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Cold feet: eight from Hong Kong dance company quit performance over concerns about national security law
- Some grew jittery when protest song was added to show already featuring national anthem
- Those who quit feared backlash, impact on families’ emigration plans, says artistic director
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Eight members of a dance troupe preparing for a contemporary performance quit the show before its opening last December over fears it might contravene Hong Kong’s national security law, the Post has learned.
They were uncomfortable that Matches, a production by established dance company Y-Space, ended with the melody of Glory to Hong Kong, the de facto anthem of anti-government protesters in 2019.
Although the song is not outlawed in Hong Kong, education authorities have banned it in the city’s schools under the national security law, saying it is linked closely to illegal and violent acts.
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Victor Ma Choi-wo, artistic director of Y-Space, said some dancers and backstage staff were concerned when the song was added at the end of the sports-themed performance which also featured the national anthem, March of the Volunteers.
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He called a meeting of the dancers and crew in the middle of November, and 30 of them spoke up.
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