Master Shi GuoSong and other Shaolin monks practice their martial arts, kicking and spinning in the air, while members of Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet, gracefully and slowly extend their legs. Together the group is practicing for a unique cross-cultural collaboration, combining martial arts and ballet for a mesmerizing hour-and-a-half piece premiering in April.
Created by black American artistic director Alonzo King, the show will feature an original score of traditional Chinese and contemporary music and amazing choreography.
When King first learned about the group of Shaolin monks, living in San Francisco since 2004 under the auspices of the China Songshan Shaolin Temple Inc., he knew he wanted to work with them.
“The depth and skill of their concentration is amazing, they’re just brilliant,” said King.
He arranged a meeting and practice session last spring with his international touring company and the Shaolin monks, for both to showcase their talents. King then developed a blended choreography for a full-length piece, weaving the monks’ dynamic power with the expressive lyricism of his ballet crew.
“Our ultimate goal is to share our history and culture with everyone and to educate them about martial arts,” said Master GuoSong. “Working with the ballet company has been pleasant.”
This is the first time that the LINES Ballet has engaged in a collaboration that integrates King’s choreography with a different classical form. Though both art forms may seem like polar opposites, the Shaolin monks and the ballet company contend they are more similar than people may think.
“Martial arts and ballet both involve body language that comes from the heart and is an expression of what is inside you,” said Master GuoSong.
“In all cultures, there’s one instrument that we share in common in dance: the body,” said King, who was recognized as one of 50 outstanding artists in America by the United States Artists organization. “At its heart, this project is an inter-cultural exploration between artists.”
“Alonzo is so respectful and considerate when creating choreography,” said the Shaolin monks’ translator Evelyn Wu. “He does not want to do anything that may be culturally offensive to them, so he always checks to make sure they’re comfortable.”
Wu said the monks were “uptight” in the beginning since they have never tried ballet before, but over the months they’ve opened up and are even “absorbing” and appreciating the new moves.
“It’s a very new and good experience,” said Master Shi YongYao.
The Shaolin monks featured range in age from 10 to 70. The youngest group is a set of 10-year-old triplets from China, who were accepted into the Shaolin Temple at the age of 5.
The Shaolin monks have performed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, including the Asian Art Museum, the De Young Museum, the Masonic Auditorium and San Francisco City Hall.
While in the U.S., they hope to establish a Shaolin Cultural Center, to help preserve the 1,500-year-old tradition of Shaolin and to provide services and enrichment to the community.
“This project is encouraging the two sets of artists toward a kind of communion through movement, a language that they can speak together,” said company manager Selby Schwartz. “I’ve never seen anything like this. This show will be fascinating to watch.”