Encounters Across Cultures took on particular meaning this year with the outbreak of Covid-19 and the resulting global restrictions on travel. The cross-cultural team pushed on - quarantines not withstanding - to create together.

The second chapter of the programme crosses cultures in a different way - with an encounter across two very different dance disciplines, inspired by the respective architectures of the Houses. In the words of curator and producer Patsy Lo, "It shows how we can be in harmony while being very different, all the time pushing creative boundaries."

For the two dance artists to connect with each other - across styles, across locations - the creators found a powerful metaphor to weave the two parallel worlds together: the ticking of a clock. Movements of each respective dance style were choreographed to the same basic beat, for the dance artists to get to the emotional core in their own way.