Dance

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A month-long programme of cutting-edge dance celebrating visionary women choreographers from around the world

The four-week inaugural edition of our new dance festival Freespace Dance celebrates the boundary-breaking work of women in dance-making. Showcasing work by artists of different generations and cultures, and spotlighting the inspired inventiveness and versatility of contemporary choreography, the works offer fresh perspectives on gender, power relations and politics, and new insight on creativity and imagination in dance and movement.

The festival opens with the Asian premiere of She Legend – a work by Hamburg duo Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst that explores the queer potential of the comic superhero universe. Celebrated local choreographer Mui Cheuk-yin’s new work Double Happiness: The Promise of Red explores the meaning of commitment through traditional wedding rituals. It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, my friend by Voetvolk / Lisbeth Gruwez and Maarten Van Cauwenberghe from Belgium, is a compelling exploration of the manipulative power of speech and gesture. Living Room by renowned Israeli choreographer Inbal Pinto, showing as the Asian premiere, is a captivating, whimsical piece about the unpredictability of our everyday lives. And Crowd by French-Austrian choreographer Gisèle Vienne, closes the festival with a slow-motion dance through the hedonistic ecstasy and darkness of a night-time teenage rave. 

Alongside the performances, the festival also includes two artist-led workshops, with Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst sharing insight on choreographic storytelling, and Lisbeth Gruwez leading a professional session on improvisation and technical skills. In addition, Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst also present a sharing session on using audio description and accessibility services as creative tools.

To aid accessibility and enhance the audience experience, selected events offer audio description and touch tours. An original pre-show participatory physical introduction session on related choreographic concepts and movements is tailored for all programmes at The Box.

The festival also includes the new creation platform FIRST, an informal space where invited dance artists Blue Ka-wing, Justyne Li, Alice Ma, Ivy Tsui, Wong Pik-kei and KT Yau discuss, share and develop new ideas for potential dance work projects.

To nurture young dance critics, we are also collaborating with the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC) to co-present a Dance Appreciation and Criticism Writing Workshop (in Chinese only).

Full details on the individual event pages.

*Cantonese audio description service and pre-performance touch tour is available, with prioritised registration for ticket holders with visual impairments

Presented by: 
Freespace

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An eclectic, whirling choreographic translation of the queer potential of the comic superhero universe

Freespace Dance 2023 – a showcase of the work of contemporary women choreographers – opens with the Asian premiere of Hamburg duo Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst’s She Legend , a work exploring the queer-feminist potential of the hyper-masculine superhero universe. 

Inspired by the powerful imagery and bizarre forms of expression of comic books, the eclectic, whirling piece presents the pair as cyborg-like shape-shifters. Strolling through imaginary landscapes to apocalyptic sound effects, the non-conformist figures re-imagine heroic tales, invent superpowers and transform grotesque cartoon characters into physical choreographic translations on stage.

Rykena and Jüngst create characters that defy the stereotypes and clichés of heteronormative attributions. Their work has been regularly presented at Kampnagel, Hamburg, and HochX, Munich, and invited to national and international festivals. She Legend was also staged at the Tanzplattform 2022, Berlin.

To enhance accessibility and audience experience, She Legend is accompanied by the following sessions and facilities (offered on a first-come, first served basis):

Dance workshop on choreographic storytelling, 12 April (7:30pm–9:30pm). Professional dance artists and dance students are welcome to enrol.

Sharing session on audio description in dance, 15 April (3:00pm–4:00pm). Free and open to all. Registration required.

Pre-show participatory physical introduction session (in Cantonese), 15 April (7:00pm–7:30pm) introducing related choreographic concepts and movements. Free session, open to ticket holders only. Register here.

Pre-show touch tours (conducted in English, with Cantonese audio description) before the start of each performance (6:15pm–6:45pm). Free, open to ticket holders only. Ticket holders with visual impairments (and companion) may call 2777 1771 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am–6:30pm) for registration. For other ticket holders, please register here.

