Awards & Accolades
Sifu Crudelli has taught martial arts to a diverse range students:
Individuals just starting their martial journey, Black belts, world champions, close protection specialists, Olympic Gold medalists , celebrities, actors and comedians.
Military and police services including Royal Marines & RMP's (Stone house Barracks) Members of M.O.D. Whitehall & Joint Services.
Early Life
After a violent break in to his home as a child he signed up to learn Kung Fu.
"I worked hard because I loved what I was doing, I had good tuition and mentorship, and with that I improved my skills and my self. I didn't make excuses, martial arts takes that away from you, you either can apply a technique or you can not, if you can not, there is a framework within all the arts to help you: it's called ''accountability' . With self accountability anything is achievable”.
After a chance encounter with a Buddhist monk at age 18 Chris said " I saw a calm looking saffron robed Chinese monk and politely asked him why is he dressed like that? he answered 'You are like a leaf falling from a tree, blown by the wind this way and that' ... that was it, I was hooked" Chris became interested in philosophy and education and despite being dyslexic successfully applied to London University's prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies where he read for a degree in Chinese. And so started a journey that led him to learn 2 forms of Chinese language and train & live in China, South & North East Asia for a further 14 years.
As a teen Chris first landed in Hong Kong where he trained with a Chinese Kung Fu master, herbalist & bone setter. It was here he qualified as a Kung Fu instructor with the rank of ‘Sifu’. (Master)
It was also whilst in Hong Kong as a teen that Crudelli was first
exposed to live performance. Often called upon to perform traditional
Kung Fu routines and martial Dragon dance at public gatherings in front
of live audiences in excess of 10,000 local people, at
formal events such as the inauguration of Chris Patten, former Governor
of Hong Kong and for the state visit’s of foreign dignitaries such as
that of Corazon Aquino, former Philippine president.
Coincidentally Chris also gained his first exposure to working in front of the camera at that time, working briefly in the Hong Kong Film industry.
Education
Honors Graduate of London University;
The School of Oriental & African & Studies: Chinese Language & Literature
Beijing Normal University. Advanced Mandarin
Yonsei University Seoul. Post Grad Korean Language.
Birmingham Old Rep Theater School: Acting
NW5 London Post Grad: Theater studies
Fluency in Chinese, Mandarin/ Cantonese.
Interests
A recognized authority on Asia and it's people, languages, cultures & sub-cultures.
Research interest in Asian & African anthropology, theology and warrior cultures.
In Front & Behind the Camera.
A China Expert, Award Winning Author, Director & BBC TV Host.
Chris first came to public attention as Host and Writer of 'Mind Body Kick Ass Moves' the most widely distributed Factual Entertainment Documentary in BBC TV history (broadcast in over 180 countries world wide).
Later Chris worked as a Producer & Exec Producer & Director for BBC and other reputable broadcasters gaining experience in European & Asian television markets. He also worked as a Host and Executive Producer for Rogers Television in North American and as a Producer, host & Director for CCTV in China. Working in multiple countries gave him a unique understanding & international perspective on differing work practices, methodologies and thinking.
Areas of film making expertise:
Directing, Hosting, Writing, Field Producing, Series Producing & Exec Producing, Funding, Format creation, Budgeting, International Co-Productions. International Sales.
Over 1 Billion Views Worldwide
Crudelli's BBC series have been broadcast in over 180 countries
worldwide making him one of the UK's most exported and played presenters in BBC television history. Estimated to have been viewed by over 1 billion people worldwide his first documentary series concentrated on the more exotic, elaborate systems of far eastern martial arts and has enjoyed continued cult success on BBC television, Discovery Channel.
Chris's First BBC TV Shows see him travel straight to the source, filming in China, Japan, the Philippines, India, Nepal, Korea, Thailand & Taiwan. The series examines, through interviews and experiments, the more diverse, aspects of martial enlightenment, from extreme conditioning to the downright unusual. This gives the show a strange hybrid quality of -style stunt show, complete with preliminary disclaimer, and part mentalist, show, with tricks and mind games, which Crudelli manages to blend seamlessly.
As shown through all the series hosted by Crudelli, he is not only a Kung Fu & Tai chi master but also a master of the mystical energies of Qi , which are demonstrated throughout the series.