Body Works The body reveals the present, yet the present is a mélange of history and experience. One can only know where the future leads by asking questions that trace back to its roots. Joined by Ong Yong Lock, Chen Wu-kang, Yuri Ng, Ray Tseng and Lawrence Lau, the quintetto attempts something new in “Body Works” by transforming memories and experience into a source material and placing them in the present. Through repeatedly questioning and pondering about the process of how ideas are being received, compromised, inherited or transmitted, it reveals how objects have been bestowed with meaning. As they ruminate and vacillate, sorting out the works cached in their bodies, the contemporary and the history concealed within is revealed in layers. “ B o d y Wo r k s ” b e c o m e s a c o m p l e t e a n d meticulous choreographic framework that draws on the performers’ different histories as the source material, which gradually unfolds throughout the composition of the entire performance, whilst simultaneously giving them the autonomy to improvise. Ong Yong Lock and Gigi Yang will perform each show separately with different materials. The open framework
of the work also invites the audience’s live participation, where the dialogue, consciousness and questions come together to construct a space for discourse. There is no fixed outcome, and a direction is found through everyone unravelling their own experiences. Production Team Concept Ong Yon Lock, Chen Wu Kang Collaboration HORSE *
Co-creation Ong Yong Lock, Chen Wu Kang, Yuri Ng , Ray Tseng,
Lawrence Lau, Gigi Yang Performance Ong Yong Lock (30/7 8pm & 31/7 3pm),
Gigi Yang (31/7 8pm & 1/8 3pm) Production Manager Karen Kwong Stage Manager Jason Ma Executive Lighting Design Maggie Law Producer Michael Li Programme Coordinator Yan Cheng Marketing Coordinator Chris Kwong
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Administration Coordinator Vincent Yik *With the kind permission of City Contemporary Dance Company #The Arts Administration Internship Scheme is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
About Unlock Unlock Dancing Plaza Unlock Dancing Plaza is a promising contemporary dance company founded in 2002 based in Hong Kong, with Ong Yong Lock as Artistic Director and Joseph Lee as Associate Artistic Director (Joined in 2020). Unlock is committed to pursuing innovative breakthrough and theatrical liberation. These commitments are embodied in and practised through its productions. The company focuses in reflecting dance on the basis of individual. Through defining dance in the uniqueness of a body and being free from the institutionalised aesthetics of dance, Unlock deeply believes, “Everyone can dance”. Curating cross-media, cross-regional, and experimental projects, Unlock Body Lab is developed to discover and show the possibilities of dance in various forms. #danceless includes a series of creative works, performances and workshops that are based on public participatory as the main way of artistic practise. It promotes and deepens the diversity of imagination of dance; facilitate the mutual exchange between artists and the public through experiencing dance together.
Unlock is a three-time Hong Kong Dance Awards recipient and highly recognised by the dance industry. Its representative works include Jump to Mars, Dance with me, Boy Story. Reborn, Wanderer, serial dance-theatre Walls 44, Chopin VS Ca, and etc. The company is financially supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council since 2009.
About #DANCELESS Complex #DANCELESS complex – Choreographic Methodology Based on the aesthetic basis that Unlock Dancing Plaza has gradually established through the years, the concept of #danceless is first proposed by Artistic Director Ong Yong Lock. By examining the mainstream, institutionalized dance training and aesthetics of dance, #DANCELESS complex develops another (or more than one) way of seeing, using, and connecting the body and mind. It is hoped that dance can enter more people’s lives in different forms and ways. As the major platform, #DANCELESS complex expands the whole concept to a larger scale,
trying to unify the direction of studies in recent years in a more complete curating context, plus, presenting and communicating with the industry and the public. The inaugural festival addresses the methodology that is less understood and talked about in the local dance community through five separate works corresponding to the theme of the platform, “Choreographic Methodology”. Channeling the classification as an angle to view and enter the work, and at the same time, provides a larger framework to express the understanding of each choreographer for the work and the process of creation. The platform is held from July to November 2021. In these five months, there will be a series of activities, including performances, residency programs, workshops and talks, which allow participants to further understand the work’s origin, process and motivations behind it; to unfold different levels of communication and extend the dense and short juncture in most dance festivals. This allows different cultures and perspectives to develop over time, supporting artists and participants to communicate organically. At the same time, a writer group was formed to bring dance records from comments only for particular works to various discussions about “choreography”. The possibilities of dance
