ReviewHong Kong dance students give stunning rendition of Colossus, Australian Stephanie Lake’s take on mob behaviour and control

Student performers of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts execute the complex interplay of Stephanie Lake’s choreography remarkably smoothly

The work is unforgiving, requiring all 42 dancers to be on stage for the entirety of the performance, with solos and breakouts allowing individuals to shine

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The Hong Kong premiere of Stephanie Lake’s “Colossus” performed by the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ dance school. Photo: Eric Hong

Published: 6:56pm, 26 Aug 2022Updated: 4:38pm, 7 Sep 2022

Like so many Covid-19 delayed performances, the Hong Kong premiere of Colossus was a long time coming and opening night was very nearly scuppered by the untimely Typhoon Ma-on. But the storm retreated at the eleventh hour, and the applause that followed Thursday’s performance would have drowned out the loudest thunderclap.

The 2018 work by Australian choreographer Stephanie Lake is unusual because it keeps the full ensemble on stage and performing for a full, intense, hour.

The 42 dancers, all students of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, had to work remotely with Lake’s team in Melbourne, and then perform on an unforgiving, prop-free, thrust stage in close proximity to the audience.

That extra rehearsal time must have been put to good use because the execution of the complex interplay was remarkably smooth and flawless. Apart from dancing, the ensemble screamed, stomped and even smacked lips to great effect as they produced much of the soundtrack as well.

Unusually, the 42 dancers in “Colossus” are on stage for the entire performance. Occasional solos during the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts’ presentation of the work suggested bright career prospects for some of the dancers. Photo: Eric Hong

Upon entering the HKAPA amphitheatre, the audience were greeted by the sight of the dancers lying down in a circle like petals of a sunflower.

The anonymous collective, dressed uniformly in black, sat up one after another without missing a beat. A slight sluggishness at the beginning was quickly replaced by a dynamic display of robotic tug-and-pulls, symbolising the passivity that comes with social conditioning.