Cantonese audio description available for all performance sessions. Priority is given to ticket holders with visual impairments. Please call 2771 1771 (Monday to Friday, 9:30am–6:30pm) to reserve an audio description headset for free.

“Through collective gestures of (at)tempting, imitation, reconstruction, and new beginnings, and also with humor, they manage to demystify male heroism and the sexualized representations of female literary fighters.” – Janine Muckermann, tanzschreiber

“This is how dance can be, especially in serious times.” – tanznetz.de

“Visual violence in a bizarre, abstract form.” – Vesna Mlakar, tanz.at

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A meditation on commitment and sincerity veiled in traditional wedding rituals

A traditional wedding is an extravagant celebration – the bride and the groom exchange vows, the guests offer congratulations, and a ritualised ceremony is staged to symbolise marital bliss. But beneath the pageantry and the couple’s commitment to each other, marriage can signify complex family and social obligations.

Double Happiness: The Promise of Red – the latest work by celebrated local choreographer Mui Cheuk-yin – draws on a series of traditional Southern Chinese wedding rituals to unveil the thoughts and emotions of those fulfilling their formal duties, and in the process explores the meaning of honesty, promise and contractual commitment. 

The work is a collaboration between Mui, and wedding chaperone Chan Kin-man, a young male practitioner of a profession traditionally dominated by older women. Featuring whimsical rhymes by lyricist Chris Shum adapted from ritual wording, and taking inspiration from traditional Cantonese opera tales, Double Happiness: The Promise of Red combines dance, text and music in a profoundly thought-provoking performance.

Note: A pre-show participatory physical introduction session (in Cantonese) introducing related choreographic concepts and movements is available on 22 April (7:00pm–7:30pm). This session is open to ticket holders only. Please register here.

Artistic Team:

Concept, Choreographer and Performer: Mui Cheuk-yin

Wedding Chaperone (Dai Kum), Consultant and Performer: Chan Kin-man

Text: Chris Shum 

Lighting Designer: Lee Chi-wai

Set Designer: Yuen Hon-wai

Composer and Music Designer: Steve Hui

Costume Designer: Ribble Chung Siu-mui 

Sound Designer: Anthony Yeung

Commissioned, produced and presented by:

Freespace

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A compelling exploration of the power of speech and gesture to manipulate both orator and audience from Belgian dance company Voetvolk

Presented as part of our 2023 Freespace Dance series showcasing the work of contemporary women choreographers, Voetvolk’s It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, my friend looks at the persuasive power of oration, and the ability of words and gestures to stir and manipulate emotional and visceral response.

Alone under a spotlight, and dressed in the androgynous uniform of authority, Belgian choreographer Lisbeth Gruwez casts a powerful spell over the audience as she performs to a soundtrack mixed live by partner Maarten Van Cauwenberghe and punctuated with fragments of a speech by ultra-conservative American televangelist Jimmy Swaggart. At first cool and measured, Gruwez’s controlled and ritualised gestures – a precise vocabulary of movements gleaned from studies of speeches by politicians and dictators – become more and more impassioned, gaining momentum as the energy of the speech intensifies and rising to a state of ecstatic trance.

Compelling and alarming, It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, my friend explores how charismatic orators can induce calm and stir anxiety, how words and gestures can be used to comfort and dominate, and how speeches can take on a force of their own, exerting preternatural power over the emotions of both speaker and audience.

Alongside the performances, Lisbeth Gruwez leads a professional workshop on improvisation and technical skills, 24 April (7:30pm–9:30pm). See details on individual event page.

Note: A pre-show participatory physical introduction session (in Cantonese) introducing related choreographic concepts and movements is available on 26 April (7:00pm–7:30pm). This session is open to ticket holders only. Please register here.

