[Sponsored Article] The second dance season of Tai Kwun will feature a series of programmes by overseas and local artists and groups, creating dialogues about the feminine identity while disrupting the perception about dance with some boundary-breaking performances. A total of seven programmes will be held from September to October in Tai Kwun to explore two key themes: identifying and breaking the boundaries of dance. To open the season, Renana Raz and the Toscanini String Quartet will stage the “16 Strings and One Body” at JC Cube on September 27-29. Raz, an award-winning Israeli actress-choreographer-dancer, passionately integrates the energy of chamber music into her choreography with boundless imagination, drama, interaction between melody and dance, as well as tension between movement and rhythm. The stirring chamber music passes through Raz’s body, offering a personal and dramatic interpretation of the music score. This inspiring juxtaposition of dance and music from a female perspective will offer an absorbing experience in an intimate setting. “Renana is particularly passionate about giving a voice to women and young people. In ‘16 Strings and One Body’, her body becomes a musical instrument along with the string quartet, who are on stage with her. Because she is also an actress, she exudes such a magnetic charisma that you can’t take your eyes off her,” said Eddy Zee, Head of Performing Arts, Tai Kwun. A leading voice in the new generation of Israeli choreographers, Raz began creating independently in 1999 and has since won the Israeli Ministry of Culture Award for Young Choreographers and the Rosenblum Award. Her work is characterised by originality and innovation, blending dance and theatre in the performances . She has succeeded in creating new and surprising connections in her works by disconnecting the content from its original context. In 2017, Raz launched the Renana Raz Association to develop independent and multidisciplinary creation while encouraging genuineness and innovation,ocusing on the connection between art and education, and initiating art programmes for children of all ages. In 2020, Raz will be celebrating 20 years of creation in a series of events that will be directed and produced by the association. The Toscanini String Quartet was founded 12 years ago by members of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) to continue the great tradition of string quartets that had been an integral part of the IPO's artistry and of the musical scene in Israel. It has performed extensively around the world in concerts and fundraising evenings, as well as international music festivals. Quartet members, including celebrated violinists Yevgenia Pikovsky, Asaf Maoz and Dima Ratush, and cellist Felix Nemirovsky, have created and developed a centre for chamber music studies at the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv. The collaboration with Raz that combines chamber music and dance was started in 2018. A special concert brought by the Toscanini String Quartet will be held on September 29 for those who want to have a purely musical experience. Programme ULLMANN: String Quartet No. 3, Op. 46 TCHAIKOVSKY: String Quartet No. 1 in D major, Op. 11 RAVEL: String Quartet in F major Zee said: “I see Tai Kwun’s dance season as a platform to put different dance forms together, while bringing audience participation to another level. In Hong Kong, we think of dance as a performance that you see on a stage. But dance could be so much more–film, virtual reality, dance theatre. And Tai Kwun offers a variety of settings that we can use, whether it be a small theatre in JC Cube, or the Laundry Steps staircase.” For more information on Tai Kwun’s Dance Season, visit www.taikwun.hk .