AN OVERCOAT, like a part of the soul left behind, is the symbol of emotion in Helen Lai Hoi-ling's new piece There, After ...
Some women hold the clothes of their lovers who have gone to fight in a war and some wear the same overcoat, says Lai, resident choreographer of the City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC). She says her dance is the subtle explanation of the after-effects of relationships and explains that its musical accompaniment, the sonata for a solo cello, Opus 8, a 30-minute piece by Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly, will be performed live by Bion Tsang.
'This piece is inspired by Kodaly's work,' says Lai. 'I knew it when I was young and fell in love with it a few years ago. At that time I was not confident enough to create something to go with it. Half a year ago, I felt more ready and tried to think of some ideas to work on. I thought of wars because of the war in Iraq. And the music is quite sad. Then I thought of nostalgia.'
Lai began her ballet training in Hong Kong and studied at the London School of Contemporary Dance. She joined CCDC in 1979 and has choreographed for many local and foreign companies such as Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan and the Ballet Estudio in Mexico City.
She has won numerous awards and in 2003 received the dance Award for Arts Achievement from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. Her major works include Insomnia, Nine Songs, Invisible Cities, Loose Pages From A Woman's Diary and Revolutionary Pekinese Opera.
Lai says There, After ... is unique because elements of her early and recent works emerge together in a mature manner.