“Rarely have image, movement, light and sound invigorated each other so powerfully” – Jury TheaterFestival 2012

“The power relation between male voice and female performer…becomes a marvellously threatening pas de deux” – Sarah Vankersschaever, De Standaard

“The fusion of sound, choreography and light keeps the public enraptured. Once more Lisbeth Gruwez succeeds in keeping the audience spellbound” – Eline Van de Voorde, Cutting Edge

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The Asian premiere of an imaginative, surreal and highly controlled duet exploring the unpredictable nature of our everyday reality

Presented as part of our 2023 Freespace Dance series showcasing the work of contemporary women choreographers, acclaimed Israeli choreographer Inbal Pinto’s latest work Living Room is a captivating, whimsical piece exploring the unpredictability of our everyday lives. 

Isolated in a sparsely furnished room – decorated with murals created by Pinto herself – a lone dancer questions her body and surroundings. In surreal and dream-like turns, objects take on a life of their own and the dancer’s limbs are compelled by unseen forces, twisting in disjointed puppet-like ways as she tries to master her body and her environment. When another person appears in the room, the push and pull of curiosity, fear and desire sparks an intense duet and a new flight of imagination.

Delicate, precise and highly controlled, the choreography is a tour de force tailored to the techniques of two uniquely individual dancers, Pinto’s long-time collaborator Moran Muller and dancer/ choreographer Itamar Seroussi.  

Living Room is Pinto’s first full-length duet work. Conceived during lockdown, initially as a solo piece, it features choreography, costumes and set design by Pinto and original music by cellist and singer Maya Belsitzman, who collaborated with Pinto on the acclaimed production Fugue. The work is an original production of the Suzanne Dellal Centre for Dance and Theatre, Israel’s premier presenter of Israeli and international dance.

Note: A pre-show participatory physical introduction session (in Cantonese) introducing related choreographic concepts and movements is available on 30 April (2:00pm–2:30pm). This session is open to ticket holders only. Please register here.

“Pinto’s Living Room is a gem, immersed in beauty and solitude.” – DanceTalk

“Pinto is a gifted and imaginative creator. Her talent allows her to create visions filled with magic and innovation.” – Haaretz

“The drawing, music, costumes, and characters bring to life an alternate galaxy, one that is delicate and nostalgic.” – Jerusalem Post

Independent local choreographers offer first looks at new creative ideas and share insight into their creation process

Our new interactive platform FIRST brings together six Hong Kong dance artists – Blue Ka-wing, Justyne Li, Alice Ma, Ivy Tsui, Wong Pik-kei and KT Yau – to talk about their creation processes and discuss new creative ideas.

FIRST is an interactive artistic platform designed to encourage independent choreographers to share new work-in-progress and practice-in-development ideas. Over two weekends, each choreographer individually presents and explores new concepts in an informal setting, inviting the audience and industry peers to offer feedback and discuss.

FIRST is launched as part of our 2023 Freespace Dance series showcasing the work of contemporary women choreographers. The six artists in these two debut sessions are creators selected from participants in Freespace’s international residency exchange programme Creative Meeting Point. 

Artistic Team:

30 April 2023 (Sunday)
Participating dance artists:
Blue Ka-wing
Alice Ma
KT Yau

7 May 2023 (Sunday)
Participating dance artists:
Justyne Li
Ivy Tsui
Wong Pik-kei

Presented by:
Freespace

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A slow-motion dance through the hedonistic ecstasy and darkness of a night-time teenage rave choreographed by French-Austrian artist Gisèle Vienne

Set to a soundtrack of dance tracks curated by DJ Peter Rehberg and Stephen O'Malley, and performed on a set strewn with earth, discarded clothes and plastic cups, Gisèle Vienne’s Crowd depicts the dark, dream-like revelry of a night-time teenage rave. 

As fifteen dancers enter one by one in trance-like slow motion, their steps dragging against the pull of the dance beats, our perceptions of the individuals, their characters and emotions, and the actions unfolding wordlessly before us are put into question. Do embraces and smiles signify affection or threat? Is what we witness a dance off or a fight?

