The Hong Kong Dance Company is closing out 2019 with two wonderful, and very different, performances that we can't wait to see!
Since 1981, the Hong Kong Dance Company has been bringing its unique blend of creative contemporary and Chinese cultural dance to the stage, wowing audiences through story-telling and movement. And this year, we get to see not one, but two amazing productions in December: L’Amour Immortel, a traditional Chinese ghost story; and Jing, an experimental piece of dance theatre. Here’s why you’re not going to want to miss out on grabbing your tickets now.
L’Amour Immortel
Inspiration for creativity can be found anywhere, and this dance drama originates from Pu Songling’s novel Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, which was actually written during the Qing Dynasty. In the 1980s, the story was adapted into a Hong Kong blockbuster known as A Chinese Ghost Story, directed by Ching Siu-tung and starring Leslie Cheung and Joey Wong, and now the Artistic Director of Hong Kong Dance Company Yang Yuntao gives it yet another new life through dance.
As the choreographer for L’Amour Immortel, Yang Yuntao has long had an affinity for the film, and when he asked himself why he enjoyed it so much, he had an urge to tell the story in a new way, using elements of both the film and the book. “This dance drama is about the human ability to differentiate between good and evil. It also re-captures the memories of this touching but futile romance between ghost and human,” explains Yang Yuntao.
Get ready for the return of the winner of Hong Kong Dance Awards 2016, with three awards, Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer, Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer, and Outstanding Set Design for Dance. Through mesmerising choreography, the audience will get to see the full potential of dance as a creative medium, as movement narrates this tragic romance on the stage.
Get tickets for L’Amour Immortel, 6-8 December, Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
8/F Platform: Jing
8/F Platform is the experimental dance theatre series that is presented by the Hong Kong Dance Company. This year’s work is a moving piece entitled Jing (境). But the phrase has multiple connotations, including ‘境’ which relates to one’s circumstance, environment or status. Similarly, ‘靜’ speaks to tranquility and the relationship one has to oneself, while ‘鏡’ is about reflections or the relationship one has with others, and all of these themes feed into this experimental piece.
Never seen a work of experimental dance before? Don’t worry, as the audience is encouraged to draw their own thoughts on the piece; there is no right or wrong. “Unlike traditional dance performance with proscenium setting, dance theatre is more open and welcoming for the imagination. In this work of experimental dance theatre, the team merges dance with different elements, including soil, ink, grass and paper. Each element has its own unique symbolism,” says Yuan Shenglun, one of the choreographers of Jing.
Taking place in the Sheung Wan Civic Centre from 20-22 December, this is one show you won’t want to miss!
Get tickets for 8/F Platform: Jing, 20-22 December, Sheung Wan Civic Centre, 345 Queen’s Road Central, Hong Kong
This post is sponsored by Hong Kong Dance Company.
