Hong Kong year in dance 2019: milestones with a touch of mayhem
- The Hong Kong Ballet and the City Contemporary Dance Company both pulled out all the stops this year to celebrate their 40th anniversaries
- Other highlights included a Lin Hwai-min retrospective and Akram Khan’s Xenos, but anti-government protests saw ticket sales slump and one show even halted
Dance in Hong Kong hasn’t been immune from the turmoil that has affected the city since June. Ticket sales have slumped and companies are scrambling to promote attendance by bringing performance times forward.
Among the casualties, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ School of Dance had to cancel its annual autumn show, while a matinee of the Hong Kong Ballet’s Swan Lake (October 27) was cut short at the end of Act 2 when the Cultural Centre closed due to clashes in the area – was that mist on the lake or tear gas?
So far, little new work has been created reflecting the political situation. It will be interesting to see whether that changes in the coming months, as productions conceived in the second half of this year reach the stage.
In any case, belts in the dance sector will have to be tightened in 2020 if the current climate continues, with people reluctant to go out and corporate sponsorship under pressure.
Fortunately the year also offered much to celebrate, notably the 40th anniversaries of two major local companies.
