- Oh!

Ah!

Hi-ya!

My name is Kristen Mun-Van Noy, and I am a fight choreographer.

(Kristen grunting) (props clanking) (bell chimes) When I do stage combat, it's just so much fun, because true stage combat and like stage combat that actually like looks good is because two people trust each other, like immensely, to do this very dangerous kind of thing.

(Kristen grunting) You don't have to be an athlete, you don't have to know martial arts.

You don't have to have this huge skill set to do a fight scene that looks dangerous, that looks scary, that looks (Kristen grunting) (props clanking) exciting or even funny.

(choreographer yelling) You are telling a story that has physical language in it.

- I will not let you go.

Come my young soldier, put up your iron.

Ooh, you are well fleshed.

- When we do this catch here.

I think let's have Constance try.

I'm not like some masculine-identifying person who's like six feet tall and has like a large martial arts background.

I'm just me, right?

And I can teach you how to look scary.

I can teach you how to look strong.

I can teach you how to like do this fight, and I can also teach the other side, right?

I can teach you how to look scary.

I can teach you how to look vulnerable.

Yes, that's what I want, that's what I want.

(zipper whizzing) It starts from the ground up.

(metal singing) Dylan.

I like to know.

Here's a sword.

What the set looks like.

What are they wearing, what time period is it in?

From the jump down please, actually.

I get to know the characters a little bit.

So I read the whole script so I can know who is fighting.

Yes, cut down.

Spin.

Thrust.

Are they a good fighter?

Are they a bad fighter?

- You'll be free from me!

- [Kristen] Boom.

- That's none of your business.

- Let me read that letter.

- Oh, there's, other hand, other hand, other hand.

There you go, there, there.

And draw.

Especially for high school students, it's important to me that they own this story and they own this fight, because at the end of the day, I step away, and I'm done.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

Good, good, good.

And keep it at the sternum.

Keep it about there.

Yeah, that's good, that's good enough.

(metal singing) Trust is very important.

Actors may not know each other, and they have to like get into this like big physical violent scenes with each other.

I have often found that through training and through like doing training over and over and over again, that trust builds.

(props clanking) Coming in for a hip, other hip.

Shoulder, bam, bam, and then come in JJ, and (gasps).

Yes, yes, yes.

So crosse into a pommel.

(hand claps) Fight scenes are choreographed.

Head cut, here.

Everybody does the same move, same way, every single time.

But if I am swinging a sword at you, I am not actually swinging it into your body, so that when you pull up your sword to parry or block, you're not actually stopping force coming into you.

Step back.

What that ends up meaning for the people who are fighting is that it's truly a dance at that point.

(choreographer grunting) (props clanking) Boom!

Step back!

Yes.

I truly love fight choreographing in the city, but I also am excited for the day that I'm not the only fight choreographer.

And that there's an abundance of work that is shared between many artists whose goal and commitment is to create safe spaces in theater where challenging stories can be told.

Okay, ready?

Here we go, heart.

Lips, heaven, each other, step back.

Everybody who you saw today is all working fight choreographers.

(props clanking) - Thrust, boom.

- I love messing around, and I love doing theatrical things and playing with the fights.

But when we're learning together, that we are all taking it seriously, and we're all in it.

It's just the best.

It's just the best, I love it.

- I had been a little bit obsessed with Kristen since I met her, as another like small Asian woman, and I was so excited to hear from her again.

And yeah, that's how I got into it, it's Kristen.

(props clanking) - It's fun.

(group laughing) I mean, who doesn't wanna look badass with, you know, a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other, and it's like, come at me.

Hi-yah!

- This also allows me to do another aspect in theater, and it allows a financial and like tangible.

- It's work.

- It's work, yeah.

And it's artistic work.

And now it's another skill set that I didn't have before, and now I have it.

- There's so many things that I enjoy about all the skills that we've learned, and when we get together, and we get to sandbox and try new things and overcome challenges.

(Kristen grunting) (props clanking) (Kristen screaming) - [Kristen] I love working with my husband.

When he started first training with me, we were student and teacher, and now we're a husband and wife like duo.

So when we walk into a room as teachers, we're co-teachers, we're co choreographers.

It's been really lovely.

♪ It's silent ♪ ♪ And you go out and start again ♪ ♪ It's time ♪ - Yes, the rumors are true.

(group laughing) I wanted to turn our first dance into a fight.

- I was like, "We have to choreograph it.

We have to rehearse it."

I was like, "That sounds like a lot of work.

And the wedding's already a lot of work."

And it wasn't until one of like my very first apprentices who was actually, she actually married us.

♪ Stars in the night ♪ - She was like, "Kristen, you have told me and you say that doing a fight is the most trust that you can have with another person.

So doesn't it make sense that for your wedding you do a fight because it reflects the trust that you have with your partner?"

And I was like, "Okay."

(uplifting music) (props clanking) ♪ Oh, takes me back to where we started ♪ ♪ Oh ♪ - So funny, 'cause I'm like, I do theater but I'm not a performer, and neither is he actually.

And so I was like nervous about it, but it was really lovely, and I'm so glad that we did it.

(uplifting music) (uplifting music continues) (upbeat music) (group cheering) (upbeat music continues) The thing that I hope students walk away with in fight choreography is just fun.

- Yo, get some of this.

Pop!

- I hope it gives you a little bit of confidence.

I hope it feels good to like hold that sword and then know what to do with it.

(upbeat music continues) (air whooshing) I don't look like a normal fight choreographer, and I think that's a good thing.

So that's the other thing that I hope students walk away with, as well, is like art is for everyone.

(no audio) (no audio)