17 November 2000

Retaining your culture and identity after 1500 years of struggle against invaders and oppressors is no easy undertaking. It requires incredible psychological strength. One group which has that strength in abundance is The Shaolin Monks from China.

They are the ultimate masters of Kung Fu: Buddhist soldier monks who have refined a defensive martial art over a period of fifteen centuries to a rare and spectacular point of perfection. Wheel Of Life is a bravura entertainment which showcases the near-miraculous feats of physical endurance which are the outward expressions of an inner peace, harmony and iron will.

After playing to incredible acclaim earlier this year, the Shaolin Monks return to the UK for an extended 25-date tour, commencing on 6th November. Wheel Of Life features a cast of twenty five ordained soldier monks, ranging in age from seven to seventy. It relates the story of Kung Fu through extraordinarily athletic, acrobatic dramatisations of the legends of Shaolin culture. It comes to the West with the blessing of the Fangzhang (First Abbot) of the temple, the Venerable Shi Yon Xin, who has authorised the show as an authentic illustration and celebration of the order's history, religion and physical prowess.

This is a show which combines the rich vocabulary of the Chinese theatre, the traditional iconography of oriental Buddhism and the technical sophistication of the contemporary rock arena. But at its heart are the awe-inspiring skills of the monks themselves.

Their art enables them to shatter Wooden Staves which attackers smash against their arms, chests and backs; they break iron blades against their heads, balance the entire weight of their bodies on sharpened spears, and split foot-thick blocks of wood with their bare hands. They spin on their heads, bend their legs round their ears, and turn inside out with a dizzying facility which beggars belief.

The show's Director is Micha Bergese, who's previously worked with Mick Jagger, Tina Turner and The Pogues; it's designed by Mark Fisher (Creative Director/Designer for the Dome's opening ceremony), with music from BAFTA-winning composer Barrington Pheloung, lighting by Patrick Woodroffe (The Rolling Stones, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson) and choreography by long-time Martha Graham collaborator Darshan Bhuller. The show is produced by Steve Nolan.

This combination of explosive power imaginative theatrics and traditional story telling has produced a show for which there is no parallel.