China's Shaolin Warriors Perform Kung Fu Show Nov. 14
October 25, 2007
China's internationally famous Shaolin Warriors unleash the remarkable skill, movement and imagery of Kung Fu in a choreographed theatrical presentation at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 14, in Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium.
Performed by the Buddhist monks of the Shaolin Temple, a sect known for its disciplined spiritualism and martial-arts prowess, the production features many forms of Shaolin Kung Fu–plus a look at the daily temple lives of the monks and their Zen Buddhist philosophy.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $31 for an adult, $18 for a University Park student and $22 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online at www.cpa.psu.edu or by phone at 814-863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays), Penn State Tickets Downtown (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday), HUB-Robeson Center (11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays) and Bryce Jordan Center (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays). A grant from the Penn State Student Activities Fee Funds makes University Park student prices possible.
The Shaolin Warriors train in martial arts for several hours each day, perfecting the art of hand-to-hand and weapons combat. Each performer must achieve an extraordinarily high level of proficiency in each of the 18 traditional weapons and become a master of one.
The daily practice of seated meditation enables the performers to sustain a demanding physical regimen. Through a process known as Ch'an (Chinese for Zen), performers calm the body and focus the mind to a single collected point in order to attain a mental state known as Samadhi, or complete mental absorption. It is this quiet, yet focused, state of mind that enables them to sustain extreme pain and undergo the intense daily training required to achieve and maintain the level of adeptness for which they are so highly praised.
Legend has it that on a summer day in the year 525, a Buddhist monk from India named Bodhidharma arrived at the base of Mount Shaoshi in what would later become the Henan province of central China. Some say Bodhidharma founded the Shaolin monastery, the headquarters of a Buddhist sect that became known across Asia for its disciplined spiritualism and martial-arts excellence. Other stories claim Bodhidharma meditated for nine years in a stone cave behind the already-established monastery, with "Dharma" creating the unique Zen sect of Buddhism.
McNees Wallace & Nurick LLC sponsors the presentation. Radio stations QWK Rock and 93.7 The Bus are the media sponsors. Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring a visiting artist or local expert, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379