Photo provided by CCDC | Photo by Jefu Ha Studio
One of Hong Kong’s foremost choreographers, Helen Lai’s works have been featured at Hong Kong City Hall in 1977 and 1978. Lai joined City Contemporary Dance Company in 1979, and was Artistic Director from 1985 to 1989 and Resident Choreographer from 1991 to 2011. Lai has also choreographed for Hong Kong Dance Company, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and Hong Kong Ballet, as well as other companies including Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan, Guangdong Modern Dance Company and Singapore Dance Theatre (now Singapore Ballet). Her major works include Nine Songs, The Rite of Spring, Plaza X, HerStory, Testimony and The Comedy of K. An eight-time winner of the Hong Kong Dance Awards for her choreographic works, Lai was the recipient of numerous awards including Choreographer of the Year from the Hong Kong Artists’ Guild (1990), Distinguished Achievement Award from the Hong Kong Dance Alliance (2002), the Award for Arts Achievement (Dance, 2003), an Outstanding Contribution in Arts award (2015) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and an Honorary Fellowship (2004) and an Honorary Doctorate (2021) from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.
