Grand Dance Poem "A Dance of Celestial Rhythms"

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 11:21:00 +0300
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HONG KONG DANCE COMPANY

2023/24 Dance Season Opening : A Dance of Celestial Rhythms

In Timeless Communion with Nature, We Dance

[04 Sept 2023 - Hong Kong] Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) is kicking off its new Dance Season with Grand Dance Poem, A Dance of Celestial Rhythms, in September 2023. Choreographed by Artistic Director Yang Yuntao, this splendid opening performance is about to captivate the audience with stunning visuals, inspiring music, state-of-the-art lighting effects and an atmospheric olfactory experience; moving through the natural cycles of time and life, and ultimately gaining a vivid understanding of the nature.

Multisensory experience

The “Twenty-Four Solar Terms”, inscribed on the UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, is not only an important aspect of traditional Chinese culture and wisdom, but is also closely related to the necessities of life. “Our mission with this new work goes far beyond the solar terms themselves. We want to reflect on the various aspects of modern life by drawing on ancient wisdom. Metaphysically speaking, it is both a tribute to the natural world around us and a call for its protection,” Yang says.

In presenting the work, HKDC has invited various Asian designers from different disciplines to collaborate with local artists, in addition to an exceptional fragrance experience to be sponsored by Aēsop, aiming to arouse the audience’s visual, auditory and olfactory senses. Through the HKDC dancers’ virtuosity, the audience is encouraged to delight in each of the solar terms, essentially, to get back in touch with nature – with the seasonal changes that unfold around us all the time and that we have a tendency to ignore.

Collaboration between Asian designers and local artists

“I attempt to express the changing of the seasons naturalistically by using different lead instruments for each solar term, illustrating a ‘dialogue between nature and human beings’ in the call-and-response format,” Korean composer Kim Chulhwan shares. Min Chunhong, costume designer from Korea, on the other hand, has extended the idea of life cycle of a person to his costume design. Min says, “Costume in this work not only amplifies beauty in a simple way, but also extends the most primitive lines of movement and expands its scope, so it becomes an important prop in itself that makes the dancer’s subtle expression of the scene even more profound.” Meanwhile, the creative technique of generative art simulates the law of growth for all things in nature that the solar term implied. It enables the image to reveal an uncertainty and vitality closely related to nature. “For me, this will be the debut of a spectacular combination of generative art and dance,” Lin Jinyao, digital image designer from Taiwan, is excited to express. “The inspiration of the stage design came from the fluidity of air flowing, imitating the veins of a leaf and the silhouette of mountain ranges. The irregular stage set is giving audience a close-up to the refined micro landscape of the nature,” set designer from Hong Kong, LCM, explains.

Grand Dance Poem, A Dance of Celestial Rhythms, presented by Hong Kong Dance Company will be performed from 29 September to 1 October 2023 at Auditorum, Sha Tin Town Hall. Come join us on a journey of discovery and inspiration through the four seasons.

Programme Plus

1. A Dance of Celestial Rhythms X 2023/24 Dance Season Programme Parade

Content | A public preview of three amazing excerpts from A Dance of Celestial Rhythms: “Clear and Bright”, ”White Dew” and “Grain in Ear” & “Major Heat”, as well as the highlights from the new dance season.
Date & Time | 9 Sept 2023 (Sat) 4:00PM
Venue | Plaza, Sha Tin Town Hall
Guest Host | Mr Anthony Ho

2. Featured Exhibition

Date | 11-24 Sept 2023
Venue | Foyer, Hong Kong Cultural Centre

3. Open Rehearsal．Tea Tasting Workshop．Dance Masterclass

| Activity 1 : Open Rehearsal
Date & Time | 16 Sept 2023 (Sat) 3:00PM-4:30PM
Fee | Free to admission
Venue | Exhibition Gallery, Sha Tin Town Hall
| Activity 2 : Tea Tasting Workshop & Dance Masterclass
Date & Time | 17 Sept 2023 (Sun) 2:00PM-6:00PM
Tutors | Xie Yin (Dance Masterclass)、Cheuk Yin (Tea Tasting Workshop)
Venue | Exhibition Gallery, Sha Tin Town Hall
Remarks | This is a fee-charging activity. More details to be announced on www.hkdance.com

Performance Information

Venue | Auditorium, Sha Tin Town Hall

Session

29-30.9.2023 (Fri - Sat) 7:45pm

30.9^*-1.10.2023 (Sat -Sun) 3:00pm

Price

Evenings $380, $260, $160, $100

Matinees $340, $220, $120, $80

Ticketing | Tickets Now available at URBTIX and Damai
Duration | Programme duration is about 1 hour and 20 minutes without intermission
Age Limit | Suitable for aged 6 or above
Fragrance Sponsor | Aēsop
Accessibility Partner | Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong

Remarks

This programme contains scents. It is recommended to consider this factor before booking your tickets.

^ This is an Accessible Performance with Audio Description (Cantonese)

Please call 2777 1771 to reserve the audio description device in advance.

* With Meet-In-Artist session

Programme Enquiries | 3103 1888 / www.hkdance.com

Production & Artistic Team

Director and Choreographer | Yang Yuntao
Associate Choreographer | Xie Yin
Composer | Kim Chulhwan
Costume Designer | Min Chunhong
Lighting Designer | Billy Tang
Digital Image Designer | Lin Jinyao
Set Designer | LCM
Sound Designer | Ha Yan-pui
Assistant Costume Designer | Lee Junghyun
Assistant Rehearsal | Huang Lei, Hua Chi-yu
Guest Performers | Chen Meiyi, He Faxing (Yabin Studio)
Performers | Dancers of Hong Kong Dance Company