Review | Hong Kong’s Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater in stunning solo performances of ‘Run’, inspired by Water Margin
- Two of Hong Kong’s most respected dance artists, Cyrus Hui and Sylvia Lee, perform alternately in solo piece ‘Run’, inspired by Water Margin
- Choreographed by Pewan Chow, Alice Ma and KK Wong, with lighting by Zoe Cheung and costumes by Bill Cheung, ‘Run’ shows off the best of Hong Kong dance art
Run kicks off the dance year in style with a welcome reminder of how much the local Hong Kong dance scene has to offer.
This new production celebrates the 10th anniversary of Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater, a small company with a fine track record of thoughtful, innovative work, founded and run by two of Hong Kong’s most respected dance artists, Cyrus Hui and Sylvia Lee.
For Run they have joined forces with three well-known local choreographers, Pewan Chow, Alice Ma and KK Wong, to devise a one-hour solo piece inspired by the mythical hero Lin Chong from the classic tale Water Margin, danced at alternate performances by Lee (whom I saw) and Hui separately over two days.
The work is a shining example of what can be achieved with the simplest of means, as long as the talent and ideas are there. The choreography, combined with Zoe Cheung’s imaginative lighting and Bill Cheung’s cleverly conceived costumes, together with Hin Lo’s score, and above all Lee’s stunning performance, make Run intelligent, original and consistently entertaining.
The three segments are strikingly different in both choreographic style and emotional approach to the theme – the flight of Lin Chong from danger and, by extension, the flight from (and towards) uncertainty faced by people in Hong Kong and around the world in the present times.
In the opening “Run to … the aqua blue grassland”, devised by Chow, an epic journey is narrated. This Lin is a proud warrior, fleeing his enemies yet still fiercely defiant.