The Fearless Shaolin Warriors

By Kinvelyn Guaba and Jessica Shira

Famed martial arts troupe the Shaolin Warriors put on a spectacular show at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. The night was a mix of meditation, choreographed battle and strength techniques. The Shaolin monks are a sect of Buddhism founded in 525 A.D. in feudal China. The monks developed their skills by impersonating the fighting tactics of animals.

To sounds of water, bells, and drums the monks performed amazing acrobatic and endurance feats using a range of weapons: poles, knives and swords. In one scene, a monk lay down on a wood surface embedded with large, sharp knives. To demonstrate that the knives were real and sharp, another monk cut a cucumber into pieces in a matter of seconds. Next, another monk was assembled on top of him, separated by a board of nails. Then another monk approached them with a hammer to break a surface on top of them without hurting them.

In another scene, a handful of monks propped up a warrior in the air on the tips of large, pointy spears. The monk showed no sign that he had been penetrated in the stomach by any of the sharp props.

The audience was mesmerized by the monk’s flexibility and strength.

Meditation is a key component of the Shaolin form of martial arts and the monks performed Tai Chi during the show. “Tai Chi is a technique that helps with stress and focus,” said Sharon Weissman, 54, a massage therapist and Tai Chi instructor from Long Island. “The more you do it the better.” Weissman explained that she was surprised with an invite by her two friends, who planned the outing to see the monks.

Richard Matos, 49, came with a date. “I always wanted to come to this show, but I didn’t have anybody to share the experience with.”

Audience participation was very important to the monks. They went into the audience, looking for two male volunteers to try and remove a metal bowl that was stuck on the abdomen of a performer by a breathing technique. Neither could remove the bowl.

There was an amusing moment when the monks invited all the kids in the audience to join them on stage and asked them to mimic their movements. A young African American girl stood out, trying to catch up with the steps and screaming as loud as she could. Other kids flailed about until a monk adjusted them and placed them in the right position. The crowd laughed hysterically.

There were two child performers. One did an impressive rapid-fire series of flips. The other jumped on top of several monks as they formed a human ladder. He then lifted his left leg over his head and balanced on one foot until the lights faded.