4 Oct 2021 - 21 Feb 2022
HONG KONG SERENITY MEETS CHENGDU CONTRASTS
Encounters Across Cultures 2021
This year’s programme is an interactive engagement between dance and architecture. It allows the audience to activate their own journey through the unique spaces of the Houses with movements and time. In this, the programme’s second chapter, we are delighted to present an experience through two parallel universes – featuring elegant ballet at The Upper House, Hong Kong, and bold hip hop at The Temple House, Chengdu.
In today’s new normal of extended separations from our closest ones, the question of how to be together while apart is one that we increasingly face. Inspired by this idea, our creators imagined a tale of two friends in two cities, sharing one dance encounter through two difference spaces.
The Upper House, Hong Kong
Here at The Upper House, Yuh Egami choreographed a piece for ballerina Hennes Yuen, both of the Hong Kong Ballet, responding to the welcoming open arcs and rhythmic upward flow designed by architect André Fu.
The Temple House, Chengdu
In contrast, bold hip hop at The Temple House plays off the House’s dramatic juxtaposition of Qing dynasty courtyards with contemporary forms by Make Architects. With choreography by Andrea Carrucciu, dance artist Wan Siming celebrates her home region’s past and present through its traditions of brocade weaving and rice cultivation, and its vibrant hip hop culture of today.
The dance artists’ journeys are independent yet intersecting across time and space. It calls to mind that we are influenced not only by the physical spaces that we reside in, but also by the journeys of others around us.
Dance artist Hennes Yuen at The Upper House. Photography by Stephanie Teng.
Dance artist Wan Siming at The Temple House. Photography by Gilles Sabrié.
"An encounter across two very different dance disciplines further epitomises the spirit of the Encounters Across Cultures programme. It shows how we can be in harmony while being very different, all the time pushing creative boundaries." Patsy Lo, Curator and Producer
HONG KONG SERENITY MEETS CHENGDU CONTRASTS
Curator & Producer
Patsy Lo, Paris and Shanghai
Originally from Hong Kong, Patsy is a curator and a movement director. After more than 20 years working in marketing, she left a high-powered job with Apple at age 48, to become a full time dance student in Paris, France. She had never danced before.
Since then, Patsy founded sml Dance to share dance as a vehicle for discovery, courage and joy; an opportunity to connect with the intelligence within our bodies.
Her personal artistic project, REBIRTH, began its development with a residency at Orsolina28 in Sept. 2020. Extensions of the project have been selected for international dance festivals and featured in Numéro China and Nowness Asia on numerous occasions.
Curator & Producer
Patsy Lo, Paris and Shanghai
Originally from Hong Kong, Patsy is a curator and a movement director. After more than 20 years working in marketing, she left a high-powered job with Apple at age 48, to become a full time dance student in Paris, France. She had never danced before.
Since then, Patsy founded sml Dance to share dance as a vehicle for discovery, courage and joy; an opportunity to connect with the intelligence within our bodies.
Her personal artistic project, REBIRTH, began its development with a residency at Orsolina28 in Sept. 2020. Extensions of the project have been selected for international dance festivals and featured in Numéro China and Nowness Asia on numerous occasions.
Director
Leo Liu, Shanghai
A film-maker based in Shanghai, Leo believes that people and stories are the heart of cinema and there’s no better way to experience the world than through the lens of a storyteller. As the director, DoP and editor for the documentary series The Unreasonable, Leo travelled across China with a small crew capturing stories of those who are bold enough to realise their passions. His unique blend of visual style and storytelling has led to opportunities to work with global brands and platforms such as Nowness.
Director
Leo Liu, Shanghai
A film-maker based in Shanghai, Leo believes that people and stories are the heart of cinema and there’s no better way to experience the world than through the lens of a storyteller. As the director, DoP and editor for the documentary series The Unreasonable, Leo travelled across China with a small crew capturing stories of those who are bold enough to realise their passions. His unique blend of visual style and storytelling has led to opportunities to work with global brands and platforms such as Nowness.
Choreographer
Andrea Carrucciu, La Spezia
Originally from La Spezia, Italy, Andrea trained with teacher Loredana Rovagna in his hometown as well as CODARTS in Rotterdam. He has previously danced for Ballet Junior de Geneve, Switzerland, where he performed pieces by Alexander Ekman, Hofesh Shechter, Stijn Celis and others. After that he moved to London to join nationally and internationally acclaimed company Balletboyz, performing pieces by Ivan Perez, Russell Maliphant, Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon and Javier de Frutos. In recent years, Andrea moved to Shanghai to work with company Punchdrunk on the show Sleep No More, where he performed the principal role of Macbeth.
Photo by Christophe Meimoon
Choreographer
Andrea Carrucciu, La Spezia
Originally from La Spezia, Italy, Andrea trained with teacher Loredana Rovagna in his hometown as well as CODARTS in Rotterdam. He has previously danced for Ballet Junior de Geneve, Switzerland, where he performed pieces by Alexander Ekman, Hofesh Shechter, Stijn Celis and others. After that he moved to London to join nationally and internationally acclaimed company Balletboyz, performing pieces by Ivan Perez, Russell Maliphant, Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon and Javier de Frutos. In recent years, Andrea moved to Shanghai to work with company Punchdrunk on the show Sleep No More, where he performed the principal role of Macbeth.
Photo by Christophe Meimoon
Choreographer
Yuh Egami, Hong Kong
Ballet Master at The Hong Kong Ballet, Yuh hails from Okinawa, Japan and graduated from The Royal Ballet School in London.
