Dance intertwines in light and shadow, reflecting fleeting yet precious moments. The ways we capture, preserve, and pass on the essence of performances, have been a hot topic in recent art scenes. Archiving and recording performances, tracing creative processes, and conducting academic research constitute another life of dance performance.
CCDC invites 3 guests to the Programme Plus seminar to discuss the ways of capturing the essence of performances. They will share the methods and significance of archiving and recording dance, and explore how audiences can establish deeper connections with performing arts through these records. All three have been involved in renowned choreographer Helen Lai’s works or related databases.
Is video recording a documentation of dance pieces or a recreation using another medium? Dance film director Maurice Lai participated in the stage filming of Helen’s choreographies, including Soledad (2015) and Winterreise．The Rite of Spring (2019), as well as the video design for No End (2008). Drawing from his experiences, he shares the collaboration process with choreographers and dancers, and how he captures the works through camera lens.
How to design interview questions and unravel the interviewees’ context? Through the HKADC’s ‘Oral History and Archives Project’, Winnie Fu conducted interviews and compiled visual materials to research on Helen’s artistic styles and works during different periods. She will explain the preparation and data integration process of oral history and share her experiences communicating with Helen.
Starting from reshaping the past, what is the research significance of arts archives in various aspects? Since 2022, Dr. Dong Xian-liang (Dong Yan) has been digitally archiving Helen’s choreography and production records from the 1980s. He launched the ‘Helen Lai Dance Collection’ with the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library. He will share his archival framework, providing the public with essential materials to reconstruct the historical appearances.
Date: 16.2.2025 (Sun)
Time: 5 – 7pm
Venue: Eric Hotung Studio, Hong Kong Arts Centre
Free of charge, please register online in advance. Limited quota will be available for walk-in participants.
Conducted in Cantonese.
Photo by Jesse Clockwork
Maurice LAI
Born and raised in Hong Kong, live in Tainan, an MFA graduate in Cinema Production of the School of Film and Television of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Maurice is one of the founders of Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop, one of the most active dance filmmaker in Hong Kong and Taiwan. He is currently the Vice-chairman of the Board of Directors and Coordinator (Technical Support) of Utopia Cantonese Opera Workshop, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Unlock Dancing Plaza and jury member of The Hong Kong Dance Awards. In 2020, he set up HoShunKing Artistic Workshop in Taiwan. He is currently a guest lecturer of School of Film & Television HKAPA, also an adjunct assistant professor at School of Dance of Taipei National University of the Arts and College of Arts of Tainan University of Technology.
Photo by Kenneth Hui
DONG Xianliang (Dong Yan)
Dong Xianliang (Dong Yan) earned his PhD in Chinese and History from the City University of Hong Kong in 2021. He is currently engaged in research and editorial work at the Jao Tsung-I Academy of Sinology at Hong Kong Baptist University.
His research focuses on three core themes: the body, language, and materiality, explored across different temporal, spatial, and media contexts. Beyond academia, he is also a writer, researcher, and dramaturg, collaborating with libraries, art museums, performing arts companies, and independent artists to transform academic knowledge into cultural and artistic practice.
He has worked with the School of Dance, Library, and the Office of Education and Information Technology at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts to curate the digital teaching and learning archive Ballet Repertoire: The Butterfly Lovers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, he curated the ‘Helen Lai Dance Archive’ and has been working closely with the Chinese University of Hong Kong Library and various local dance groups to develop a publicly accessible dance archive for artists, educators, scholars, and the general public. The first phase of this project (1980–1985) has already been launched in 2025.
Winnie Fu
Winnie Fu has over 20 years of experience in film programming, production coordination, exhibition management, editorial, curatorial and media projects, specialises in exhibition liaisons, publications, and oral history programmes. Winnie was the Line Producer for the opening exhibition “Hong Kong – Here and Beyond” of M+ Museum, Producer/ Archive Researcher of a documentary film project on Bruce Lee Be Water (2020), and Curator of “Cinema Fantasia Hong Kong” (2017) at the Hong Kong International Airport, and “Moving Tales of Hong Kong Animation – Hong Kong Animation Development from 2007 to 2017” of the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Hong Kong Heritage Museum.
Since 1991, Winnie has worked as Editor, Exhibition Coordinator and Programmer for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, mainly related to film history, moving images and culture. Winnie is currently running her own company CoDeCode. In 2011-12, Winnie was granted a scholarship by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council to partake in the “Clore Leadership Programme”, where she exchanged with top-notch CEOs, curators, artists and art administrators from many creative institutions.
