Just over a month shy of her 69th birthday, Veteren Singer Tina Turner opened her 2008-2009 World Tour featuring a ten-man band, backup singers, four lissome dancers clad like Beyonce in “Crazy in Love” and a previously unseen addition to any US produced Music Tour. An all-male group of Martial Artists identified on stage as the “Ninjas.”



Tina wanted to add something special for this tour and she never liked the idea of having male dancer’s, so that’s where dance choreographer Toni Basil got involved and came up with the concept of using Ninjas.



The Southern California based Group consists of Justice Smith of the NBC show American Gladiator, Philip Sahagun of K-STAR Fame, Danny Sre of the Urban Martial Arts Group EMC and Creator of the Urban Ninja craze Xin Wuku.



“We just got a call one day from mutual friend asking us if we wanted to work for Tina” Said Philip “We set up some meetings liked some of the concepts and that was it.”

Xin adds “We’ve been able to see and do things that normal people could only dream of. To be honest I would have done it for free, but don’t tell Tina”



The show features the Ninjas in a stage crashing scene crossing free running and stage combat with security. A Cirque du Soleil-esque Ninja interlude featuring weapons in the track“ We Don‘t Need Another Hero.” and a impressive MTV awards style intro for Turner’s James Bond Track “Goldeneye.”



With  six months on the road and over seventy shows in North America and Europe, Tina Turner’s 2008 and 2009 tour has shook the doors of the worlds greatest music venues and continues to do so until its May finish. A live DVD of the event is to be released sometime next year.

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Source-Inside Kungfu Magazine August 2009 Issue