Slow Dance (Zoomed In) by Unlock Dancing Plaza 【Online Programme】

Slow Dance (Zoomed In) evolves from choreographer Joseph Lee’s Slow Dance series. It is an attempt to reinvent the temporality of existing dance works, and the brisk, rhythmic and coherent dynamics of traditional performances are extended and expanded almost infinitely. Each moment of transition is magnified and re-presented into equal segments before the audience. In so doing, the viewers’ consciousness and visual experience oscillate between recognisable elements such as costumes, postures and expressions, and the less-known slow motions. Gradually, they are transformed into a time-lapse performance that is at once familiar and alien.

By inviting video director Kitty Yeung on the team, the video version of Slow Dance (Zoomed In) translates the language of moving images into freeze frames on the screen, and registers changes of the performances in varied spaces. The poetic moving images invite contemplation of the passage of time and evoke a connection with the audience’s gaze.

This iteration of Slow Dance (Zoomed In) comprises four independent videos, each based on a different dance genre and performed by seven dancers from diverse identities, backgrounds, and dance experiences – Étienne Ferrère and Lucas Michael (ballet), Gigi Yang (Chinese folk dance), Ong Yong Lock and Elsie Chau (a combination of Chinese dance, ballet, and basic moves in modern dance), and Cedric Chan and Jennifer Tin (Latin dance).

The juxtaposition of the four dance genres—traditional and contemporary—offers a fresh perspective for viewers to immerse themselves in the context of contemporary dance.

Episode 1   Ballet 1
Episode 2   A Green Leaf
Episode 3   Basic Moves 1
Episode 4   Latin Dance

The programme does not represent the views of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

The presenter reserves the right to vary the broadcast time of the programme.

Unlock Dancing Plaza

Unlock Dancing Plaza is founded in 2002 by Ong Yong Lock and Elsie Chau and is financially supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council since 2009. In 2022, Joseph Lee succeeded Ong as the Artistic Director and Ong became Creative Director (Public Engagement), focusing on outreach and community programmes. Determined to extend possibilities of dance making, Unlock aspires to develop a diverse performing arts ecology. Emancipate from institutionalized dance aesthetic, the company proposes to redefine dance as a natural form of self-expression, honouring individuality, and breaking from the production-focused par for the course. In recent years, Unlock makes new attempt to conduct various experimental projects to re-imagine dance.

Episode 1: Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Ballet 1

Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Ballet 1 re-interprets a pas de deux from the ballet classic Don Quixote. Traditionally performed by a male and female duo, it is now performed by two male dancers, Étienne Ferrère and Lucas Jerkander. Set on a tennis court, they use slow motion to amplify the exquisite details and technical precision of the choreography. This allows the viewers to see in the video the control and angles that would have escaped their attention in stage performances. Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Ballet 1 challenges the conventional methods of traditional ballet while examining the artistic journeys of Étienne and Lucas.

Performers Étienne Ferrère, Lucas Michael

Concept, Choreographer and Artistic Director Joseph Lee 

Director and Producer Kitty Yeung

Episode 2: Slow Dance (Zoomed In): A Green Leaf

Dancer Gigi Yang revisits her Chinese folk dance A Green Leaf, which brought her the highest accolade at the Taoli World Dance Competition. In the video Slow Dance (Zoomed In): A Green Leaf, she re-interprets her winning work in slow motion. As the past and the present overlap, she retraces how she pursued her dream more than two decades ago and ruminates her current thoughts. The dance, which she honed for years, has since become a celebrated model and is taught widely in dance circles in various places. It stands as a testament to her formative years and a revelation of the wisdom and insight her body has gathered over time.

Performer Gigi Yang

Concept, Choreographer and Artistic Director Joseph Lee 

Director and Producer Kitty Yeung

Episode 3: Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Basic Moves 1

In Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Basic Moves 1, dancers Ong Yong Lock and Elsie Chu draw inspiration from their daily basic training to choreograph a set of movements that blends the vocabulary of ballet, Chinese dance, and modern dance. Beginning with their eyes closed, the duo attempts to complete the entire sequence in sync at an extremely slow pace. As they go back and forth between a boat and the theatre, they trace their migration from different places to Hong Kong and build their career in dance over the years. Together, slowly and stoically, they use their bodies to feel the passage of time as they move between the swaying boat and the empty black box theatre. 

Performers Ong Yong Lock, Elsie Chau

Concept, Choreographer and Artistic Director Joseph Lee 

Director and Producer Kitty Yeung

Episode 4: Slow Dance (Zoomed In): Latin Dance 1

In this film, two acclaimed local Latin dancers, Cedric Chan and Jennifer Tin re-interpret a dance that is a milestone in their career. Performing a long-drawn-out version of the Paso Doble on a bustling waterfront, they strike a strong contrast with the surrounding ambiance. As the minutes go by, their flamboyant, sweeping dance becomes part of the flow of the crowds. Through the onlookers’ gaze, a new angle on Latin dance emerges.

Performers Cendric Chan, Jennifer Tin

Concept, Choreographer and Artistic Director Joseph Lee 

Director and Producer Kitty Yeung