E-side Dance Company
Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre
Tomorrow-Sat, 8pm; Jan 27, 3pm
Is it possible to produce a dance work that transcends constraints such as time and space? Choreographer Ong Yong-lock doesn't think so but says, conceptually, artists should always try to push the limits. In his latest work Whatever, the dancer challenges the prevalent sense of fatalism in traditional Chinese opera.
'I realise most [Chinese] operas talk about fate and predestination in life and most are sad stories. I want to break away from this fatalism ... so I link [the dance piece] to the concept of liberation after death,' says Ong.
The 20-minute piece will feature Ong and three other dancers improvising to live music by a violinist and vocalist, celebrating the joy of liberation. They will perform under the name Unlock Dancing Plaza and their work is part of a contemporary dance triple-bill called Craze Explosion produced by E-Side Dance Company.