WATCH: Five Hong Kong dancers share secrets to success
Hong Kong Dance Awards nominees reflect on their professional careers
On the cover of the Post's 48 Hours magazine this week are five exceptional talents in Hong Kong's performing arts scene. Zhang Siyuan and Shen Jie from the Hong Kong Ballet have been wowing audiences with their technical and dramatic brilliance, as have Tina Hua Chi-yu and Sun Gongwei at the Hong Kong Dance Company; Chen Kai is considered one of the most promising young choreographer-dancers in the city. All are nominated for this year's Hong Kong Dance Awards, yet these strong, confident but humble artists remain unaffected. All they want to do is dance.
Tina Hua Chi-yu
Years ago, Tina Hua thought her pregnancy was going to end her career as a dancer. But not only did she quickly regain her figure and agility — promptly returning to work after giving birth to her son in August 2013 — motherhood gave her a newfound maturity and femininity.
"Many say a woman is perfect only after motherhood. I'd have to agree because there are emotions that I understand much better now, and that enhances my performances," says the Taiwanese native, who joined the Hong Kong Dance Company in 2001. "When I first played Tana in Red Poppies when I was 29, they kept saying I lacked this feminine charm. But in the third run last year, everybody said I'd transformed."