commentary, choreography and views are explored from different perspectives, generating more ideas that can be discussed before and after the ephemeral performance, connect directly with the local dance community, and experiment with the way of archive. To plan such a platform for a dance company, to talk about #DANCELESS through dance is nothing more than to expand the existing definition of aesthetics and breakthrough behind different cultural contexts, in the hope of stimulating the local performing arts community and reflecting on itself. How dance, as one of the expressions that brings together perception, reason and primitiveness, connects people around the world today, sharing experiences and connecting with times. Only by opening up your mind, can you see more choices and freedom. Co-curator Ong Yon Lock, Joseph Lee Chief Editor (Dance writing) Dick Wong Dance Writing Chan Wai Lok, Dong Yan, Brian Yu Producer Michael Li International Public Relations and Marketing Wouter Bouchez Graphic Design Peter Bird Studio Videographer & Video Editor REDTEAM Programme Coordianator Yan Cheng Marketing Coordinator Chris Kwong
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Administration Coordinator Vincent Yik *The Arts Administration Internship Scheme is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Curators’ Word Moving forward from Retrospect, seeing History through Lives – Joseph Lee The first #DANCELESS complex focuses on choreographic methodology, which recognizes the similarities and differences of choreography as a creative method in different cultural environments from a more fundamental position. It tries to reveal the relationship between concepts, creative methods and expression techniques, to identify the aesthetic direction and presuppositions of performance. As the opening programme of #DANCELESS complex, “Body Works” embodies an attempt crossculturally, cross-regionally, and uses the Internet as the main platform for information exchange and creation. The programme also tries to explore the situation of people and the way to contemplate oneself in this turbulent time. The word “works” in “Body Works” not only means that performances are the “works” of technologists and craftsmen, but also refers to life and the living present. In the process of watching the program, you can catch a glimpse of the two performers reviewing their own past, and integrating their previous explorations of the various traditions of dance performance in the
theater at the same time. Since the conception of the programme, the creation team has concentrated on deconstructing, revealing the long-standing traditional framework of theater, especially in the context of dance performances, and laying it out in front of the audience for careful review. From first-stage, the duo version of “Body Works: Prologue” by Chen Wu Kang and Ong Yong Lock in 2019, to the preview of “Body Works” in the rehearsal room in February this year; the program has developed into two versions now, respectively belonging to the two performers, Lock and Gigi. The piece gradually evolves from a relatively established narrative framework to open source, and opens up the whole structure of choreography to include the text of performer's personal history with the setting of a semi-autobiographical genre. The two performers use themselves as the text. The piece focuses on the relationship between performance and their lives, supplemented by important personal passes and experience. A lt h o u g h t h e c o n t e n t o f e a c h v e r s i o n i s very different, they show us the past of the performers, which reflect two vivid characters in the grand narrative of local dance development. Since the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong, as a pioneer in the development of contemporary dance in Asia, has attracted dancers from different regions to pursue their ideals. Some
of these dances left and some stayed. It so happened that the two performers emigrated from other places. Therefore, “Body Works” contains both private personal history and a history of migration including immigrate, settlement and other places. It also contains history, tradition, transmission and memory. Meantime, it embodies everything in front of our eyes and everything obscure, hidden and intangible; as well as personal achievement, cooperation and dialogue, running-in and negotiation. The program reflects times from individuals' history, which faintly shows the audience the progress of dance development and how the traces of tradition flow through the people and every life in history. And those heavy history hidden in everybody is just an anchor, holding us steady in turbulent times; we had to stand our ground firmly, in order to carry on.
