(HK Edition)

The one-month festival at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre features the work of local artists andproducers, internationally acclaimed stage directors and overseas choreographers.

The festival opened with Political Mother, a tale about issues of modern society. The work wasbrought to the stage by London-based producer Hofesh Shechter. The performance marked theIsraeli producer’s debut before the Hong Kong audience.

“We have one small section completely inspired by Asian music,” said Shechter. “For the firsttime, we will use all local instruments and young musicians from the city to perform with us onstage. I am very curious to see how it will affect the show.”

Political Mother is an ambitious presentation with 40 performers, 16 dancers and 25 livemusicians, all “part of the story for spectators to become immersed with the performers’ feelingsand questions,” said Schechter.

Schechter’s first steps in the Far East signal the beginning of collaborations among dancecompanies and theaters across China.

At its mid-point, the festival will feature two performances under the direction of Tao Ye, anemerging choreographer from Beijing, whose first international shows established him as one ofChina’s most promising stage directors and strongest promoters of dance as an art form.

His two art works named #4 and #5 are part of a dance series set out in numerical sequence.

“Numbers are simple and direct,” said Tao Ye. “Impact and the response from the public is pureand that is what I try to achieve. Continuity is another reason for numbering. The next shows willbe #6 and #7.”

New York and London praised Tao for pushing the boundaries of dance, pressing performers totheir physical limits in the execution of “provocative” scenes.

“Hong Kong is an immigrant city. It is a junction for Eastern and Western culture,” he said. “Myart is for everybody and every country with neither boundary nor ethnicity. I am quite eager toknow how people will react.”

During the festival, which continues to Nov 16, several artists will hold sessions with the public todiscuss their work.