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Jin Yong Dance Drama Series
A martial arts dance drama returns to the
stage with growing impact!
Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC)
premiered Sow Fox in 2008, as the
second production of the Jin Yong Dance
Drama Series; together with The Smiling
Proud
Wanderer
(2006) and Eagle Companies (2009),
formed the Trilogy of Jin Yong Dance Drama
adapted from his martial arts novels. The
Trilogy portrayed the martial arts classics
through innovative and aesthetic approaches,
and won acclaims from critics and the
general public.
In respond to the support
to this Trilogy, HKDC decided to rerun
Snow Fox in January 2010. The
performances will be staged at the Grand
Theatre of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre
from 22 to 24 January 2010. Snow Fox
was directed and choreographed by Leung
Kwok-shing, the Artistic Director of the
HKDC (Award winner
of Best Artist (Dance) at the Hong Kong Arts
Development Awards 2008).
Leung is known in making the best use of
appropriate dance vocabularies, together
with his thoughtful dance drama structure,
in engaging his audience to experience the
emotions and righteousness of the original
text, and to re-innovate and re-interpret
the spirit of the world of Chinese martial
arts. His works were praised by Jin Yong as
“fabulously choreographed and superbly
structured”. The rerun in January will
present a new revision, with the joining
forces of the Guest Artist Faye Leung and
the talented dancers of the HKDC, to
demonstrate the art of dance with Hong Kong
characteristics. Faye Leung was the former
principal dancer of the Hong Kong Ballet and
her taking the leading role in Snow Fox
fully demonstrates her versatility.
Critic Highlights
“Leung’s
choreography is just right. The dramatic
effect is well-executed which brings out the
essence of drama. Snow Fox is a successful
work of the Hong Kong Dance Company.” –
Kevin Ng, HK Economic Journal
“The extensive use of the cloth imagery has
raised the aesthetic appeal and the
spiritual strength of the characters.” –
Meng Fai, IATC
“The dance drama Snow
Fox does not focus on the martial arts to
attract Hong Kong audience. It touches their
hearts with love and this adaptation is
humanistic, popular and yet very cultural.”
– Yu Ping, Dance
Story Outline
The story was adapted
from Flying Fox
of Snowy Mountain
and Other Tales of the Flying Fox,
both famous martial arts novels written by
Jin Yong. This performance started with the
scramble for hidden treasures by various
parties and ended with the life-and-death
duel between Miao Renfeng and Hu Yidao, and
intertwined with a number of love-and-hate
relationships.
Special Features
The dance
drama Snow Fox transformed a classic
martial arts novel into a romantic dance
drama. The love and hatred between
characters and their personality conflicts
in the original novel were depicted in the
choreography. The suspense in the plot was
converted into aesthetic feeling to project
the spatial quality and imagination of the
choreography. Also, the grand glacier stage
design captured a modern visual effect. The
pleasing and spectacular costumes and
contemporary Chinese music add colour to
this outstanding performance.
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Grand Dance Drama Snow Fox (re-run) |
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Date / Time |
22 – 23.1.2010 (Fri
to Sat) 7:45 pm
23 – 24.1.2010 (Sat
to Sun) 3:00 pm |
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Venue |
The Grand
Theatre, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
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Tickets |
$280 $220 $160
Tickets
available at URBTIX outlets |
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Programme Enquiry |
3103 1806
/ hkdance@hkdance.com |
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For aged 6 or above |
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Telephone Reservation |
2734 9009 |
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Online Ticketing |
www.urbtix.hk |
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The Hong Kong Dance Company reserves
the right to change programme or
artists. |
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Artist’s Biographies |
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Leung Kwok-shing
Artistic Director, Hong Kong Dance
Company
Graduated from Guangdong Dance School,
Leung Kwok-shing joined HKDC in 1981 as
the first cohort of company dancers. He
led the cast in the first grand dance
dramas Romance of the Eastern Sea
and New Flower of the Mirror, and
later served as an rehearsal master,
choreographer and director in the
company. Since 2005, Leung has been the
Assistant Artistic Director of Hong Kong
Dance Company. Leung is recognized as a
capable choreographer in Chinese Dance
in Hong Kong, and his creations are
based on traditional Chinese art and
dance forms, blending Eastern and
Western cultures together. He has also
choreographed numerous highly acclaimed
dance dramas and performances. His
appointed works include The Story of
Zhou Xuan, Suppressed Romance
(1991). Since then his productions
include Classical Retrospective,
King of Fairy Tales—The Eternal
Child, The Smiling,
Proud Wanderer, Qingming Riverside,
Snow Fox and Eagle Companions.