The highly controlled stop-motion movements of the dancers capture freeze-framed vignettes resembling moments revealed under dance club strobe lights. Exaggerating the mood swings of the group, these scenes depict individual stories of ecstasy and isolation – developed in collaboration with American author and dramaturg Dennis Cooper – playing out within the fragmented collective carnival in hypnotically distorted time. 

An unflinching and haunting exploration of human nature, Crowd is a dark dance of longing and sensuality tinged with abandon. 

Crowd is presented as part of the 2023 Freespace Dance series showcasing the work of contemporary women choreographers. The production was staged at the Venice Biennale in 2018 and nominated at the 2020 Olivier Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Dance.

Note: A pre-show participatory physical introduction session (in Cantonese) introducing related choreographic concepts and movements is available on 6 May (7:00pm–7:30pm). This session is open to ticket holders only. Please register here.

Artistic Team:

Conception, Choreography and Scenography: Gisèle Vienne 

Assisted by: Anja Röttgerkamp and Nuria Guiu Sagarra 

Lighting: Patrick Riou

Dramaturgy: Gisèle Vienne and Dennis Cooper 

Music Selections from: Underground Resistance, KTL, Vapour Space, DJ Rolando, Drexciya, The Martian, Choice, Jeff Mills, Peter Rehberg, Manuel Göttsching, Sun Electric and Global Communication 

Edits, Playlist selection: Peter Rehberg

Sound Diffusion Supervisor: Stephen O’Malley 

Performers: Philip Berlin, Morgane Bonis, Marine Chesnais, Sylvain Decloitre, Sophie Demeyer, Vincent Dupuy, Massimo Fusco, Rehin Hollant, Oskar Landström, Theo Livesey, Katia Petrowick, Linn Ragnarsson, Jonathan Schatz and Henrietta Wallberg (alternately with Lucas Bassereau, Nuria Guiu Sagarra, Maya Masse and Anne Marie Van (Nach))

Costumes: Gisèle Vienne in collaboration with Camille Queval and the performers

Co-presented by:
Freespace, Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels and French May Arts Festival

Support:

CCN2 – Centre Chorégraphique National de Grenoble and CND Centre National de la Danse 

The Company Gisèle Vienne is supported by DRAC Grand Est, la Région Grand Est – Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication and Ville de Strasbourg. The company is supported by the Institut Français for international touring and by Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels. 

Gisèle Vienne is an associated artist at Chaillot – Théâtre national de la danse, MC2 Grenoble, Le Volcan – Scène nationale du Havre and Théâtre National de Bretagne.

German dance makers Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst present a workshop on choreographic storytelling drawing on their work She Legend

In this workshop, German duo Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst offer insight into the choreographic storytelling methods used in the creation of their dance piece She Legend – a work that explores the queer potential of the comic superhero universe and re-examines conventional discussions of the physical body.

Throughout the session, participants explore methods for developing character, illustrating movement with sound, singing and vocalisations, and creating imaginary landscapes that enhance verbal and nonverbal storytelling beyond normative perception. Rykena and Jüngst also share choreographic vocabulary used in She Legend, encouraging participants to adapt the movements to their own bodies and merge them with their personal dance styles.

Workshop Leaders:
Carolin Jüngst, Lisa Rykena

Target Participant:
Professional dance artists and dance students

Presented by:
Freespace

Supporting Partner:

Hotel and Serviced Suites Partner:

Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst, creators of She Legend, discuss how artists in Europe have begun to explore the use of audio description in their creative work

In this artist-led sharing session, German duo Lisa Rykena and Carolin Jüngst discuss their use of audio description, the linguistic description of visual phenomena for blind and visually impaired people, and how they adapt it for use as an integral part of their dance creations.

Audio description originated as a facility offering visually impaired audiences enhanced access to visual media such as theatre, film and television. This session looks at how contemporary artists in Europe have begun to incorporate audio description as a creative element of their performance or visual art work, adding enhanced textual dimensions and resulting in more holistically accessible and inclusive productions.

Hamburg-based duo Rykena and Jüngst employ audio description as a creative tool, using its artistic and performative potential to question the dominance of visual culture and physical attributions. Jüngst also shares her personal experience of working as an audio describer, mostly in the field of dance.

