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Fringe 97

Simon Wu

The Third Kingdom of Yulong MountainHong Kong Dance Company City Hall Concert Hall January 10-12 Inspired by tribal customs of the Naxi people, from the Yong Ning area of China, this Hong Kong Dance Company production revolves around the themes of love and death.

The Third Kingdom of Yulong Mountain, choreographed by Chiang Ching, kicked off with a soothing hum that became a song. Then, one after another, the songs took centre-stage, stealing the limelight from the dance. The flow of the dance was interrupted by two long, static sequences during which a singer drew huge pictographs on mats, stretching the audience's patience.

The ritual ceremony was poorly translated into dance. The dance was marginalised by the songs and, from time to time, reduced to functional movements to indicate certain themes. Dance movements tended to be repetitive and lacked contrast.

Attempts to explore the theme of love were too mellow, with an absence of leaps and bounds, and ultimately there was a lack of the passion essential to portraying the 'Dying for Love Ceremonies' suggested in the show's subtitle.

Most of the time the performers danced with props. Symbolically important, the props nonetheless restricted significantly the dancers' movement.

The stage curtain featured impressive representations of terracotta characters which depicted various Naxi tribal beliefs, while the lighting effectively reflected mood changes.

But the final scene - angelic dancers draped in white, trees with silver-foil leaves, and dazzling white light beamed through stained glass - depicted a Western notion of heaven incongruous within the Naxi setting.

Instead of a dance inspired by Naxi customs, the piece became a ritual heavily burdened by set and props, with dance itself relegated to a subservient role. An intriguing concept, but perhaps it's time the Hong Kong Dance Company put more emphasis on the dance than on visual gimmicks.

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