What's new in the Hong Kong Dance Company's world

  11-5-17

 

This year, Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) opens a new chapter filled with cutting-edge performances and well-loved classics including romantic dance dramas, mindful theatre, family dance drama and a groundbreaking cross-cultural collaboration. As HKDC celebrates its 36th anniversary, the Company injects romance back into the everyday life by rejuvenating traditional Chinese dance with a unique Hong Kong flair.

 

 

 

Established in 1981 with the aim of promoting Chinese dance, the Hong Kong Dance Company was incorporated in 2001 as a charitable and non-profit-making institution and is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Since its inception, the Hong Kong Dance Company has staged over 100 productions, many of which were highly popular with critical acclaim. Recent productions include Qingming Riverside, Snow Fox and much more. The Company has toured internationally as well as around Mainland China as a way to encourage cultural exchange. The three-time Hong Kong Dance Award winner L’Amour Immortel will be presented at Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center and Guangzhou Opera House in July 2017 respectively.


 
In the spirit of the season, Artistic Director Yang Yuntao hopes to take the audience on a journey of discovery by delving deep into the subject of love and social norm. Through his female protagonists, Yang poses questions about love from a modern perspective and challenges social expectations. The season opens with the return of the above-mentioned dance drama L’Amour Immortel, an adaptation of Hong Kong’s classic movie A Chinese Ghost Story directed by Tsui Hark. The proud recipient of three Hong Kong Dance Awards 2016, the story chronicles the forbidden love between a beautiful, bewitching ghost and a distinguished scholar. Gripping and poignant, L’Amour Immortel celebrates the beauty of humanity and is sure to thrill audiences with this new interpretation.

 

Adding to its line of independent, strong female characters, HKDC puts a modern twist on one of China’s oldest folklores Lady White of West Lake. The story narrates the romance between the spirit of a white snake and a kind-hearted scholar; their love goes through the ultimate test of faith and courage. HKDC reinvents the timeless romance in an ingenious fusion of craftsmanship, music and passion.

 

Remembered for its laugh-out-loud moments, HKDC’s Children’s and Youth Troupes is bringing back their sold-out family dance drama Dim Sum Adventures @ Lung Fung Teahouse 2.0. The show takes an honest look at the waning teahouse culture that dominated generations of Hongkongers.
 

Treading the intricate balance between stillness and movement, Vipassana is an uplifting performance that fuses the calming sounds of the chakras and live improvised music. In contrast, Tale of Three Cities presents an exciting lineup of award-winning choreographers from all over Asia, including Bulareyaung Pagarlava (Taiwan), Han Hyo-lim (South Korea) and Xie Yin (Hong Kong).

 

As well as presenting unforgettable productions to Hong Kong audiences, HKDC also strives to bring its portfolio to those overseas. This Easter, HKDC took the award-winning dance drama The Legend of Mulan to the Southbank Centre in London, sponsored and supported by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London, and was met with a full house. HKDC Chairman, Mr Wilson Fung says, “As we celebrate our first 36 years of dance innovation, our unified vision is to serve the city and our audiences by curating more memorable and versatile shows.” HKDC will take L’Amour Immortel to the stages of Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center (8-9 July) and Guangzhou Opera House (15-16 July) later this year.

 

Hong Kong Dance Company 2017/18 Season Programmes at a Glance
 
Grand Dance Drama
L’Amour Immortel
 
Winner of three 2016 Hong Kong Dance Awards:
Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer
Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer
Outstanding Set Design for Dance
 

Love transcends life

 


L’Amour Immortel is the most enduring story from the literary classic Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, written by Pu Songling three centuries ago. It chronicles the star-crossed encounter between Nie Xiaoqian, a beautiful, bewitching ghost, and good-natured scholar Ning Caichen. Nie has been coerced by a demon to prey on humans but loses her heart to the true-hearted scholar. The lovers must traverse the shadowy underworld to defend their love and freedom. Will Nie defy the netherworld to save her love from evil forces, even at the cost of her own immortality?
 
