Poet Dongpo

Poet Dongpo Hong Kong Dance Company HK Cultural Centre Grand Theatre Reviewed: Dec 3

Choreographed by Leung Kwok-shing, this new full-length work for the Hong Kong Dance Company pays tribute to renowned Song dynasty poet Su Shi, better known as Master Dongpo.

Dongpo was a distinguished calligrapher and painter, and his poetry and prose is ranked among the greatest in Chinese literature. As a government official, he was known for his stand against tyrannical laws such as the monopoly on salt. This outspokenness resulted in periods of banishment and imprisonment. He was a bon viveur - much of his writing celebrates the joys of drinking - and is credited with creating the classic Dongpo Pork.

The choreographer has opted for an impressionistic account of the poet's life, selecting a few episodes showing Dongpo's relationships with his brother Su Zhe, his wives and his political opponent but personal friend, Wang Anshi.

There are some strong moments between Dongpo and his brother, and with his first wife (touchingly played by Tang Ya, below) who died young. Other highlights include a subtly erotic scene with the female dancers (led by the superb Hua Chi Yu) in male attire as a band of young scholars and a rhythmic, almost tribal sequence with masked dancers representing the spirits of soldiers killed in the battle of Red Cliff, the subject of one of Dongpo's most famous poems.

Overall, however, the work seems strangely muted for the story of such a vivid character and fails to convey the passion for life expressed in Dongpo's poetry. It is overly long, slow and some group scenes feel like padding. A one-act treatment with a tighter focus on the protagonist might be more effective.