and going. it's the Shaolin energizer bunny...

Kung-fu masters Shaolin Warriors at Fairfield Croydon, and The Hawth, Crawley
Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 15:48

Witness death-defying feats of agility, strength and skill from kung-fu masters Shaolin Warriors.

Using Buddhist meditation and martial arts training the team display the art of hand-to-hand and weapons combat.

They are not only experts in using weapons but they demonstrate their ability to sustain extreme physical discomfort and pain.

Scenery, enchanting music and beautiful lights and props set the scene for this fully choreographed show.

Shaolin Warriors, Fairfield, Croydon, Friday, June 19, 8pm, £20.50, £21.50, 020 8688 9291, www.fairfield.co.uk

The Hawth, Crawley, Saturday, June 20, 7.30pm, £21 (£18, family £60), 01293 553636, www.hawth.co.uk.

[Tensei85]

Sounds awesome! I believe there's one coming to Mich. next month some time, can't wait to check it out...

[GeneChing]

There's something really quaint about this review...

Theatre Review: Shaolin Warriors, Fairfield, Croydon
Friday, July 03, 2009, 07:00

This is a show quite unlike any other: a blending of martial arts and showbiz to demonstrate the amazing feats of strength and mind-over-matter of which the human body is capable.

This is the first UK tour by the internationally acclaimed Shaolin Warriors, Kung Fu masters from China.

The choreography is sometimes spectacular, sometimes a little mundane and repetitive, but the skill of the 22 highly-trained participants is extraordinary as they demonstrate disciplines such as qigong, animal imitation boxing, drunken boxing and mock combat with traditional weapons.

Not to mention witnessing a man balanced by his comrades on the points of four spears or being rammed in the midriff with a telegraph pole wielded by six others.

Another lies on a bed of scimitar blades with a bed of nails on his stomach while a second warrior lies on top of that to have a marble slab on his stomach smashed with a sledgehammer. How do they think these things up?

There are light-hearted interludes when volunteers are invited on stage to get involved and the 30 or so youngsters who did a bit of Kung Fu training appeared to love it.

In fact Kung Fu looks to be such a positive way of channelling and harmlessly unleashing aggression that I think someone should start classes in schools and for grumpy old women. I'd enrol!

The music is mesmerising but the brochure's promise of "gorgeous scenery" and "hundreds of costumes" is an exaggeration. The scenery is just a temple backcloth and the costumes are mostly fluorescent orange Buddhist monk type outfits, which look good when the stage is darkened.

The show was subtitled Seasons of Life, though as there was no narration I had no idea which season was which.

But these are minor moans as this was a very different and mostly very entertaining show with the downside of making you go home feeling very unfit!

Diana Eccleston

4 stars

[GeneChing]

I like their definition of wushu. It makes no sense whatsoever, but I still like it.

Posted on: Tuesday, August 25, 2009
'Shaolin Warriors' show poetry in fighting

The world renowned SHAOLIN WARRIORS, who sold out a full run at The Hawaii Theatre in 2002, return to Oahu to play just 6 shows at The Blaisdell Concert Hall from September 23 to 27, 2009. Tickets go on sale on July 22 at 9am.
Advertisement

Shaolin Warriors have mystified and excited US audiences in 3 US tours in the last decade. This appearance will be the first in their latest incarnation, leading a 20-city North American tour.

The group of 22 Buddhist monks from Shaolin Temple in China's Henan Province creates an amazing spectacle with their brand of high-flying martial arts and acrobatics. The audience's delight of motion is mixed with disbelief at the feats of strength, skill and endurance. While the show is highly entertaining it is also educational - these martial arts are grounded firmly in the mindfulness of Buddhist practice. The Shaolin Warriors fight mostly in silence while showing a disciplined stillness that comes from a serene mind.

The monks of Shaolin Warriors train specifically for the show, but their rigorous regimen also includes slower moments. Zhan Yucheng, manager of the Shaolin Warriors explains; "They spend hours meditating and practicing kung fu. They have a diet rich in rice and spend as much time outdoors as possible."

"A monk trains his mind perhaps more than his body. Strong mental as well as physical discipline is required," Zhan said. "Without concentration, physical strength is nothing."

Although the traveling theatrical performance of Shaolin Warriors has been in existence for less than ten years, the Kung Fu at the show's core was born 1,500 years ago, at Shaolin Monastery. The monastery was the center of spiritual and Kung Fu (Shaolin Chuan) practices. Wushu exercises, based on the attack and defense movements of animals that lived near the monastery, were used to develop a defense system of hand-to-hand and weapons combat that became sophisticated over generations.

That system of combat now enables choreographed martial arts feats so amazing they don't look real. The masters' butt-kicking, amazingly graceful hand-to-hand combat and weaponry skills have been described as "…a performance that's part action flick, part Cirque du Soleil" by the Boston Globe.