Dates: 9-11 June 2017
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre
Tickets available now at URBTIX
 
L’Amour Immortel Beijing tour and Guangzhou tour are accredited events celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
 

Dates: 8-9 July 2017                       
Venue: Beijing Tianqiao Performing Arts Center
 
Dates: 15-16 July 2017                       
Venue: Guangzhou Opera House

 

Family Dance Drama
Dim Sum Adventures @ Lung Fung Teahouse 2.0

 


 
Steaming hot buns, freshly brewed tea. We’ve got a table for you!
Featuring dancing teacups, saucers and dim sums, this story explores the city’s yum cha culture, which has tied generations of Hongkongers together. Grandma, an excellent dim sum chef who built her own teahouse, Lung Fung, which is always full to the brim. But still, popularity can’t fight rocketing rent. On its final day, Grandma’s greatest wish is to sip tea and enjoy dim sum at Lung Fung with her granddaughter. Alas, the little girl is caught between tutorials and exams, leaving Grandma disappointed. Two pieces of dim sum feel sorry for Grandma and take her granddaughter back to the high time of teahouse culture.
 
Dates & Venues:
28-30 July 2017
Yuen Long Theatre Auditorium

 

 

Vipassana

 


 
In stillness, there exists clarity, beauty and serenity.
Forget the banality of everyday life and allow any feelings to arise within you, with mindful acceptance. Immerse your senses in the realm of nothingness, elevated by the sounds of the chakras and live improvised music. Vipassana is presented by HKDC Artistic Director Yang Yuntao, renowned scenographer Tsang Man-tung and award-winning composer Law Wing-fai. Striking an intricate balance between movement and stillness – liberate your mind, welcome to your spiritual awakening.
 
Dates: 8-10 September 2017
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Studio Theatre
Tickets available at URBTIX from 30 June 2017

 

 

Grand Dance Drama
Lady White of West Lake

 


 
A love that moves heaven and earth


Lady White of West Lake is among China’s oldest pieces of Intangible Cultural Heritage, as well as a modern classic that has inspired countless film adaptations. This millenary love story begins on the sacred Mount Emei, where the spirit of a white snake transforms herself into a beautiful girl, Bai, to experience the human world. Emerging at the West Lake (Hangzhou), she meets a scholar, who opens her eyes to love for the first time. But their happiness does not last long: a vindictive monk becomes entangled in their quiet life. Outraged by the ominous union between man and spirit, the monk takes it upon himself to tear them apart. The resolute Bai defends her love with dignity and courage, even if it means fighting against heaven and earth. Love is a lifetime of practice.
 
Dates: 24-26 November 2017
Venue: Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre
Tickets available at URBTIX from 15 September 2017

 

 

 

Hong Kong x Taipei x Seoul
Tale of Three Cities
 
Let your body speak for your soul


 Bulareyaung Dance Company is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed choreographer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, originally from the Paiwan tribe of Taiwan. He started his professional career as a dancer in Cloud Gate Theatre, and has since presented his work twice with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York.

 

 

 


Qaciljay
Performing spectacular dance moves, holding hands and chanting the ancient songs of Paiwan, the dancers invite the audience to discover the origins of their indigenous dance.
Emerging choreographer Han Hyo-lim from South Korea founded the Han Dance Project after winning the Seoul International Dance Festival and Competition organised by the National Centre for Korean Traditional Performing Arts.

 
 

 

Furious Sea — Memory on Ube
Commemorates the victims of the 1942 Chosei Coal Mine disaster, remembered for the anguish they suffered.
Xie Yin from the Hong Kong Dance Company is a two-time Hong Kong Dance Awards winner, renowned for her leading performances in major dance dramas.

 

 

 

 
River Dialogues
Once the Fragrant Harbour of the Orient, we celebrate its rich soil that has nurtured generations of people, and an ongoing dream that inspires and drives us forward.
 
Dates: 2-4 February 2018                     
Venue: Kwai Tsing Theatre Auditorium
Tickets available at URBTIX from 24 November 2017
 
 
 

 


 
 


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