From traditional Chinese to contemporary dance and cross-cultural performances, movement and music are filling up this year’s calendar
Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) kicks off its 40th-anniversary programme with Shan Shui: An Ode to Nature, a brand new production inspired by Chinese ink painting. The troupe’s artistic director Yang Yuntao reveals what led to this new piece.
What is the inspiration behind Shan Shui: An Ode to Nature?
Shan Shui is a poetic piece inspired by traditional Chinese landscape ink paintings. When I look at an ink painting, I feel comfortable and free. As a dancer, that motivates me to think about how to express this feeling through body movements.
How is Shan Shui different from previous productions?
HKDC has created works inspired by Chinese paintings before, such as Qingming Riverside, a portrayal of Qing and Ming dynasty lives [performed at the Meet in Beijing 2008 arts festival to celebrate the Beijing Olympics] after we realised dance and art were interrelated. But Shan Shui isn’t based on one particular painting or place.
It’s our first production to be inspired by this genre of Chinese art. Chinese landscape paintings are about the imaginary spiritual world. In Chinese culture, the portrayal of nature is a reflection of the painter’s inner state of mind and her or his dialogues with nature, which I want to showcase in this performance. For our 40th anniversary this year, we want to present a piece [through which] people can appreciate the essence of Chinese traditions.
How do you incorporate Chinese ink art into dance?
Unlike western dance, which emphasises the techniques of body movements, I train my dancers’ inner minds. We’re not only imitating a brushstroke; we’re also feeling the solitude, awe or ethereal state expressed by the brush’s speed and style. It’s about how body movements and the spiritual state of an ink art painter can blend together as one.
See also: 10 Dance Classes To Try In Hong Kong
What does Shan Shui represent to the HKDC?
Shan Shui shows how far we’ve come on our journey in preserving Chinese culture. We offer the city a platform to explore beyond the shows we put on. Through Shan Shui I ask: how much do we know about our own traditions? A tradition doesn’t have to be something old. Our understanding of tradition can be contemporary when we learn about it, such as how an ink painting, even if it features an old landscape, stirs up the viewer’s feelings in that moment.
Where will the HKDC take Chinese dance next?
I aim to elevate our artistic expression and deepen our cultural nurturing. Hong Kong is a forward-thinking and multicultural city where there’s a deep-rooted fondness for the arts, such as ballet and classical music. We’re the only full-time, professional Chinese dance organisation in Hong Kong, so we have a duty to promote local dance. Traditional Chinese cultural practices, such as dance, ink painting and calligraphy, are worth rediscovering. The HKDC can do its part by tailoring our style to the times and turning people’s heads to traditional arts through dance.
May 21-23, 2021. Grand Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tsim Sha Tsui