Preview- Post-Perception/Transcendence- CCDC
27-3-17
City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) is proud to present its latest work: Post-Perception/Transcendence, which will be staged from 31 March to 1 April 2017 at Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
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Post-Perception/Transcendence travels down the path of life, from the mundane to the monumental, facing life, death, and fate. Making this epic journey with Sang are dramaturg/text Tang Shu-wing, composer Dickson Dee, set designer Leo Cheung, costume designer Cindy Ho Pui-shan and lighting designer Low Shee Hoe. The team, who presented several other beautifully executed work in the past, from Fragile Beauty to Journey to the West, is confident to say that "This will surely be the most magnificent work of the season".
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Choreographer Sang Jijia, now CCDC’s resident choreographer, has been acclaimed as “the perfect dancer”. His resume is remarkable, and among other credits, it includes his title of “The Star of the Century” in 1997 from the Guangdong Provincial Government. The renowned choreographer has contributed with its talent to a series of work for CCDC, BeijingDance/LDTX and Guangdong Modern Dance Company, which include Unspeakable, Sticks, As If To Nothing, Standing Before Darkness, Layer Code and Fragile Beauty.
The Tibetan choreographer, to give life to the newest CCDC work, has immersed himself, together with Tang Shu-wing, Wong Chun-tat and acting coach Andy Ng (also performing artist and theatre critic), into Dharmata. The term comes from Sanskriti, and we have asked the artists to tell us more about their choice of starting point: "When I see the word “Dharmatā”, I ought to think of the illusionary and insubstantiality of the real world." Andy Ng says. "The Heart Sutra mentioned, “the Five Aggregates”: material form (rupa), sensations (vedana), perceptions (samjna), mental formations (sankhara), and consciousness (vijnana). This elaboration is a real process to deconstruct the “self”, which consists of various levels of mind and consciousness. Dharmatā” is a reflection of those states".
By reading more about the concept of Dharmata, we understand where the title of this performance comes from. How to bring this concept onto the stage?
"A stage performance also reflects, in a way, the state of mind of performers and director in an insubstantial reality built by the script. What's in the heart of a theatrical performance? Performers have to be convincing and believe and respond to the events that happen within their reality. That's where the truth comes from".
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“As in for physical training, I didn’t set up many exercises for the dancers – Andy continues- I asked them to pay attention to their perceptions of their behaviours. If you want to see, watch conscientiously. If you want to talk, be aware of your body language while talking. And to understand “non-self”, you must walk, sit or lie down in a different way, so to see the world from another perspective. Finally, slow down your movements and be aware of your consciousness. To convince others of the veracity of the insubstantial reality in theatre, we must find our true self first.I believe “Dharmatā” is a unity of body and mind in performance. We need to make ourselves believe in this intangible reality, either by reasoning with truth or by deceiving ourselves, and even to perform self-hypnosis. A performer cannot convince others of the veracity of the unreal circumstances if one only aims at changing someone else's mind. One’s thought can be a guide of an act, but it doesn’t furnish one with delicate perception. We act for ourselves, and continuously interact with others. Therefore, actors must learn to live in the moment and to accept others’ influences. Our mind and consciousness are like a river, endlessly flowing and always changing."
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CCDC is renowned for reflecting the vigour and creativity of Hong Kong’s vibrant, multifaceted contemporary culture, presenting dance works to an audience of more than 50,000 people annually. It has represented Hong Kong, receiving 244 overseas invitations to perform at some of the world’s leading dance stages and festivals in more than 30 major cities around the world.
Tickets are now available at URBTIX. Discount offers and Programme Plus Events are available; please call 2329 7803 or email info@ccdc.com.hk. For more information click here.
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