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"China Dance Forward 2014", the third instalment in a series of dance showcases, will be staged in February. The event is co-presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC).
"China Dance Forward" aims to enhance the exchanges between talented choreographers from the Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Outstanding works by top next-generation dance creators from the three places have been selected through an open call that received around 100 applications. Talents from Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Nanjing and Changsha will present a montage of innovative and diverse dance and explore the present and the future of Chinese modern dance.
The Artistic Director of CCDC, Willy Tsao, said the applications showed tremendous improvement in terms of quality. The organisers set a clear artistic criterion for selection, which was to pick "self-contained short dance works by young choreographers focusing on meticulous body movements". As its title suggests, the forward-looking scheme focuses on those who may be relatively unknown yet truly reflect a necessary integrity as dancers, exhibiting the most promising and youthful dimensions through their bodies and performing with the simplest of costumes and props. "These choreographers may be young, but I see the future and hope of Chinese modern dance," Tsao said.
The selected works are as follows:
Wu Haiqi - "Let Go" (Nanjing; Sun's key)
Wang Junjian - "Brightness" (Xi'an)
Cao Wei - "Annoyed" (Changsha; Pie Dance Theatre)
Hu Qingqing - "Peach Flavored Vodka" (Zhuhai)
Yu Yanan, Wu Hui, Liu Qingyu and Lai Ka-po - "Figure" (Guangzhou; Figure Theatre)
Yang Zhen - "Aria" (Beijing)
Gu Jiani - "Side by Side" (Beijing; N SPACE)
Liu Yen-cheng - "A Room" (Taipei)
Tsai Po-cheng - "Floating Flower" (Taipei)
Pak Wei-ming - "TINT" (Hong Kong)
ARChing Tang, Lokin So and Rex Chiu - "The City of Crime"
(Hong Kong; The Autistic Genius)
"China Dance Forward 2014" will be staged at 8pm on February 14 and 15 (Friday and Saturday) at the Theatre of Sheung Wan Civic Centre. Tickets priced at $200 and $140 are now available at all URBTIX outlets, on the Internet and by credit card telephone booking. Half-price tickets are available for senior citizens aged 60 or above, people with disabilities and their minders, full-time students and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) recipients. (Limited tickets for CSSA recipients are available on a first-come, first-served basis.) Please refer to the website and programme leaflets for details of the special booking discount scheme.
For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7323, or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/dance/program_433.html . For ticketing enquiries, please call 2734 9009. For credit card telephone booking, please call 2111 5999. For Internet booking, please visit www.urbtix.hk.
A post-performance talk will be held after the performance on February 14.
Ends/Friday, January 3, 2014
Issued at HKT 10:00
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