Suppressed Romance,
a Guangdong folk dance that blended East
and West, was praised for being uniquely
Hong Kong. Musical dance drama The
Smiling,
Proud Wanderer
was regarded as a "fabulously
choreographed, superbly structured"
piece by famous martial arts novelist
Jin Yong, the original author of the
story. Qingming Riverside was
praised as an artistically elegant dance
poem and invited to be staged at the
“5th Beijing Arts Festival”, and toured
to Hangzhou, Nanjing and Guangdong. It
was also staged in the National Centre
for the Performing Arts as part of the
“Meet in Beijing 2008” Arts Festival at
the Olympics period. The audience
encored and honoured it as a marvelous
Chinese dance poem in a recent era. It
also triumphed at the “2008 Hong Kong
Dance Awards” and won the “Special Grand
Award” and the “First Class Award for
Choreography and Direction” at the “2008
Guangdong Art Festival”. In 2008, he
created The Call of Life to raise
fund for the victims of the Sichuan
earthquake. He was also involved in the
choreography of Hong Kong –
Equestrian Capital, which
represented Hong Kong at the opening
ceremony of the “Beijing Olympic Games
2008” in the Beijing National Stadium,
and again achieved great success. Leung
won the Hong Kong Arts Development
Awards 2008 by Hong Kong Arts
Development Council in 2008. He had also
created and choreographed dance pieces
in celebration of the establishment of
the Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region and China's National Day. Leung
is the Artistic Director of the Hong
Kong Dance Company since April 2009.
Faye
Leung
Guest
Artist
Born in Shanghai and trained at the
Shanghai Ballet School. She joined the
Hong Kong Ballet in 1996 and was
promoted to Principal Dancer in 2001.
Faye had danced all the leads in
classics and also had many roles created
for her by a variety of choreographers.
Faye was featured in RTHK's “The Best 10
of the Artists” in 2006 and in 2008. She
was also awarded the Hong Kong Dance
Award. She has been invited to perform
in various touring performances and won
acclaims. She is now a freelance dancer
and is active in a variety of stage
performances. |
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Pre- and
Post-Performance Activities (Limited
Quota) |
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Appreciation Talk
on Jin Yong Dance Drama Series: The
Smiling
Proud Wanderer,
Snow Fox & Eagle Companions
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HKDC has produced
Jin Yong Dance Drama Series adapted
from the martial arts novels of Jin
Yong, which portrayed the absolute
beauty embedded in text through dance.
In this Talk, dance video clips and
excerpts of the dance dramas will be
showcased. Mr. Leung Kwok-shing, HKDC
Artistic Director, as well as the
Choreographer and the Director, will
share his creative thoughts, and
provide the participants an in-depth
understanding on the performances.
2.1.2010 (Sat)
4:00pm – 5:30pm
Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Exhibition Gallery
Speaker: Leung
Kwok-shing (Artistic Director, HKDC)
Enrolment &
Enquiries: 31031806
* Activity of HKDC Tsuen Wan Town Hall
Venue Partnership Scheme 2009/10
* Conducted in Cantonese
Meet-the-Artists
Session
To be held after
the performance of
23.1.2010 (Sat)
7:45 pm
Autograph Session
To be held after
the performance of
24.1.2010 (Sun)
3:00 pm
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Hong Kong Dance Company
Established by the former
Urban Council in 1981, with the aim of
promoting Chinese dance, the Hong Kong Dance
Company was incorporated in April 2001 as a
charitable and non-profit-making
institution, and is financially supported by
the Government of the Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region.
Since its inception, the
Hong Kong Dance Company has staged over 100
productions, many of which were highly
popular with critical acclaim. Recent
productions include The Smiling
Proud Wanderer,
Qingming Riverside, Angel Falls, Mulan, Snow
Fox, Everlasting Love, Lingnan Impressions
and Eagle
Companions.
The Company has also
performed overseas and in the mainland to
foster cultural exchange. Tour stops
included countries and cities like
Australia, the United Kingdom, Korea,
Singapore, Canada, Japan, Beijing, Shanghai,
Nanjing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou,
Zhongshan, Dongguan, Taipei and Macau. The
performances were very well received with
raving reviews.
Media Enquiries
For rehearsal visits or interviews, please
contact Hong Kong Dance Company Marketing
and Development Department:
Marketing and Development Manager – Chris
Lam
Tel：3103 1828 Fax：2851 3607 Email：chris@hkdance.com
Assistant Manager (Marketing and
Development) – Joyce Chung
Tel：3103 1810 Fax：2851 3607 Email：joyce@hkdance.com
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