HONG KONG: Renowned dancer and choreographer Victor Cho-wo Ma unveils his autobiography in dance form tonight at Kwai Tsing Theatre, in a show that not only opens up the scrutiny of self but also that of the public.

"Victor Ma's Dance Exhibition Part II" is the second installment of his four-part series "Dance 'In' Possible". It is an extension of Ma's thirty-day, round-the-clock reality show on the Internet that ran from July 25 to August 24.

During his month-long, voluntary confinement inside his dance studio, Ma limited his life to sitting in meditation, dancing and painting. During that time the artist explored the physical, spatial, retrospective and aesthetic possibilities of his solitude.

Ma described his as a "reckless" art experiment, since it defied the self-indulgence of city dwellers caught up in frenetic urban lifestyle, their obsession with money-making and fame-building. Ma dived into a luxuriating self-examination of the sort that is a spiritual luxury in today's world.

The performance, which runs from today to Sunday at the black box theater, goes beyond Ma's autobiography. While there are fleeting moments recaptured from the artist's life, there are also concerns with deeper concepts such as aesthetics and death.

At every show there will be different guest artists who conduct a dance dialogue with Ma. Together they will converse on the politics of creative pursuits, of the artists' rediscovery of body and space in their journeys.

As a highly sought-after artist, Ma has choreographed more than 60 dance works for local and overseas dance and theater companies, such as "None of Your Business", "Not A Double Room" and "My Life as a dance - the evolution".

His accolades include a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Taiwan Golden Horse Awards in 2001 for his role in "The Map of Sex and Love". Currently he is the artistic director of Y-space, which he co-founded in 1995.

Celina Chow, a 21-year-old dancer, looks forward to new glimpses into Ma's artistic exploration in his upcoming performance. Chow has seen Ma's reality show online and is deeply impressed by his expression of difficult concepts.

"It's important for local dancers to get more recognition from the public, and Ma's daring experiments make the necessary statements," Chow said. "He makes a good example for us young artists when we consider our future moves and projects."

(HK Edition 10/23/2009 page1)