ArtisTree Selects: Moving Pieces connects audience and performers through dance

Swire Properties’ multi-purpose performance space ArtisTree presents a new dance series titled ArtisTree Selects: Moving Pieces from 8 August to 28 September. Starring over 20 performances by renowned dance companies from Norway, Wales, and France, as well as local dance groups, many of these shows are immersive dance experiences that allow the audience to dance along – and even become a part of the show themselves.   

In addition, a series of dance workshops – such as the Open Rehearsal Series taking place at lunch hour; children’s sessions on weekends; professional dance workshops; and the special Watch Dance Class experiential dance session – will break down the distance between audience and performers.

ArtisTree Selects: Moving Pieces kicks off in August with Stay/Away. Jointly created by renowned Hong Kong dance artists Frankie Ho and Bruce Wong, Berlin-based Japanese stage designer and multimedia artist Yoko Seyama and German composer Dirk P. Haubrich, this new production combines dance, original music, lighting design and installation art for an extraordinary spin on a traditional dance performance.

This is followed by Lullaby, a performance by Norwegian dance company Panta Rei Danseteater. This Asian premiere combines fast and powerful steps, live music and theatrical elements to envelope the audience in the power of dance.

World premiere: Stay/Away by Hook Dance Theatre (8 – 17 August)

• Become part of the show: there is no seating for this performance. The audience can move freely between the six dancers and installation, while experiencing pioneering dance moves and spatial changes.
• The show features interactive installation and stage effects created by Berlin-based Japanese stage designer and multimedia artist Yoko Seyama.
• It also features special environmental sound effects, including those from Hong Kong, created by German composer Dirk P. Haubrich.
• Yoko Seyama and Dirk P. Haubrich have both worked with Jiří Kylián, the former artistic director of Dutch dance company Nederlands Dans Theater.
• The interactive installation in Stay/Away will be open to the public at selected times.

Asian premiere: Lullaby by Panta Rei Danseteater (22 – 30 August)

• The inspiration for the show comes from an album titled Lullaby from the Axis of Evil, which features local lullabies from countries labelled as “the axis of evil”.
• This captivating dance is divided into two sections, performed by three male dancers. The first section, created by Panta Rei Danseteater’s Executive and Artistic Director Anne Ekenes and choreographer Pia Holden, explores the subjects of patriarchy and depicts the state of international relations. The second section, created by Executive and Artistic Director of Cas Public, Hélène Blackburn, is a humorous take on society’s view on patriarchy.
• Panta Rei Danseteater is joining forces with local dance groups Passoverdance and Unlock Dancing Plaza to take part in ArtisTree’s Open Rehearsal Series. Performers will use audience reaction as inspiration to enrich the piece, while viewers will have the opportunity to get behind the curtains and experience the show’s creative process.
• Panta Rei Danseteater is hosting two separate dance workshops for families and professional dancers, headed by Anne Ekenes.

Keep “moving” in September as three more original dance pieces make their Asian debuts at ArtisTree

Following the exciting lineup in August, National Dance Company Wales returns to ArtisTree with its newly produced pieces Revellers’ Mass and Tundra in September. Revellers’ Mass uses fascinating dance routines to reinterpret classic paintings. Meanwhile, Tundra features dancers physically connecting with one another and synchronising moves to create a memorable, visually stunning presence on stage. 

Finally, French dance artist Yoann Bourgeois will close the dance series with his remarkable piece, Tentative Approaches to a Point of Suspension across Taikoo Place and ArtisTree. This piece features dancers interacting with curious props such as roly poly and a giant staircase with a trampoline. These avant garde performances have garnered major attention when it was on show in Europe, and has since become a viral online sensation.

Stay tuned for more information. 

ArtisTree Selects: Moving Pieces
Date: 8 August – 28 September 2019
Venue: ArtisTree, 1/F, Cambridge House, Taikoo Place, 979 King’s Road, Quarry Bay
Ticketing: Via Taikoo Social or Ticketflap
Details: https://www.taikooplace.com/en/artistree