The 23rd Hong Kong Dance Awards were presented in an online ceremony streamed live this month. A total of 20 awards including two Lifetime Achievement Awards and 18 jury awards were presented by emcees Irene Lo and Shirley Loong and accepted remotely by the winners.
Over 50 nominations were shortlisted in 15 categories, covering work created between January 2020 and December 2021. Hong Kong Dance Alliance Chair Allen Lam said “While it was sad that the traditional Awards Ceremony and Gala Performance could not be held due to the current pandemic restrictions. The quality of the shortlisted nominations shows the strength and resilience of the Hong Kong dance community, which has overcome the obstacles of the pandemic over the past two years to create so much truly exceptional work.”
Co-Chair of the Awards Jury, Natasha Rogai, added “In 15 years of working on the Awards, I have never seen stronger shortlists – there were several categories where two awards were presented and all the shortlisted nominations were worthy of an award.”
The Tom Brown Emerging Choreographer Award went to Kelvin Mak, artistic director of Beyond Dance Theater, whose powerful Remnants was named Outstanding Medium Venue Production sharing that award with City Contemporary Dance Company’s Days Are Numbered, which featured choreography by Justyne Li, Bruce Wong and Jennifer Mok.
Kelvin Mak said “I would like to thank the late Mr. Tom Brown for his support to the local dance scene, and to us emerging artists. I hope that this goodwill, passion, and spirit can be inherited and passed on.”
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to two women who have contributed to the development of dance in Hong Kong for decades: Tania Tang and Professor Shen Shir Ming.
Accepting the award, Professor Shen commented “I can see that the Hong Kong Dance Alliance set their sights beyond traditional definitions of dance; rather than simply focusing on choreography and performance, they aim to establish exchange and collaboration on all levels of the creative process between the dance sector and other industries, so that talents in dance may develop in a cross-disciplinary manner.”
Ms Tang said “Looking back, there were only a few foreign ballet teachers in Hong Kong. Nowadays, we are all witnessing a diverse ecology of dance arts in Hong Kong taking root and thriving. To the many generations of dancers to come, we must remain steadfast in our beliefs and work ethic; to all workers related to dance, we need to face all challenges head-on, and pass on the torch.”
23rd Hong Kong Dance Awards Winners
Outstanding Performance by a Male Dancer
Huang Lei
Nine Songs, Hong Kong Dance Company and Freespace
Shen Jie as Romeo
Romeo + Juliet, Hong Kong Ballet
Outstanding Performance by a Female Dancer
Hua Chi Yu
Nine Songs, Hong Kong Dance Company and Freespace
Outstanding Ensemble Performance
Dancers of Hong Kong Dance Company
Nine Songs, Hong Kong Dance Company and Freespace
Outstanding Music Composition
Leung Po Wing
I Don’t Mean It, City Contemporary Dance Company Dance Centre
Outstanding Set and Costume Design
Gabriela Tylesova and Albert Au: The Nutcracker, Hong Kong Ballet
Outstanding Choreography
Mui Cheuk Yin
Diary VII • The Story of……, Tai Kwun
Septime Webre
The Nutcracker, Hong Kong Ballet
Outstanding Online Production
Convergence, Hong Kong Dance Company and Freespace
Lifetime Achievement Award
Professor Shen Shir Ming
Ms Tania Tang
images:
Five Tiny Dances – Carbon Footprint – Keith Hiro
Nine Songs – Mak Cheong Wai
Convergence – Hong Kong Dance Company