Stream of Dust Kicks off ‘City Contemporary Dance Festival 2023’

with Unique Performance and Audience Space

A one-of-a-kind stage experience curated by Sang Jijia makes its public debut

CCDC x WestK x HKAPA

(Hong Kong, 14 November 2023) The ‘City Contemporary Dance Festival 2023’ (CCDF 2023),  organised by City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) was unveiled last weekend, bringing an eclectic programme of performances and events from the international dance community to the local contemporary dance scene for two weeks in a row. The critically acclaimed opening performance, Stream of Dust, featured an exquisite stage and unique audience experience crafted and curated by Sang Jijia and 45 other performers led by him. Its roaring success in the first week has kicked off the 9-day ‘CCDF 2023’ on an exhilarating note, with four more shows of the production slated to take place. Their tickets, along with those for ‘HOTPOT East Asia Dance Platform’ which will run for the last three days, are available on CCDC and CCDF’s websites as well as URBTIX. Meanwhile, the tickets for the last show of Stream of Dust have been sold out.

Largest CCDF production meticulously crafted by a world-class team

Stream of Dust, co-presented by CCDC and West Kowloon Cultural District, is the largest production ever presented by CCDF since the Festival’s inception in 2017. It is performed by a troupe of 45 dancers, including those from the company and graduating students of School of Dance, HKAPA, as well as seasoned and multitalented stage actor Alex Cheung. Each dancer bursts forth with varied postures and momentum, blending robust and gentle motions to compose a thought-provoking, fluid bodily poem. Diverse group choreography delivers a profound visual impact to the audience, putting the power of contemporary dance on display.

“The piece is performed by the whole cast with tremendous feeling, energy and discipline.”

– Reviewed by Natasha Rogai, South China Morning Post

CCDC’s Resident Choreographer Sang Jijia said, ‘In this work, we’ve made bold attempts with the presentation of space, lighting, and visuals, amplifying the meaning of dance through these elements. Each designer brings a different interpretation, infusing three-dimensionality into the work and highlighting its multiple facets from various angles.’ In collaboration with music composer Dickson Dee, dramaturg Janice Poon, renowned lighting and stage designer Leo Cheung and other creative team members, Sang Jijia presents a distinctive theatre space that expands the audience’s imagination and experience of contemporary dance.

A quest for the eternal light, amid dust in unique spaces and installations

Following his award-winning Meeting In-between Time, a work that takes audiences on a dynamic journey through a revitalised outdoor historic farm, Stream of Dust marks Sang Jijia’s return to the theatre, where he breaks conventions once again and immerses viewers in his performance with a one-of-a-kind sensory experience. The entire stage comprises a free wandering space that extends outward, treating the audience to a special performance outside before they set foot in the theatre, in an exploration of the diversity of contemporary dance. The installations within and outside the performance space guide the audience on a walk through currents of time between light and dust, inspiring wonder and fully unleashing the endless possibilities of theatre.

Sang Jijia explained during his interview, ‘A dance performance requires each audience member to view it through a unique lens and ask different questions based on their own background, life, and experiences. That’s the most fascinating thing.’ In this performance, smoke swirls and lingers through the theatre space, with countless sand and dust dispersing and converging in ebbs and flows. Under myriad lights, Sang Jijia deliberately let the audience wander freely, allowing them to appreciate the performance from different distances and angles of their choosing, so as to discover the fine dust beneath the floating lights. At a stage where audience members and dancers are at such close proximity, each inhalation and exhalation of the performers is viscerally palpable, creating connections with the audience through music and space, and conveying authentic contemporary emotions through gazes and dance movements.

Upcoming shows and events bring local and overseas dance artists together, in a thrilling and vibrant space for exchange and collaboration

Another highlight of ‘CCDF 2023’, the ‘HOTPOT East Asia Dance Platform’, will feature five productions from 17 to 19 November, each named after a geographical region: Hong Kong Focus, Greater China I, Greater China II, Korea, and Japan. Established by the CCDF, ‘Seoul International Dance Festival’, and ‘Yokohama Dance Collection’ in 2017, the ‘HOTPOT East Asia Dance Platform’ will be presenting 17 dance works this year, showcasing a host of internationally acclaimed and emerging choreographic pieces to local dance enthusiasts, overseas curators, producers, and artists, displaying the thriving diversity of contemporary dance in Asia.

In addition, the dramaturgical events will see nine art professionals from various disciplines and backgrounds discuss and share their views on the current dramaturgical field and its challenges. These include a talk titled ‘Dramaturgical Practice in Various Contexts’, in which the speakers will exchange their insights on the dramaturgical approaches and practices adopted in different professional areas. Furthermore, the audience can also look forward to a roundtable with the theme ‘Dramaturgical Practice in Dance Making’, which will focus on exploring the dynamic relationship between dance artists and stage practitioners.

Performance Details

Creative and Performance Team

Choreographer: Sang Jijia

Original Music: Dickson Dee

Dramaturgy: Janice POON*

Scenography: Leo CHEUNG

Rehearsal Mistresses: LI Yong-jing*, Shirley LOK

Lighting Design:  Lawmanray

Assistant Lighting Design: CHAN Man-nga*

Sound Design: LEUNG Po-wing*

Costume Design: Charfi HUNG

Featured Performance: Alex CHEUNG*

Performance: AN Tzu-huan, Suyi HON, Felix KE, Natalie KO, Eric KWONG, Genie LOK, Nini WANG, Brian YAM, Skye YAO, Simpson YAU, Tally ZHUANG;

Graduating Students of School of Dance, HKAPA:

Kiki CAI, Leanne CHAN, Jade CHAN, Vanessa CHAN, Coco CHENG, Kathy CHEUNG, Nicole CHEUNG, Ching CHU, Vicky CHU, Kitty CHUI, Jon Henri Sagolili FERRER, Christabella GEORGIANA, Kryspina HO, Issie HO, Angel LAI, Yandy LAI, LAU Yin, Michelle LAW, LI Ka-lun, Stephanie LI, Cherry LOK, Serena NG, Miki SHAM, Anson SHI, SIU Yau, Alliah Xandra Reyes TORTE, Chloe WAN, WANG Ting-en, Darell YANG, YEN Shao-hui, Ferrida YIP, Angel YIP, Sarah ZENG

* With support and kind permission of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

City Contemporary Dance Festival

‘City Contemporary Dance Festival’ (CCDF) is an iconic contemporary dance event in Hong Kong initiated by City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC). Through a series of performances, seminars and various artistic exchange activities, the ‘CCDF’ connects top-notch contemporary dance artists from Hong Kong and abroad with local audiences, international curators and dance practitioners, as well as promoting the development of contemporary dance and building international networks.

About City Contemporary Dance Company

City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), the flagship of contemporary dance in Hong Kong, undertakes to blaze the path of contemporary dance scene with extraordinary performances representing contemporary Hong Kong culture. Founded in 1979 and directed by Yuri Ng since 2021, CCDC has presented more than 200 original works by leading choreographers, and pioneered in Asia to reimagine the possibilities of contemporary dance through innovative collaborations. Representing Hong Kong in over 270 overseas performances at the world’s foremost dance stages and festivals, CCDC is regarded as ‘the artistic soul of contemporary Hong Kong’.

City Contemporary Dance Company is financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

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