It's incredible how disciplined training of the body and mind can inspire great feats. I was honoured to be in the presence of such greatness, and the fact that the performers were sharing something special to them - it wasn't just tricks. It also hinted at their way of life.
During the media call I this caught my eye:
And with that I decided to have a little chat with the performer:
Hi. What's your name and how old are you?
Shi Miao Jia Ming. I'm 17.
How long have you been practising KungFu?
7 years.
How did you start?
*shuffles a tad awkwardly*
What do you like most about performing?
Doing air flips.
How do you feel when you're on stage? Do you get nervous?
I don't get nervous.
Have you performed many times?
Yes.
What do you hope the audience will take away from your performance? Or how do you hope they'd feel?
Excited.
As you can tell, he didn't say very much. If anything, the experience of talking to him just shrouded the Shaolin martial arts in more mystery.
 |
| Holding two buckets of water in this position is already a feat, but just look at his feet. |
The Show
There's a storyline that takes you through the Shaolin temple's uneasy relationship with Chinese monarchy.
The performers were earnest and brought the energy. The show featured many styles familiar to casual fans of KungFu movies - the monkey was the most memorable, followed by one that resembled Drunken Boxing.
They also used meditation, and qi, concentrating their energy and gathering their strength for some incredible stunts like laying on blades, a bed of nails and having someone hammer a brick on their stomach to bits.
Just :O
My one gripe is that, some of the stunts, despite being incredible, and quite a sight to witness live, have been featured in Chinese movies. It wasn't as fresh as it could've been.
Who should watch it?
Family-friendly, and especially awesome if you're a fan of Shaolin, Kung Fu and Wushu. They're definitely at the top of their game.
Tickets
With the code "JASONK", you get a seat upgrade (that means if you buy a Cat A ticket, you get bumped up to VIP!) and a 15% discount. You can get them here.
Showing at MasterCard Theatres, Marina Bay Sands from now till 31 July.
