Leaping out of the pop star shadows
The Hong Kong Culture Series - Dance Collection introduces Beijing audiences to Hong Kong's modern dance world, an artistic form often overshadowed by its pop cultures.
The event opened on Sunday at the Oriental Pioneer Theater of Beijing with a free photographic exhibition and will run through till July 10.
The event's presenter, Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company, has also invited four modern dance groups from Hong Kong to perform at the Oriental Pioneer Theater: City Contemporary Dance Company, Unlock Dancing Plaza, why_me_dance and Passover Dance Company.
"These troupes' works are of various styles. Some may shock you, some may make you laugh, and some will bring you very fine feelings," says Willy Tsao, artistic director of Beijing LDTX Modern Dance Company and City Contemporary Dance Company.
Today and tomorrow, Hong Kong's first and longest-running professional modern dance group City Contemporary Dance Company will present a performance titled Silver Rain, which puts together the most memorable works of six outstanding choreographers of the group, including Tsao. The works are inspired by the immense Chinese culture including philosophy, history, operas and even Chinese rock'n'roll, and Xing Liang, a graduate of Beijing Dance Academy who has won numerous awards.
On July 6, the Unlock Dancing Plaza will perform Whisper of Love, which is "the pursuit of ordinary sensation from the extraordinary world".
Unlock Dancing Plaza tries to stress the exchange between audience and performers, and create a new and tailored experience of modern dance viewing for audiences.
On July 8, the why_me_dance group will present You Had Better Dance, which was inspired by John Lennon's song Beautiful Boy. On July 10, the Passover Dance Company will perform a work titled Xin Xiang, which the choreographers will bring a bit of freshness to the busy city.
There will be a "meet-the-artist" session after every performance, and the dancers and choreographers from Hong Kong will also have dance workshops during their stay in Beijing.
The Hong Kong Culture Series will present a number of events to introduce the representative culture of Hong Kong. After the modern dance collection, the series will bring the Cantonese Artists Association of Hong Kong to perform a Cantonese opera in Beijing in October.
"We hope that this series will change many people's impression that Hong Kong is a commercial city with no culture," says Tsao. "Though it's very easy for mainlanders to travel to Hong Kong now, the Hong Kong Culture Series provide a rare opportunity to get to know Hong Kong's culture systematically."
The event is supported by the Beijing Office of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR, Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Art Development Fund of the Home Affair Bureau of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR.
(China Daily 07/03/2007 page19)
