Review | Hong Kong’s Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater in stunning solo performances of ‘Run’, inspired by Water Margin
- Two of Hong Kong’s most respected dance artists, Cyrus Hui and Sylvia Lee, perform alternately in solo piece ‘Run’, inspired by Water Margin
- Choreographed by Pewan Chow, Alice Ma and KK Wong, with lighting by Zoe Cheung and costumes by Bill Cheung, ‘Run’ shows off the best of Hong Kong dance art
Run kicks off the dance year in style with a welcome reminder of how much the local Hong Kong dance scene has to offer.
This new production celebrates the 10th anniversary of Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater, a small company with a fine track record of thoughtful, innovative work, founded and run by two of Hong Kong’s most respected dance artists, Cyrus Hui and Sylvia Lee.
For Run they have joined forces with three well-known local choreographers, Pewan Chow, Alice Ma and KK Wong, to devise a one-hour solo piece inspired by the mythical hero Lin Chong from the classic tale Water Margin, danced at alternate performances by Lee (whom I saw) and Hui separately over two days.
The work is a shining example of what can be achieved with the simplest of means, as long as the talent and ideas are there. The choreography, combined with Zoe Cheung’s imaginative lighting and Bill Cheung’s cleverly conceived costumes, together with Hin Lo’s score, and above all Lee’s stunning performance, make Run intelligent, original and consistently entertaining.
The three segments are strikingly different in both choreographic style and emotional approach to the theme – the flight of Lin Chong from danger and, by extension, the flight from (and towards) uncertainty faced by people in Hong Kong and around the world in the present times.
In the opening “Run to … the aqua blue grassland”, devised by Chow, an epic journey is narrated. This Lin is a proud warrior, fleeing his enemies yet still fiercely defiant.
Drawing on elements of Chinese dance and martial arts, the movement is flowing yet powerful, highlighted by dramatic, long-held balances with one leg high in the air and the body off-kilter. Technically the most accomplished of the three sections, the consummate assurance of the choreography demonstrates the veteran Chow’s mastery of her art.
In complete contrast, Ma’s “Run to … the brick red street” is witty, quirky and refreshingly irreverent.
Lee re-enters wearing a costume suggesting armour, with black make-up around her eyes, and the first few minutes consist of her moving her eyes only – side to side, up and down – in a smart take on Chinese opera conventions.
Accompanied by the kind of hackneyed heroic music you’d hear in an old TVB warrior series, she performs a series of martial arts moves armed with the type of large broom used in Hong Kong to sweep the streets – which is what she then proceeds to do, as the music is replaced by traffic noise.
In today’s Hong Kong, would Lin Chong be reduced to being a street sweeper? Whatever the moral may be, this piece by Ma is inventive, lighthearted and fun.
“Run to … the snow white whirlpool” by Wong takes us to a darker place, with the rawness of the protagonist’s fear, grief and suffering expressed through distorted, agonised movement.
In a haunting, curiously moving climax, Lee sits in a chair singing softly to herself in lamentation, her voice broken by tears, which turn to laughter as the sound of fireworks fills the air and she turns her chair to watch them.
It takes an exceptional artist to make a one-hour solo piece work and Lee’s performance was exemplary. Her commanding stage presence, vivid expressiveness, impressive technique and remarkable versatility in embodying the style of each choreographer in turn made Run enthralling to watch from start to finish.
“Run”, Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater, Kwai Tsing Black Box Theatre. Reviewed: January 7, 2023 matinee.