Register Now

Speakers:
Carolin Jüngst, Lisa Rykena

Presented by:
Freespace

Supporting Partner:

Hotel and Serviced Suites Partner:

Lisbeth Gruwez from Belgian dance group Voetvolk leads a professional workshop on improvisation and technical skills in dance

In this workshop, Belgian choreographer Lisbeth Gruwez offers professional dance makers practical insight on how to improve improvisation skills and develop a unique language of movement.

Sharing a variety of tools, Gruwez – cofounder of the Belgian dance group Voetvolk and creator/performer of It’s going to get worse and worse and worse, my friend – helps participants explore their technical skills and enhance the imaginative possibilities of their individual physical expression.

The workshop is tailored to participants’ creative needs and preferences through a process of open discussion and dialogue, and includes live music by musician/composer Maarten Van Cauwenberghe.

Workshop Leader:
Lisbeth Gruwez

Target Participant:
Professional dance artists

Presented by:
Freespace

Hotel and Serviced Suites Partner:

A thought-provoking piece reflecting the shared poetry and consciousness of human beings and human bodies.

Wayson Poon’s latest work PHONATE explores the dynamics of power, control and communal strength that occur between choreographer, dancers and audience. Pushing the limitations of their bodies, the dancers transform the air of a minimalist performance space into audible energy. As the rhythms of their breath compete and synchronise, a state of involuntary connection develops and the audience become one with the dancers, inhaling and exhaling in time.

Poon’s choreography is informed by Taoist notions of “Qi” and the movement and meditation practices Liquid Body and 5Rhythms. The research and development of this work was supported by Freespace, Dance Info Finland, Zodiak – Center for New Dance and Dance House Helsinki through the residency exchange project Creative Meeting Point: Hong Kong x Finland (2016–2018).

Haptic Installation (2010)

The dance version of Haptic was created back in 2008 based on Umeda’s exploration into the premise that "colours are a form of haptic stimulus". By filling the stage to the brim with vibrant shades, the artist seeks to push the audience’s senses to the limit.

In the installation, Umeda further investigates the possibility of perceiving colours through touch. Visitors are guided into a pitch-black room to “watch” a video installation with their eyes closed for two and a half minutes, during which they will see monochromic or coloured lines behind their closed eyelids. Synchronised with the electronic music blasting from the headsets, the lines become photic stimuli that can be perceived by the body. This seemingly paradoxical phenomenon prompts the audience to question why and how they are able to see with eyes closed as they contemplate the bewildering disparity between “cognition” and “experience”.

Umeda considers this installation a dance piece for it transforms chromatic vision into a physical experience.

kinesis #3 – dissolving field (2019)

kinesis #3 – dissolving field is an interactive installation that radically reconfigures and reconstructs body movement into abstract imagery. During the process, various aspects of the viewers’ motion, such as the connections between an individual’s body parts and interactions amongst the visitors, generate currents of energy in the space, which are then visualised as images made of what look like undulating particles, moving in overlapping layers like geological formations.

Through the visualisation, visitors can witness the flow of energy that occurs when people move, and experience the exhibition space as a “field of motion”, which represents the movement of the audience as a whole.

indivisible substance VR (2022)

A VR installation of the final iteration of indivisible substance, a dance production that took the artist three years to complete.

A career-defining experimental work by Umeda, indivisible substance is designed to transcend formats. It can be viewed as a stage performance, an online programme or even a VR experience, and through this versatility it challenges the modality and nature of dance. For the viewers, watching a performance in a theatre and on a VR goggle are two completely distinct experiences. By continuously identifying and distilling these differences, Umeda seeks to explore the various channels and platforms of communication between him and his audience.

Ticket holders of the show can also visit this installation exhibition for free to gain a deeper understanding of Umeda’s creative journey.