Ong Yong Lock Concept & Performance Ong Yong Lock was born in Malaysia, joined the Hong Kong Dance Company in 1989, then joined the City Contemporary Dance Company in 1993. Ong was a founding member of South‘ASLI’ Dance Workshop (SADW). In 1997, he became the Artistic Director of SADW (1997-2001). In 1998, Ong joined the Expressions Dance Company in Brisbane, Australia to perform in the Brisbane Festival. He was awarded the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2002 for his choreography of ballet 4 In for The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and was appointed as arts advisor of dance by Hong Kong Arts Development Council in the same year. He received the Award for Best Artist (Dance) at the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2014. In 2002, Ong founded the Unlock Dancing Plaza with Elsie Chau to promote and popularize modern dance. His choreographic talents also spoke for itself in the productions which were
shown in Asian Art Festival, International Sino Dance Week, Malaysian Chinese Dance Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Dance Festival and 20th International Academy of Dance Festival. He has collaborated with various dance companies including Hong Kong Dance Company, City Contemporary Dance Company, Beijing Dance/LDTX, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, Xiamen Modern Dance, The Hong Kong Ballet, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts and Queensland University of Technology. O n g ’s h i g h ly a c c l a i m e d f u l l- l e n g t h wo r k s include 10 Nights’ Wanderings, Whispering Of Love, Love Sick, Kung Fu and Tofu, Chopin VS CA, Walls 44 and Wanderer. Wanderer received the 2015 Hong Kong Dance Awards “Outstanding Achievement in Independent Production”.
Choreographer's Notes Ong Yong Lock It’s like I’m in a dream to perform these days. It’s surreal! The theater suddenly opened and closed. The live performance prepared wholeheartedly finally turned into a digital video. We thought that the next performance could be well brewed, but the schedule for performing suddenly came
before us. This new normal seems to inspire us for something? If we don’t expect much, do what we can do and act it out, the performance may become more realistic and romantic, right? Although “Body Works” is a joint creation by Wu Kang, other designers and me, Wu Kang has sorted out the framework for us many times in the process of creation. It’s an incredible process that integrates everyone's design and my performance. We brought out questions and doubts, then had discussions and emerging doubts again. What we experienced is not a cooperation that centered on the choreographer, it also emphasised on lighting, music and costume, the performance can form as a whole or display independently. This is a wonderful idea and shows how democratic creation can be done. I have the creative inspiration to create a framework that could hold more people's ideas and experiences. It is really a great co-creation experience. It is very exciting for our team to successfully invite Gigi, not only because many of us are her fans. The main axis of the “Body Works” is to try to bring out the history that happened to the dancer and look back at how some old memories achieve the dancer's life. She has a rich past and present, the history her body loaded must be beautiful and moving.
Chen Wu Kang Concept & Co-creation Chen Wu Kang was born and raised in Taiwan, he began studying dance at the age of twelve and graduated from the Taiwan University of Arts. In 2001, Wu-Kang danced with Feld’s Ballet Tech and Peridance, he became the soloist the next year and started his long-term collaboration with choreographer Eliot Feld. He was also the guest dancer in Diamond Project of New York City Ballet in 2006. In 2004, he co-founded HORSE Dance Theatre as an Artistic Director, significant works include Velocity (2007), Bones (2008) and 2 Men (2012) which toured in Asia, US and Europe. He started to collaborate with Artists in different fields in 2011, including Exhibition X Performance Successor (2011) sponsored by National Culture and Arts Foundation, Sitespecific work Slow dancing in the Fast Lane (2015) commissioned by Taipei Fine Arts Museum
in Taiwan, curation Dance X Sounds seasonal improvisation platform Primal CHAOS since 2016 and One dance, one dances, one danced (2017) in the Mixed Programs commissioned and presented by the National Theatre, Taiwan. In 2016, he began an intercultural/dance dialogue and an intimate exchange of physical, emotional and philosophical experiences with Thai choreographer Pichet Klunchun. They presented Body Tradition in 2016-2017, later on officially renamed BEHALF (2018). Meanwhile, they also work on a three -year project An expedition to the embodiment of Ramayana of “Performing Arts Abroad” by the National Culture and Arts Foundation. HORSE Dance Theatre Website: https://horse.org.tw/
Choreographer's Notes Chen Wu Kang Participation in this show’s creative process is quite new to me, most of the participating designers, producers and performers are from Hong Kong, only the lighting designer and I come from Taiwan. Whether we have separate or clustered meetings, sometimes we can only rely
on trust. Of course, people get along with each other by trusting. No one can really understand or 100% know the implicit meanings through language communication. However, since there is no common physical co-presence as the final proofreading, the trust needed here is doubled. Due to the discontinuity of people's feelings on time, they can only understand living in fragments. It is impossible for individuals to feel the same about things at the same time. With the catalysis of the epidemic, “Body Works”, developed in intermittent attention, has changed from a two-person show by Lock and me to a solo performance. As the center of this program, the performer carries the thoughts and ideas of all designers. Thanks to Lock and Gigi, the two performers, for generously using their personal history as the text, so that other designers and I can have a center of attachment. Therefore, we tried to weaken the center, that is, the sweetness of dreams vs. the real scene. The “Body Works”, developed from the performer's autobiography, showed “works” through disassembling and restoring every dialogue of thought.
