Look for our revamped show for the 2003 season! Leaner, meaner, tighter - with fast and furious kung fu action, expanded lion and dragon dancing routines, and even more of the vast array of exotic wushu weaponry that has since 1998 kept us the #1 martial arts exhibition team in New Mexico!
Martial Artistry’s first wushu exhibition team formed in 1996. Then known as “The 'A' Team”, our intrepid little band was tiny - fewer than ten team members. But, hey, we did feature the theme music from the 70’s hit TV series starring Mr. T...
In June 1997, we got our very first lion: Fu. But though we had a
successful year, including 26 scheduled performances at the NM State Fair,
something was missing. We were young, but we were hungry, and we
wanted to be the best. In November of that year, team members passed a
resolution to do whatever it took to have the best exhibition in the state.
They would practice longer and more often. They would have a new show,
a new name, and a new attitude: Steel Phoenix was born.
In August of 1998, we received our long-awaited seventy-five foot long dragon, Mushu. One month later, the New Mexico State Fair confirmed that Steel Phoenix had met its goal to be the best by making us the first show of our kind to ever receive a contract for the main stage.
It seems hard to believe that from such humble beginnings we now have some two dozen amazing kung fu stylists whose speed, power, high-flying acrobatics and breathtaking routines have dazzled audiences across the USA. Members have appeared on every major television station, including ESPN and the A&E special "The Martial Arts". We now have four Southern Chinese lions: Fu (June 1997), Li (Sept 2001), Piao Liang (Sept 2002) and baby Haoqi (Feb 2003). In addition to our 75' long Northern Chinese parade-style dragon, design work has already begun on a international competition-style dragon, so we can begin to implement some intricate choreography.
Steel Phoenix has been everywhere in reasonable reach of the "birdmobile" -- including all those places where shows like ours have never dared to tread before. A staple of Summerfest, for which we've twice served as the television ambassadors, we've also been hired by the City of Albuquerque for:
The controversial Montano Bridge Opening: Our flower-faced lion Fu danced across the bridge, bringing peace and good luck to this hotly contested project. The bridge still stands and services thousands of commuters a day. Coincidence? We think not!
Arts in the Parks: In 1998, we were the first ever martial arts show to be chosen to perform at this event. Two years later, we're still the one, the only, and still featured.
The Millennium Event: Mushu the dragon kicked off the year 2000 for the Duke City at their huge Civic Plaza New Year's bash, featuring Haley and the Comets (of "Rock Around the Clock" fame), a laser light show, and, of course, Steel Phoenix. Hope you saw our special Dragon Dance, just for the Channel 13 cameras!
The New Mexico State Fair loves us, too. Our first year we had 25 shows! Whew! Each year we've broken new ground. In 1998, we were the first and only show of our kind to ever be invited to perform on the main stage at the State Fair. In 1999, we were again the only, but we had the added bonus of being well paid for it.
1999 also marked our first of our continuous annual performances at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, the most photographed event in the world.
Lately, we've added the Albuquerque Bio Park and the UNM Lobos games to our list of venues.
Most important of all is our new, annual event: the Chinese New Year Celebration to Benefit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Helping kids is what this event all about. Our beneficiary, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, was founded by the late entertainer, Danny Thomas. The hospital is an internationally recognized biomedical research center dedicated to finding cures for catastrophic diseases of childhood. All St. Jude patients are treated regardless of race, religion, or ability to pay. In 2001, we raised over $3000.00 for this very worthy cause with our two performances!
How to Hire Steel Phoenix for YOUR Event
How to get Steel Phoenix to Appear at your School - for FREE!
