Performance

China Merchants Foundation presents A Grand Dance Poem of Calligraphy After Snowfall — Expressions of Wang Xizhi’s timeless brushstrokes

HONG KONG DANCE COMPANY 2024/25 Dance Season Opening Programme

China Merchants Foundation presents
A Grand Dance Poem of Calligraphy After Snowfall

— Expressions of Wang Xizhi’s timeless brushstrokes

Hong Kong Dance Company’s (HKDance) 2024/25 season opens with a large-scale dance poem, After Snowfall, the latest creative endeavour of Mr Yang Yuntao, Artistic Director of HKDance. The title of After Snowfall comes from the famous letters that Wang Xizhi, the Sage of Calligraphy, wrote to his friends. In collaboration with internationally acclaimed violinist Ms Yao Jue and rising Hong Kong new media artist Mr Chris Cheung, HKDance is pleased to present this new multimedia dance programme, connecting us with the Sage’s words across time and space. We celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China with this dance piece rooted in China’s illustrious cultural heritage. Proudly presented by China Merchants Foundation, After Snowfall will be staged from 11 to 14 October 2024 (5 shows) at the Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, WestK.

The Inking of Imagery. Man and Words as One.
Dance Rhyme, Calligraphy, Martial Arts, Technology

— A Multimedia Collaboration

According to programme director and choreographer Yang Yuntao, both dance and calligraphy express inner emotions through the concept of qi, or vital energy. The dancers in this performance have received training in tai chi, allowing their bodies to feel the flow of qi, much in the same way as a calligrapher moving the brush, where abstract ink flows between the lines. Yang says: “We are searching for the physical points of departure emanating from the Sage of Calligraphy’s dashes of ink and elegant lines. Integrating the essence of dance and martial arts with the rhythmic movements of calligraphy, we connect closely to the core of this work—The Inking of Imagery—and bring new perspectives to the aesthetic of the East.”

As the Ink Art Partner for After Snowfall, the charitable organisation UOB Art Academy showcases award-winning artworks from the UOB Art in Ink Awards, with the support of UOB, as part of the multimedia content being featured on stage. In collaboration with Sparkle By Karen Chan, the acclaimed Hong Kong designer brand known for its innovative approach to Chinese fashion, they craft an immersive experience that pays homage to the enduring allure of traditional ink art, transforming the inked elements of the artworks into stunning cheongsam designs, elegantly interpreted by virtuoso violinist Yao Jue. Yao says: “The combination of Asian calligraphy and Western string music transcends cultural boundaries, expanding our artistic perspectives. When these two different strands collide, sparks will be ignited, and audiences can experience new expressions stemming from the merging of different cultures.”

Stage with Water Droplet Art Installation

Award-winning new media artist Chris Cheung will bring his water droplet art installation to the stage for the first time, using specially designed materials to create a scene that mimics the ebb and flow of tides. Meanwhile, drawing inspiration from a folded piece of paper, set designer Wong Yat-kwan will transform the stage into a snowy landscape, with a pool symbolising an ink stone. The interaction between the dancers’ costumes and the water droplet art installation will leave traces reminiscent of calligraphy. “Innovative arts tech and Chinese ink art meet here in this production. Using motion capture and brainwave techniques, we present new aesthetic concepts for calligraphy, incorporating generative AI to show the dynamism and tranquility of ink and wash,” Cheung notes.

Following the great acclaim for last year’s stage costumes for A Dance of Celestial Rhythms, Korean costume designer Min Chunhong is very much looking forward to this dance piece themed around ink wash. He says: “I feel the stage design of this work resembles a piece of rice paper, with the dancers embodying Wang Xizhi, using dots and strokes to depict a beautiful piece of calligraphy. For the costumes, I blend the black ink of traditional Chinese painting with dynamic patterns inspired by contemporary ink works. In addition to using dynamic materials, I incorporate designs that evoke the contours of calligraphic brushstrokes.”

This programme has also been selected as one of the “Expo Programmes” in the inaugural edition of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo, allowing art lovers from Hong Kong, the Mainland, and further afield to appreciate the essence of Chinese ink art and dance from a new perspective. Proudly presented by China Merchants Foundation, After Snowfall will be staged from 11 to 14 October 2024 (5 shows) at the Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, WestK.

