When the Buddhist monk Ta Mo founded the legendary Shaolin Temple at the base of Mount Shaoshi in 525 A.D., who could have imagined a tradition of mental and physical discipline born out of the monks' daily routine somehow becoming an internationally renowned stage production a millennium and a half later? Light moments temper
hard Shaolin steelBy Shawn "Speedy" Lopes
slopes@starbulletin.com"Shaolin Warriors," the elaborate stage show that combines the showmanship of a China Performing Arts Agency production -- director, music composer, choreographer and designers included -- with the mysterious disciplines of the fabled monks, wraps up a long American road trip with sold-out shows today and tomorrow at Hawaii Theatre.
Opening night Thursday saw a packed house. The program opens with a dramatic, new-agey soundtrack replete with cymbals, gongs and the di-zi, or Chinese flute. Before a mock backdrop of a temple courtyard, cleanly shorn monks in bright orange tunics and yellow sashes punch, kick, flip and twirl with seemingly superhuman agility.
In unison a group of fighters flail wooden staves about, smashing them at their feet with deafening cracks, sending splinters flying everywhere. In another exhibition, similar bars -- both wooden and metal -- are broken over the limbs and heads of their impervious peers.
Credit, in part, ch'an meditation techniques for the astounding display. It is said that this intense form of meditation allows the monks to focus on a particular point on the body, withstand pain, repel violent blows and endure hours of rigorous physical conditioning each day. Seven-hour training sessions at Shaolin Temple are common.
Just as Shaolin kung fu packages fearsome physicality into wondrously graceful movements, "The Shaolin Warriors" stage show tempers its hard edges with lighter moments. One young monk climbs down onto the main floor and, palms pressed together, appeals to a pair of front-row audience members to join the cast on stage. Once in the spotlight, they are asked to wrench a bowl adhered to another monk's abdomen. Of course, it is impossible, even with each other's help.
Later, a group of children are invited on stage to mimic a monk's complicated set of kicks and air punches. This draws resounding laughter from everyone in the theater, save for the performers sitting cross-legged in the background, who, in true monk fashion, refuse to crack even the slightest smile.
The biggest oohs and aahs are reserved for the show's pint-size pair of preteen performers who execute their dizzying routines with an adroitness equal and, in some cases, superior to their elder cast members. When one youngster pulls off a rapid-fire succession of no-hand flips, the crowd erupts in applause. No tricks, no strings.
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