Gigi Yang Co-creation & Performance Born in Chongqing, she graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, majoring in Chinese Folk Dance. She joined the Hong Kong Dance Company in 2002, and the City Contemporary Dance Company in 2006. She now works as a freelancer.
Yuri Ng Co-creation (Costume Design) Having known Ong Yong Lock, Artistic Director of Unlock Dancing Plaza, since their time at City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) in 1995, they have collaborated on many works since then, and he has served as the costume designer for Same Time Tomorrow, the full-length debut by Ong Yong Lock. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Unlock Dancing Plaza between 2009 and 2017. Some of his notable collaborative works with
Unlock Dancing Plaza include taking on the role of set and costume designer for Jump to Mars, Dance with Me, A Deer of Nine Colours, Whisper of Love and Love Sick, and choreographer for Hose of Dancing Water and Boy Story．Reborn. Yuri Ng is currently the Artistic Director of City Contemporary Dance Company.
Ray Tseng Co-creation (Lighting Design) Born in Pingtung, Taiwan. Graduated from Taipei National University of Arts, majoring in lighting design. Being fascinated in the relation between light, space and time; Believing in that the observer is the creator, Ray focuses on processing theatre lighting design work with the concept of itself together, and then grafting / reproducing with the observation of light, the texture of material and relativity of time.
Lau Hiu Kong, Lawrence Music composition & Live Musician (Sound#) Lawrence Lau Hiu-kong graduated with a Bachelor of Music in Composition and Electronic Music from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Media from the City University of Hong Kong. He is the recipient of a number of scholarships, including those from HSBC, the Composers and Authors Society of Hong Ko n g (C A S H ) , T h e L i o n s a n d J o s e p h Ko o Music Foundation, and Musicus Society. Lau’s works span composition, live performance and audiovisual art, and have been performed in Hong Kong and internationally including at the Asian Composer League Conference and Festival (Taiwan), Hong Kong Arts Festival, highSCORE Festival (Italy) and Musicus Fest.
#DANCELESS complex event listing Solos - Studio Screening Screening Date
5 Aug (Thur)
8pm Venue Unlock Dancing Plaza Fee Free of charge, donations are welcome for supporting Unlock Dancing Plaza Time
Choreography Workshop by Adrienn Hód 6 Aug (Fri) – 8 Aug (Sun) Time 3-9pm (Including 1 hour meal time) Venue Unlock Dancing Plaza Target Dancers or physical performers with a professional training background Fee $500 Date
The workshop will be conducted in English. Registration https://unlock-adriennhod.eventbrite.hk
I’m Only My Body? 8pm, 13-14 Aug (Fri – Sat) & 3pm, 15 Aug (Sun) Kwai Tsing Theatre Black Box Theatre
Date & time Venue
Price
$180
Ticketing http://www.urbtix.hk/internet/eventDetail/42120
I’m Only My Body? Post-show Workshop I Workshop Leader
Holmes Cheung
21 Aug (Sat) Time 2 – 4pm Venue Unlock Dancing Plaza Target Participants with certain foundation in performing arts Fee $120 Date
I’m Only My Body? Post-show Workshop II Workshop Leader
Paula Wong
21 Aug (Sat) Time 4:30 – 6:30pm Venue Unlock Dancing Plaza Target Participants with certain foundation in performing arts Fee $120 Date
Registration https://unlock-imonlymybody.eventbrite.hk
Artists Team Artistic Director Ong Yon Lock Associate Artistic Director Joseph Lee Resident Choreographer KT Yau Resident Artists Kerry Cheung, Andy Lee, James Yau
Administration Team Project Manager Michael Li Founding Member Elsie Chau Outreach Officer Tiffany Ko *
Programme and Marketing Trainee Chris Kwong Marketing Coordinator Chris Kwong Administration Coordinator Vincent Yik Accounting Officer (Part-time) Amy Chan
Administrative Assistant (Part-time) Choi Ka Lin *The Arts Administration Internship Scheme is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council
Presented By
Media Partners
Acknowledgement
#DANCELESS complex" is financially supported by the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region The content of this programme does not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
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