- Mark Jacobs
- Apr 29
- 4 min read
Most of us would love to be in movies.
Unfortunately, no matter how good we are, most will never get a chance to perform on film. The next best thing to appearing on the silver screen is appearing onstage. Fortunately, that's an area where many martial artists are getting an opportunity to show their abilities, pick up some new skills, and even earn a decent paycheck.
“Some of the live-action shows can pay pretty well, especially if they take you out of town to perform,” said Jessie Graff, a martial artist, gymnast and stuntwoman. Graff gained some of her early experience while doing live performances at theme parks in Southern California. “I did a show called Spy Girl at Six Flags, and they had a wushu world champion doing the choreography,” she said. “Working in that show, I got great training for free.”
A Long History of Live Martial Arts Shows
Although some traditionalists might turn up their noses at the idea of showcasing their skills in a live show at a theme park, there's a long history of martial artists performing in such spectacles.
For hundreds of years, one of the key features of Chinese opera has been breathtaking fights performed by skilled martial artists. In fact, many of the flashy moves found in modern kung fu have their origins not on the battlefield but in these performances.
The tradition continues to this day. “Fight scenes play a very large part in our shows,” said Brad Irish, entertainment and events manager at the Six Flags America amusement park in Maryland. “We'll start with a theme like pirates vs. cowboys, and that gives us an excuse for the fighting. We have some exhaustive fight scenes that I create specifically around the actors' strengths. It's definitely a plus if the performer has martial arts experience.”
Martial Arts That Shine on Stage
Most styles will benefit a person who's trying to land a gig in a live show, but some lend themselves to performance more than others. Graff said that while it's natural to throw short, tight strikes in real encounters because they work better, stage battles require bigger, broader techniques so the audience can follow the action. She said arts like wushu and taekwondo can develop the type of crowd-friendly moves needed in live shows.
“For martial artists with a strong foundation in real fighting, stage fighting is almost the opposite,” Graff said. “But training for stage fighting is a chance for you to learn new skills that you might never have gotten to develop otherwise.”
Just as fighting on a stage differs from self-defense, it also differs from screen fighting. That's because rather than focusing on making strikes look good for a single camera angle, stage performers must make their moves look believable to an arena full of people. Maximum control is needed to execute a kick or punch and get close enough to the opponent to make the audience, which is not only in front of the action but also to the left and right, buy it.
Even more challenging are battles with weapons. Done right, they're crowd-pleasers. Audiences love to watch martial artists fight with staffs, swords and daggers. However, the precision has to be spot on, and with the added weight of the weapons, physical fitness is mandatory.
Consider the shows that run at Six Flags. They typically last 20 to 25 minutes with half that time devoted to all-out combat. Each day, three shows take place. Often, they're done five days a week and, because they're outdoors, the martial artists are at the mercy of the weather. Being in top shape is obviously essential.
More Than Just Theme Parks
Theme parks aren’t the only outlet for martial artists who like to perform. Consider the case of Marco Johnson, son of legendary forms champion and Black Belt Hall of Famer Willie Johnson.
A leading tournament competitor in his own right, Marco has developed a unique brand of “kung fu hip-hop” that he and his students regularly perform at venues from car shows to concerts. They've even appeared with rap artist 50 Cent.
“They like to have us start off a show and build the crowd, then the artist will come onstage and do their songs,” Marco said. His demo team uses everything from break dancing to a traditional Chinese lion dance to do that. Their routines incorporate empty-hand moves, weapons and choreographed exchanges. Their success has enabled them to put out a highlight reel of their performances.
Although it's unlikely that a person can earn a living just from doing independent demos, Marco said other benefits come from appearing in such shows — like recruiting new students for a school or capturing video footage. He's managed to parlay his demo experience into appearances in MTV videos and a starring role in the movie Beast.
“You’ve just got to find your market,” Marco said. “Not everyone will fit into the world of hip-hop, but you might want to try something like Christian music and give performances for church audiences. Even performing at local parades can tap into thousands of new people. The more you put yourself out there, the more people will start to bring you in to perform for them.”
A Real Career Path
For motivated martial artists, opportunities abound in the world of live shows. Employment need not be viewed as just a summer job or a part-time endeavor, Irish said. He started as a performer in a Six Flags show, but he now serves as a shining example of the growth potential in this industry.
“I began here onstage in 2008 when they had a Batman stunt show running,” Irish said. “When that ended, they decided to go in-house and asked me to write and choreograph shows. If you had told me 10 years ago that I'd be in charge of an award-winning stunt production, I'd have laughed at you. Live-action shows can definitely be rewarding in more ways than one.”