Standing out among the performers of this company are two young boys who despite their size and age have many chances to show off their physical and artistic abilities. The two are able to hold their own amongst the more experienced Shaolin performers on stage. They also lead some of the interaction with the audience – there is humor as well as serenity in the show.

Shaolin Warriors is a full sensory theatrical experience, as compelling as anything in modern dance and surely more hypnotic, especially when paired with a Shaolin temple backdrop, low lighting, piped-in Eastern music and ever-burning incense. Graceful maneuvering is the yin of the evening, unbelievable stunts provide the yang.

Tickets go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, July 22 at 9am. Tickets for opening night are all priced at $35, with $5 to be donated directly to the Palolo Chinese Home. Tickets for the rest of the run range $30 to $60 with $10 discounts for children, seniors, students, and military, available in person from the Blaisdell Box Office, charge by phone with Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, at outlets in Macy's at Ala Moana and Pearlridge and online at www.ticketmaster.com.

[GeneChing]

There's vid on this first link.

I am the warrior
Ryan Senaga
Sep 23, 2009
Shaolin Warriors

Combine monks with martial arts and you get extreme Zen.

Shaolin Warriors / What do you get when you mix Buddhist monks with deadly dexterous skill in martial arts? Shaolin Warriors! Twenty-two Buddhist monks from the Shaolin Temple in the Henan Province of China are coming to the Blaisdell Concert Hall to kick, slash, swirl, punch, and flip their way into your adrenaline cortexes with their crazy acrobatic skill, hand-to-hand combat and blade mastery. The group’s trademark sense of grace will bring a touch of zen to the proceedings.

This is not to say that they aren’t partial to lying on a plank of nails so their buddies can smash bricks on their bare chests with a sledgehammer. (We’d like to see Gallagher try that.) We’ll also be treated to the impressive visuals of swirling red robes with flashes of sharp, silver steel as well as awe-inspiring acts of balancing with bamboo poles.

The origins of this particular martial art are shrouded in mystery. Some say that the monks learned the techniques from ancient sacred scripture by one Bodhidharma, a Buddhist monk from India. Others say that this legend is baloney and the monks were already practicing their martial arts before the arrival of the aforementioned Indian monk. Regardless, here they are, not defending their monastery but giving the decadent West a taste of their different types of fists with names like Plum Flower, Seven Star and Big Flood.

The Boston Globe describes the troupe’s act as “part action flick, part Cirque du Soleil.” That pretty much sums it up. Just don’t expect any fatalities. It won’t be that kind of Mortal Kombat.

Nice that they are doing some charity

Senior Citizens get Sneak Peek of China's Shaolin Warriors
Contributor: Jessica Gellert
Last Update: 9/22 5:00 pm

Shaolin Warriors perform kungfu for residents of the Palolo Chinese Home.

Some lucky Honolulu residents got a sneak peek of kungfu at its best.

22 Shaolin Warriors from China showed off their master skills for the folks at the Palolo Chinese Home this morning.

The masters' hand-to-hand combat and weaponry skills had the crowd in awe.

“The young boys, the two young boys, they so young,” said resident Patsy Yamane. “It seems like they do all their tricks with their head,” she giggled.

The monks will perform at the Blaisdell Arena from the 23rd to the 27th.

Tickets for the 23rd show are all $35 and proceeds will go to the Palolo Chinese Home.

Tickets for all other shows range from $30 to $60.

Children under 18-years-old, college students, senior citizens and military get a $10 discount.

[GeneChing]

There was a ton of news on the Hawaii run that I didn't bother to post here. The show must have done well there to warrant so much coverage.

Of all the tours, I never would have guessed that this one would have such legs in the U.S.

Last Updated: 12:29 pm | Sunday, October 11, 2009
Leaping warriors at Music Hall

During the run of Roaring Tigers, Leaping Carp at Cincinnati Art Museum, the Cincinnati Art Association will host a one-night performance of the Shaolin Warriors, 7 p.m. Nov. 1 at Music Hall.

The Shaolin monastery was established in 525 A.D. by a Buddhist monk from India in what would later become the Henan province of central China. The Shaolin sect became known across Asia for its disciplined spiritualism and deadly martial-arts prowess.

Nearly 1,500 years later, the disciples of Shaolin are touring the world in a highly theatricalized look at their daily practice, including demonstrating "wushu" - their style of combat developed in war-torn, feudal China - and the fluid, animal-inspired movements of kung fu.

The show demonstrates use of more than 20 weapons, including the ax, cudgel, spear, halberd, sword and broadsword, three-section staff, dart, dagger, black tiger hammer, plum blossom broadsword, Bodhidharma staff, tiger hooks and more.

Through a practice known as Ch'an (think Zen), they calm the body and focus the mind to a single collected point in order to attain a mental state known as Samadhi, or complete mental absorption. The warriors fight mostly in silence, a direct result of practicing Samadhi.

Buy tickets ($25-$40) at 513-621-2787 and www.cincinnatiarts.org

[solo1]

Just found out in class last night they are coming to Cincinnati several of us from our school are going, cant wait.