Artistic Team:

Haptic Installation (2010)
Direction: Hiroaki Umeda
Sound & Image Design: S20

kinesis #3 – dissolving field (2019)
Direction: Hiroaki Umeda
Visual Programming: Gabor Papp
Sensing Programming: Ryota Sakurai

indivisible substance VR (2022)
Direction, Choreography: Hiroaki Umeda
Music: AOKI takamasa
Visual Direction: S20
Visual Creation: THINK AND SENSE

The Programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by
The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Exclusive Sponsor:

Presented by: 
Freespace

Dance artist Zelia ZZ Tan invites the audience to become co-creators in a multisensory, interactive dance adventure. Blending live performance, improvisation, motion-capture, projections and AR, the experience explores motion through a variety of physical and virtual dimensions.

As dance artists move about the venue, audience-participants complete a series of simple tasks. Gradually the boundaries between spectator, performer and real and animated movement become blurred, with fragmented gestures transformed into a cohesive, co-created whole.
 

Creative team:
Director and Choreographer: Zelia ZZ Tan
Dance artists: Tsang Wing-fai*, Lau Pak-hong, Esther Chan Hoi-ming
Guest dance artists: Karina Curlewis^, Match Cheung#
Game designer: Yang Jing
Avatar designer: Zhang Tian
3D modelling and animation designer: Daniel Liu
Interaction designer: Joseph Watson
Composer and sound designer: Step lp
Sound engineer: AK Kan
Costume designer: Perpetua Ip
Lighting designer: Lawmanray
Advisers: Gilles Jobin, Cheung Fai
AR designer: Tristan Braud
Virtual camera designer: Zhang Tian-yi
Web AR designer: Guido Stuch
Avatar adviser: Royce Ng
Technical adviser: Adrien Yeung
Advisers: Cheung Fai, Gilles Jobin

*With the kind permission of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
^8 September 2022 (Thursday) 7:30pm and 9:00pm only
#10 September 2022 (Saturday) 3:30pm and 7:30pm only

The Programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by
The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Exclusive Sponsor:

Co-produced and co-presented by:
Freespace
City Contemporary Dance Company

City Contemporary Dance Company is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

Japanese avant-garde artist Hiroaki Umeda presents the full-length production of indivisible substance. Following two online showings as a work-in-progress, the final iteration of the performance – three years in the making – is finally coming to Freespace as a live in-person experience.

Ticket holders of the show can also visit MMM—Installations by Hiroaki Umeda for free to gain a deeper understanding of Umeda’s creative journey.

A career-defining experimental work by Umeda, indivisible substance is designed to transcend formats. It can be viewed as a stage performance, an online programme or even a VR experience, and through this versatility it challenges the modality and nature of dance. For the viewers, watching a performance in a theatre and on a computer screen are two completely distinct experiences. By continuously identifying and distilling these differences, Umeda seeks to explore the various channels and platforms of communication between him and his audience.

“Movement exists as a universal thing in substances and objects of any scale. I believe there is a space created and sustained only by ‘movement’.”
── Hiroaki Umeda

Based on this thought, Umeda combines digital technology, capturing real-time 3D data of the dancer by Kinect camera, as well as various micro and macro data from point cloud data in the making of indivisible substance, with the goal of weaving the entire space into the choreography. In the digital space, the boundaries between abstract, digitised components disappear – the conventional notions of shape, distance and authenticity no longer apply here, and only ‘movement’ is left to create a sense of space. This space of movement exists neither in a theatre nor on a screen, but in the minds of the audience.

Artistic Team:
Direction, Choreography: Hiroaki Umeda
Performers: Candy Hung Lai-kwan, Lo King-san, Carmen Yu Hau-yi
Music: AOKI takamasa
Visual Direction: S20
Visual Creation: THINK AND SENSE
 - Technical, Visual Direction: Shuhei Matsuyama
 - Visual Programming: Takamitsu Masumi, Yuki Hikita, Ayato Ohkawara
Production Management: Suzuko Tanoiri

The Programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by
The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Exclusive Sponsor:

Co-commissioned by:
Freespace

Produced by:

Combining installation, film and virtual reality, Hong Kong film director Tsang Tsui-shan’s Chroma 11 documents a magical tale of artistic collaboration and an otherworldly lovers’ reunion after heart-wrenching loss.

