Shaolin Warriors to perform tonight

Twenty-three deadly monks are headed for IU. The Shaolin Warriors, a troupe of authentic Shaolin martial arts masters, will display their unique style of kung fu at the IU Auditorium at 8 p.m. tonight.\nDoug Booher, the IU Auditorium director, said the show would be one of the highlights of the auditorium season.\n"The audience should arrive expecting a rare glimpse into the rich culture of the world's most skilled and deadly martial artists as they rely on years of training and deep meditation to carry out ancient rituals," Booher said.\nThe origin of the Shaolin fighting style dates back to 525 A.D., when a Buddhist monk from India named Ta Mo founded the Chinese Shaolin Temple. It was during China's violent feudal war period, however, that the unique Shaolin kung fu method was developed. The early monks needed to defend themselves, and formulated wushu, an attack-and-defense method blending Zen meditation with the quick movements of animals.\nGuo Lei, spokesman and interpreter for the Shaolin Warriors troupe, said the show would not consist merely in stunts and choreography. \n"We wanted audiences to understand more about kung fu. The performance will present the daily life of a Shaolin monk, and will show the training students go through to become Shaolin monks," Lei said.\nIn present-day China, the Shaolin Temple is revered as one of the nation's most cherished institutions. The monks train assiduously with each of the temple's 18 traditional weapons and choose one to achieve mastery with. Among the weapons displayed in the show are cudgels, swords, daggers, whips, axes and three-section staffs. A highlight of the show is the monks' demonstration of the completely absorbed mental state known as Samadhi, in which they are able to sustain extreme amounts of discomfort or pain.\n"Every astonishing act seen in video games or movies they did, only with no special effects to support them and much less padding to soften their landing," wrote Margaret Putnam of The Dallas Morning News after The Shaolin Warriors performed in Dallas in October.\nWith all the inconceivable feats the Shaolin Warriors are allowing audiences to witness, however, it is easy to forget that they are not traditionally performers. After all, the Warriors' public debut was not until 1999 in China. That's since 525 A.D. The monks would obviously be unaccustomed to the relentless bustle required of the life of a traveling performer. Lei remarked that their transition had been anything but rocky.\n"The Shaolin life is an essential part of Chinese culture, and the Warriors are proud to extend it to the U.S," Lei said. "The Warriors enjoy American audiences, and want them to love the Shaolin culture."\n-- Contact staff writer Daniel Castro at dacastro@indiana.edu.