Brave move as Canto-pop dancer gets physical with masters of a French art

It wouldn't be off-base to say quite a few people feel this city's Canto-pop stars are manufactured and not exactly, um, gifted musicians. So it was a bold move by singer William Chan Wai-ting - whose claim to fame is his dance moves - to perform on Wednesday night with a troupe of French Parkour performers at Ngong Ping Village on Lantau Island.

In the art of Parkour, smooth physical movements are used by individuals to get over, around and through obstacles - think Spider-Man-like hopping around Manhattan - and this particular troupe is among the best in the world.

Needless to say, not many at the show paid much attention to Chan, with the guys flipping off walls and hopping from pillar to pillar. The troupe is in town as part of a three-week Parkour Extravaganza at Ngong Ping Village. Until November 28, the guys will put on three performances a day, integrating the village's Chinese-themed bridges, walls and fences into the show.

Chan says he's always wanted to learn the art and will ask the group for some pointers. He can do so by attending the scheduled workshops at the village throughout the month.