The immersive, interactive experience guides the audience through the intimate creative world of the partnership between dance duo Ix Wong Thien-pau (Malaysia) and Aaron Khek Ah-hock (Singapore). Blurring the boundaries between reality and memory, and using archival material and virtual technology to bridge the divide that separates souls when a loved one departs too soon, Chroma 11 is a poignant reflection on the enduring nature of human connections.

The event is an extension of the true story of Ix and Hock told in Tsang Tsui-shan’s award-winning dance short film Ward 11 (2019) that documents the duo’s life and work before and during the final stages of Hock’s life. The dance in the film is choreographed by Ix Wong Thien-pau.

The VR film of this programme premieres at the Venice Immersive extended reality section at the 79^th Venice International Film Festival. It is the first Hong Kong project selected for this section.

Creative Team

Director: Tsang Tsui-shan

VR film

Choreographer: Ix Wong Thien-pau

Performers: Ix Wong Thien-pau, Aaron Khek Ah-hock

Producers: Kattie Fan, Teresa Kwong

Creative Technologist: Lam Chi-fai

Art director: IV Chan

Sound Designer and Mixing: Benny Chan

Composer and Sound Designer: Eunice Martins

Installation

Art Director: Carmen Cheng

The Programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by
The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Exclusive Sponsor:

Co-presented by:
Freespace,
Hong Kong Arts Centre ifva

Empowered by:

In partnership with:

School of Film and Television
Screen Production and Research Centre (SPaRC)

Ward 11 (2019) is co-commissioned by West Kowloon Cultural District, City Contemporary Dance Company and Cinemovement.

This October, Shanghai-based new media artist Lu Yang premieres the live motion capture performance DOKU, The Binary World as a real-time collaboration between dancers in Hong Kong and Sydney. Interacting in a shared virtual environment, the dancers and avatars at Freespace and the Sydney Opera House shuttle simultaneously through multiple binary realms.

The high-energy audiovisual experience draws on Buddhist philosophy, club culture, video games and the aesthetics of anime. Embodying the avatar forms of Lu Yang’s genderless digital reincarnation Doku – Dokusho Dokushi, “We are born alone, we die alone” – the dancers present binary combinations of deities from the six realms of Buddhist reincarnation: Heaven and Hell, Human and Animal, Hungry Ghosts and Asura (Jealous gods). The performance includes music by liiii and virtual visual effects manipulated live by an Xbox controller.

Lu Yang’s work has been presented around the world, and is featured in The Milk of Dreams show at this year’s Venice Biennale.

The performance is accompanied by two events offering insight into the creative process – Phygital D: Demonstration workshop – The creative possibilities of motion capture (8 October), a sharing with digital production studio MetaObjects about the technology used in the performance; as well as an additional pre-performance talk. Full details of the talk to be announced. Please stay tuned to Freespace’s social media platforms for updates. 

Core Team:
Artist: Lu Yang
Musician/Composer: liiii
Production and Development (Sydney): Exhibitionist
Production and Development (Hong Kong): MetaObjects
Hell Environment 3D Design: Extreme John

Hong Kong Live Performance:
Producer: Dr Ashley Lee Wong
Technical Lead: Andrew Crowe
Technical Assistant and AV Coordinator: Edwin Lo
Choreographer and Dancer: Kenny Leung

Sydney Live Performance:
Producer: Mathew Spisbah
Motion Capture Technician AV Coordinator: Dr Sam McGilp
Choreographer: Harrison Hall
Dancer: Taiga Kita-Leong

The Programme is part of “Creative Tomorrow” exclusively sponsored by
The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

Exclusive Sponsor:

Co-presented by:
Freespace
Sydney Opera House

Co-produced by:

Motion Capture Equipment Sponsor: