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Lifestyle/ Arts & Culture

Put down your mobile phone: how family shows can help Hong Kong children in need of digital detox

  • Psychologist suggests youngsters limit computer and smartphone screen time to three hours per day to avoid negative impact on mental well-being
  • Circus show and comedic dance acts from US, UK and Poland to remind city’s dwellers how to laugh, get close to nature and remember true magic of life

We live in a hyper-connected world where our computers and smartphones have become so much a part of our lives that many people feel as if they cannot survive without them.

If a child or teen is only getting six hours’ sleep per night because of their time on their screens, the sleep deprivation will lead to irritable mood, increased stress, attention problems, lower school marks and quality of work, and relationship difficulties Mike Brooks, psychologist

United States-based psychologist Mike Brooks, co-author of Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World, says we should be wary of excessive time spent glued to the screen.

“Some problems of excessive screen time might include disrupted sleep, weight gain or obesity and possibly greater problems maintaining attention,” Brooks says.

Pedal Punk, the acrobatic circus and theatre show performed by Cirque Mechanics, is one of three family-focused productions on offer in Hong Kong in December, which aim to encourage youngsters to put down their mobile phones and tablets and take a break from the city’s technology obsessed habits.
Pedal Punk, the acrobatic circus and theatre show performed by Cirque Mechanics, is one of three family-focused productions on offer in Hong Kong in December, which aim to encourage youngsters to put down their mobile phones and tablets and take a break from the city’s technology obsessed habits.

For youngsters, overuse of smartphones and computers can also harm their social relationships – possibly the result of being less skilled at reading social cues and people’s emotions because of fewer interpersonal interactions, he says.

“If a child or teen is only getting six hours of sleep per night because of their time on their screens, then the sleep deprivation will lead to many negative outcomes, such as irritable mood, increased stress, attention problems, lower school marks and quality of work, and relationship difficulties,” Brooks says.

He suggests a limit of “two to three hours of recreational screen time per day” for young children and teenagers – after which the negatives of the screen will start to outweigh the positives.

The benefits of smiles, touch and a warm embrace cannot be replaced with emojis. In this fast-paced world, we must carve out ‘sacred spaces’ in which we unplug and instead connect with others and the world around us Mike Brooks

Spending too long looking at our screens interferes with our deep-rooted evolutionary need to connect with people in person, Brooks says.

“The benefits of smiles, touch and a warm embrace cannot be replaced with emojis,” he says.

“In this fast-paced world, we must carve out ‘sacred spaces’ in which we unplug and instead connect with others and the world around us.”

Three shows coming to Hong Kong offer children and adults the chance to switch off their screens and enjoy “sacred spaces” by connecting to the world around them through live performances.

‘Universal’ mix of circus and theatre

The show Pedal Punk, mixing circus performance, theatre and wacky humour, will be performed in Hong Kong by the US troupe, Cirque Mechanics, on December 26, 27 and 28.
The show Pedal Punk, mixing circus performance, theatre and wacky humour, will be performed in Hong Kong by the US troupe, Cirque Mechanics, on December 26, 27 and 28.

US circus troupe Cirque Mechanics will be bringing its unique approach to the stage in the show Pedal Punk, at Queen Elizabeth Stadium on December 26, 27 and 28.

The company, founded in 2004, has established itself as one of the country’s leading American circuses, offering acrobatics, mechanical wonders and “a bit of clowning around”.

At the heart of Cirque Mechanics is the belief that the magic lies in the interactions between the mechanical apparatus or scenic element and artists. We seek to explore these relationships Chris Lashua, creative director, Cirque Mechanics

Chris Lashua, its creative director, says: “What has always made circus compelling is that audiences get to [experience] things they haven’t seen before – feats of strength and superhero-like acrobatics.

“Circus is a great reminder of all the things that are possible with hard work and training. In the era of YouTube and online viewing, seeing a circus performance really brings this home.”

“Because we mix circus and theatre with dance, acrobatics, mechanical contraptions and unique set design there really is something for everyone. Circus is truly universal.”

Pedal Punk, Cirque Mechanic’s circus and theatrical show, focuses on a zany bicycle shop mechanic’s interaction with cyclists and bikes.
Pedal Punk, Cirque Mechanic’s circus and theatrical show, focuses on a zany bicycle shop mechanic’s interaction with cyclists and bikes.

