Presented by electronic/acoustic duo Shugorei, The Sounds of Chow Gar is an exquisite cinematic portrayal of traditional Chinese solo kung fu forms, set to original music for percussion, strings and electronics.
The cinema is accompanied by musicians live on stage, matching the performer’s movements and visuals with meticulous timing. Sounds of practitioners’ breathing, heartbeats and footwork combine with painstakingly produced original compositions by award-winning composer Thomas Green to tell the story of a Meanjin (Brisbane) family who, across generations, uphold an ancient Chinese tradition in their community and beyond.
The studio recording of the original music was released on the 20th of February, 2024, on all major platforms:
Kung fu exercises performed solo are called forms (similar to kata in karate). These are used as physical exercises, movement drilling, meditation, and fight training. Beautiful to watch, even for non-experts, Shugorei draws on these forms’ latent musicality – their rhythms and physical sounds.
Five forms were chosen, filmed in superb 4K detail, performed by four incredible kung fu practitioners, and used as the basis of five new musical compositions. The live show involves cinematic projection of this film, accompanied by live musicians on stage, who match the music to the performed kung fu with startling precision.
The film has a documentary-like aspect, as the story of the practitioners – a very special local family – is revealed.
The live music is performed by Black Square Quartet, Shugorei, and joined by percussionist Kaleah Scanlon.
Shugorei 