Performance Information

Venue

Grand Theatre, Xiqu Centre, WestK

Session

11-12,14^.10.2024 ( FRI – SAT, MON) 8:00PM
12*-13*.10.2024 ( SAT – SUN) 3:00PM
^This performance is one of the “Expo Programmes” of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo
*With post-performance Meet-the-Artist session
(Limited to ticket holders of this performance only)

Price

$520 / $420 / $320 / $200

Limited VIP Ticket

Exclusive offer for $1,000 Limited VIP ticket holders
HKDance X Sparkle By Karen Chan: “A Delightful Journey of Ink Art with Tea”
- One VIP ticket for After Snowfall
- Authentic Hong Kong-style Afternoon Tea Indulgence
- Ink Art Exploration @Sparkle VIP Showroom
- Personalised Cheongsam Fitting Experience

Package

Save more with our buddy package! (Applicable to the same performance in $B–$D price zones)
Each purchase of 2 standard tickets
B zone: $916 | C zone: $740 | D zone: $564

Ticketing

Tickets available now at URBTIX and Damai

Duration

Programme duration is about 1 hour and 20 minutes without intermission

Age Limit

Suitable for ages 6 and above

Programme Enquiries

3103 1888 / www.hkdance.com

Production & Artistic Team

Director and Choreographer

Yang Yuntao

Guest Violin Soloist

Yao Jue

Music Coordinator

Lawrence Lau

New Media Artist

Chris Cheung

Set Designer

Wong Yat-kwan

Costume Designer

Min Chunhong

Lighting Designer

Yeung Tsz-yan

Sound Designer

Anthony Yeung

Profile of Artistic Team

Yang Yuntao, Artistic Director

Winner of two Hong Kong Dance Awards (2003, 2006) for his outstanding dance performances, and awarded Best Artist (Dance) at the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2009, Yang Yuntao is an accomplished dancer and choreographer. He joined HKDance as Principal Dancer in 2002. He became Assistant Artistic Director in 2007 and has been Artistic Director since 2013.
Yang has choreographed for various dance companies. His award-winning choreographic works for HKDance include: Spring Ritual · Eulogy, winner of Outstanding Achievement in Production at the 15th Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2013 and presented in Beijing and Taipei in 2013; The Legend of Mulan, winner of Outstanding Production and Outstanding Ensemble Performance at the 16th Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2014 and presented in New York, Sydney, London, and Minsk in 2015, 2017, and 2019, respectively; Storm Clouds, winner of three awards including Outstanding Achievement in Production at the 17th Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2015; L’Amour Immortel, winner of three awards at the 18th Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2016, presented in Beijing and Guangzhou in 2017, in Taipei in 2018, and in Shanghai and Hangzhou in 2019; Waiting Heart, winner of Outstanding Medium Venue Production at the 21st Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2021; and Convergence, winner of Outstanding Online Production at the 23rd Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2022. Whispers of the Pines, a highly acclaimed excerpt from Convergence, also won the 13th China Dance Lotus Awards (Contemporary Dance) in 2023, China’s most prestigious national dance awards.

Yao Jue, Guest Violin Soloist

Yao Jue’s professional career has been highlighted by widely acclaimed performances in China. She has received the Justice of the Peace (JP), the Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS), and the Silver Bauhinia Star (SBS) by the Hong Kong SAR Government and has been awarded a University Fellowship by several universities in Hong Kong. Yao has been a council member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference since 2018. She is a graduate of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and The Juilliard School. Her expanding discography includes many classical works from the Chinese and Western repertoires and her most popular CD to date is the Butterfly Lovers Violin Concert.

Chris Cheung, New Media Artist

Chris Cheung Hon Him (aka h0nh1m) is a media artist best known for installation art and audiovisual performance, whose artistic expression depends upon electronic, sound, image, and creative technology in new media. Cheung’s reverence for Eastern and Western philosophy is central to his oeuvre, in which he blends traditional ideology and futuristic imagination to create immersive soundscapes, generative art, and data art. His contemporary calligraphy installation series “No Longer Write – Mochiji” were acquired by Hong Kong Museum of Art and Taoyuan Museum of Fine Arts. InkFlux was selected at the 24th Japan Media Arts Festival and collected by United Overseas Bank. His most recent works – Ink | Pulse, Waving Script, and Falling Tears – have been commissioned by M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, and Hong Kong Museum of Art respectively.