The show – focusing on a zany bicycle shop mechanic who interacts with cyclists and bikes – puts aside hi-tech effects and focuses instead on mechanical objects such as unicycles, bicycles, trampolines, climbing frames, suspended ropes and hula hoops.

Lashua says the performers’ use of these objects – whether cycling on improbably large or small bicycles, performing somersaults and spins, or contorting their bodies while suspended from heights – is the reason for the show’s success.

“It’s about mechanising the circus,” Lashua says. “We’re looking at ways to perform old circus acts in new ways.

“At the heart of Cirque Mechanics is the belief that the magic lies in the interactions between the mechanical apparatus or scenic element and artists. We seek to explore these relationships.”

Laughter – in slow-motion

Six dancers find the funny side as they interpret the minutiae of daily life in Seriously Funny by Poland’s Fair Play Crew, which will be performed in Hong Kong on December 13, 14 and 15.
Six dancers find the funny side as they interpret the minutiae of daily life in Seriously Funny by Poland’s Fair Play Crew, which will be performed in Hong Kong on December 13, 14 and 15.

Another show aiming to share some magic – and the positive power of laughter – is Seriously Funny, which sees the award-winning Polish dance group, Fair Play Crew, reinterpret the minutiae of everyday life to comic effect.

A slow-motion duel between video-game combatants is re-enacted with stylised staccato movements and computer beeps and punching sounds, while another skit sees a figure lying on stage as a trio of performers grind peppercorn onto him, with the sound effects revealing “he” is a piece of steak sizzling in a frying pan.

The wordless dance comedy will be performed on December 13, 14 and 15 at Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre.

Nature’s delights at our feet

Grass, a quirky dance show performed by Britain’s Second Hand Dance, explores the ground and all of its wriggly inhabitants. Photo: Brian Hartley
Grass, a quirky dance show performed by Britain’s Second Hand Dance, explores the ground and all of its wriggly inhabitants. Photo: Brian Hartley

Another quirky dance offering, Grass – which aims to help young children connect to the real world, rather than virtual world – will be performed on a freshly turfed lawn at the Cultural Activities Hall at Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre.

The production, staged by the British dance company, Second Hand Dance, from December 19 to 22, will remind parents and children about the joys of spending time in nature.

“We live in a digital world – we cannot ignore that – but what I hope Grass does is remind us all to think about what is underneath our feet and the pleasure gained from connecting to the natural world,” Rosie Heafford, the company’s director and choreographer, says.

Through dance, puppetry and projection – and actors playing the roles of worms, ants and other small, wriggly creatures, the show aims to encourage children to look more closely at the world around them.

Heafford says she was inspired to create Grass when thinking about how the natural world can be forgotten in the urban landscape.

Grass, performed on freshly cut turf by Britain’s Second Hand Dance company, weaves together dance, puppetry and projection to inspire children to look closely at the world around them. Photo: Brian Hartley
Grass, performed on freshly cut turf by Britain’s Second Hand Dance company, weaves together dance, puppetry and projection to inspire children to look closely at the world around them. Photo: Brian Hartley

“I started to think about making a show on a piece of turf,” she says.

“As the idea developed I became struck by the feeling of turf and the feeling of wanting to lie down on it – the grass between your toes [and] the texture of it on the skin of your arms and feet.

“This brought back memories of spending time with my family and friends, [who] also have memories of lying on grass. So, it felt like a significant and common memory – maybe something we don’t do enough of as we grow from children to adults.”

Grass excites children about the possibilities of the natural world. I hope that they feel happiness, wonder, joy – the need to dance and feel the earth beneath their feet – and a feeling of togetherness Rosie Heafford, director and choreographer, Second Hand Dance

She says that as children, we have a heightened curiosity about the world surrounding us and sometimes adults and carers need to offer to guide or tempt that curiosity.

“This is what I think Grass does for all children: it excites them about the possibilities of the natural world,” Heafford says.

“I hope that they feel happiness, wonder, joy – the need to dance and feel the earth beneath their feet – but also a feeling of togetherness, of tenderness in sharing an experience with adults, and a desire to connect just a little bit more often to the natural world.”