Yuh choreographed for the Hong Kong Ballet's annual Choreographers' Showcase and was the associate choreographer to Yuri Ng in his full-length work Firecracker in 2010. Together with Hu Song Wei Ricky, he has co-choreographed several award-winning full-length works for the Company, such as Bolero in 2015 and The Rite of Spring in 2019. Yuh's additional works include a re-choreographed version of Yuri Ng’s Devil’s Tale for Architanz in Japan in 2015, Sonographer in 2011, Firefly in 2016 for E-side Dance Company and Peter and the Wolf for Le Studio Ballet in 2018.
In 2019, Yuh received the Outstanding Dancer Award at the Hong Kong Music And Dance Association Music and Dance Award. He frequently works with artists from different fields, and notable collaborators include music composers Mike Orange and Mike Yip as well as multimedia designers James Kong and Andy Stokes.
Photo by Lee Wai Leung
Choreographer
Yuh Egami, Hong Kong
Ballet Master at The Hong Kong Ballet, Yuh hails from Okinawa, Japan and graduated from The Royal Ballet School in London.
Yuh choreographed for the Hong Kong Ballet's annual Choreographers' Showcase and was the associate choreographer to Yuri Ng in his full-length work Firecracker in 2010. Together with Hu Song Wei Ricky, he has co-choreographed several award-winning full-length works for the Company, such as Bolero in 2015 and The Rite of Spring in 2019. Yuh's additional works include a re-choreographed version of Yuri Ng’s Devil’s Tale for Architanz in Japan in 2015, Sonographer in 2011, Firefly in 2016 for E-side Dance Company and Peter and the Wolf for Le Studio Ballet in 2018.
In 2019, Yuh received the Outstanding Dancer Award at the Hong Kong Music And Dance Association Music and Dance Award. He frequently works with artists from different fields, and notable collaborators include music composers Mike Orange and Mike Yip as well as multimedia designers James Kong and Andy Stokes.
Photo by Lee Wai Leung
Dance Artist
Wan Siming, Chengdu
One of the top dancers of Chengdu dance troupe HELLODANCE, Siming was born in Meishan, Sichuan and began dancing at the age of 18. She has performed at numerous television programmes, most notably at the 2019 Hunan Satellite TV Lantern Festival and Wang Yibo "Dragon Fist.” She won the championship at the 2018 ARENA Dance Championship and the 2017 WOD World Street Dance Competition in China and went to the United States to participate in the global finals.
Dance Artist
Wan Siming, Chengdu
One of the top dancers of Chengdu dance troupe HELLODANCE, Siming was born in Meishan, Sichuan and began dancing at the age of 18. She has performed at numerous television programmes, most notably at the 2019 Hunan Satellite TV Lantern Festival and Wang Yibo "Dragon Fist.” She won the championship at the 2018 ARENA Dance Championship and the 2017 WOD World Street Dance Competition in China and went to the United States to participate in the global finals.
Dance Artist
Hennes Yuen, Hong Kong
Born in Hong Kong, Hennes received numerous scholarships and graduated with honours from The Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She joined the Hong Kong Ballet in 2019 and has danced with the Company in Terence Kohler’s The Nutcracker, Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet, Anna-Marie Holmes’ Le Corsaire and Septime Webre’s Peter Pan. She received two gold awards at the 44th and 45th Open Dance Contest in Hong Kong and a bronze award at the Star of Canaan Dance International Ballet Competition 2016.
Dance Artist
Hennes Yuen, Hong Kong
Born in Hong Kong, Hennes received numerous scholarships and graduated with honours from The Hong Kong Academy for the Performing Arts. She joined the Hong Kong Ballet in 2019 and has danced with the Company in Terence Kohler’s The Nutcracker, Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet, Anna-Marie Holmes’ Le Corsaire and Septime Webre’s Peter Pan. She received two gold awards at the 44th and 45th Open Dance Contest in Hong Kong and a bronze award at the Star of Canaan Dance International Ballet Competition 2016.
Interactive Design
The Collective, Hong Kong
The Collective is an integrated production team of artists, technologists and makers for all media, working at the intersection of visual art and technology. Their approach puts human experience at the centre of technological development. Their work has been exhibited in festivals from Porlwi light festival in Sri Lanka to Appolonia Art Exchange in France.
Interactive Design
The Collective, Hong Kong
The Collective is an integrated production team of artists, technologists and makers for all media, working at the intersection of visual art and technology. Their approach puts human experience at the centre of technological development. Their work has been exhibited in festivals from Porlwi light festival in Sri Lanka to Appolonia Art Exchange in France.
Music Composition and Sound Design
IXYXI, Barcelona
IXYXI are a group of musicians and sound designers devoted to creating the perfect audio accompaniments for film and video.
The music & sounds we create are of pristine quality and have been described as forward-thinking, obsessively-sculptedand and emotionally-charged.
Music Composition and Sound Design
IXYXI, Barcelona
IXYXI are a group of musicians and sound designers devoted to creating the perfect audio accompaniments for film and video.
The music & sounds we create are of pristine quality and have been described as forward-thinking, obsessively-sculptedand and emotionally-charged.
Participation of Mr. Yuh Egami and Miss Hennes Yuen by kind permission of the Hong Kong Ballet.
Photography by Gilles Sabrié and Stephanie Teng.
Wardrobe sponsored by Shang Xia and SEAN SUEN. Special thanks also to Marco Chan, HELLODANCE, Anna Hu, Sky Meng, and Elaw Wong.