Needle Through Brick movie trailer
I just watched the Needle Through Brick movie late last night for free on Hulu.com. What an amazing documentary about the expansion of China and the lost of interest in traditional martial arts. Needle through Brick was about the fact that times have changed and we all are effected by globalization and the ebbs and flows of the new economies. Traditions and cultures are facing serious changes as well being that the people who practice them and keep them alive are changing with the times. The younger generations are following the new trends and learning as fast as technology is growing but in turn are they learning about there history and traditions as well? Well according to this documentary in china the ancient art of Martial arts and its masters are being left behind due to the lack of support of the society in which they were developed. From the perpective of the those who practiced the Kung Fu for years and year "People need to earn money, no longer do you need kung fu to protect your family, your village, your lively hood, So why would you spend countless hours learning the ancient moves of your ancestors." So in turn the Traditional Martial Arts practices are dwindling down to the point of non existence, and is in need of more support, funding, and new generation excitement toward the ancient practices.
The music of this documentary paints a powerful yet subtle text of traditions gone astray and I would recommend watching this film for the music by "Gil Talmi" and visuals alone even if the context of the documentary doesn't interest you. I found that there were many parallels to the evaporation of the martial arts and the diminishing of old school hip hop within the hip hop culture. There was this parallel I seen when they showed how the youth was interested in and began supporting the Wushu styles. Which were more flashy and external rather than internally powerful and hard to look at. In Hip hop music today the youth and the society mostly support the aspect of the cultures music that is about the "show and the look" rather than a display of the inner values of the culture itself and upholding traditions. The stories reminded me of stories told from KRS-One and other legends of hip hop that depict a time where hip hop was an art that was useful in upholding the people at the moment and allowing them to speak out against the oppressive conditions at the time where as now people use hip hop to sell products and to market gadgets and lifestyles that are way out of reach of the original people and culture that birthed the art form.
These summer days I am giving service as an yoga teacher at the local Karate School here in Brooklyn. I personally feel the ancient arts and practices might go through changes due to moving from one location to another, one culture to another but they will never die as long as we preserve the conscious minded individuals who possess the abilities to harness them. Something doesn't have to be popular to be of value. As long as one person remembers deep from within, the truth still exists and always will.
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