Dance on the Screen, Movement beyond the Lens

NG SAI-FUN

A lively character in his 80s, Ng Sai-fun wielded a pair of wooden sticks used in yingge dance. While he said he is good at demonstrating dance, he is even more adept at teaching it. He received training in ballet, and studied folk dance while on the mission of collecting folk materials in China.

1993

Toronto

Guangzhou

Hong Kong

An interview of

Hong Kong

Japan

UK

New Jersey

The Cultural Significance of Dance

JULIE NG

Julie Ng is the youngest interviewee for the “Research Project—Oral History of Hong Kong Dance Development”. However, as she started her professional career at a young age, the period of her activities in the dance sector overlapped with that of the other interviewees. Ng choreographed numerous dance performances for the film and TV industries;

1965

1966

1970

1971

1973

1980

1985

An interview of

Hong Kong

Distinguishing between the Missions of “Dance Practitioner” and “Dance Artist”

STEPHEN KWOK SAI-NGAI

Born in 1928, Stephen Kwok was one of the first Chinese males to receive ballet training in Hong Kong, and he is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Dance Federation. Kwok opened his ballet school in the 1960s, which changed the situation of ballet being mainly taught by the foreign teachers after its introduction into Hong Kong. Date of interview: 29 April 2016

1947

Mainland, China

An interview of

Shanghai

North Korea

Harbin

Lanzhou

Hong Kong

Vancouver

1956

1958

1959

1962

1963

1970

Passing on Chinese Dance to Future Generations

LORITA LEUNG

From her early life in Shanghai and North Korea in the 1950s, through her years in Hong Kong in the 1960s, to her time in Canada where she emigrated to in the 1970s and still resides today, Lorita Leung has embraced a lifelong career in dance.

An interview of

Hong Kong

Vancouver

1974

Untainted Dance in a Convoluted Era

FLORENCE MO-HAN AW

Aw joined the Hok Yau Club (HYC) in 1956, and she was the chairperson between 1962 and 1974. The predecessor of the HYC, the Hok Yau Dancing Club, was an arts and cultural organisation active in the 1950s and 1960s. The HYC presented cultural and recreational activities for students and youth, the dance unit of which nurtured a number of dance talents and presented numerous dance performances.

An interview of

Hong Kong

Guangdong

Period of Japanese Occupation

1950

The Zeitgeist of Dance

YEUNG WAI-KUI

Dance came into Yeung’s life when he was a primary school student. He started choreographing in his high school days, and taught dance for adults in a newspaper office by the arrangement of his teacher. Yeung’s solid foundation in dance explained his achievement at the Hok Yau Club (HYC). Yeung was responsible for Chinese dance in the dance unit of the HYC.

An interview of

Hong Kong

A Lifelong Dedication to Dance

CHENG WAI-YUNG

Cheng Wai-yung is a Council Member of the Chinese Dancers’ Association, a member of the Board of Directors and Honorary Chairman of the Hong Kong Dance Federation, Chancellor of Starwave Dance Academy and Artistic Director of Starwave Production. Born in 1936, Cheng is now in her 80s.

An interview of

Hong Kong

Mainland, China

France

1942

After the 2nd
Sino-Japanese
War

1964

1968

Turning Hong Kong into a Dance World

LAU SIU-MING

Lau Siu-ming is a familiar name to Hong Kong people. However, his role as a pioneer in Hong Kong dance before he became an active figure in the city’s pop culture is unknown to most. He studied in France, and co-choreographed and performed in La Robe de plumes (Rebirth of the Phoenix) with renowned American ballet dancer Rosella Hightower.

An interview of

Myanmar

Guangzhou

Beijing

Yunnan

Fujian

Hong Kong

1957

1960

1961

1962

1969

1973

Dance is an Art of Team Spirit

LAU SO-KAM

Lau So-kam is an overseas Chinese from Burma. In 1957, she moved from her hometown to study in Guangzhou. In 1960 she was transferred to join the Committee of Overseas Chinese Affairs (COCA) Arts Troupe in Beijing by official arrangements. In 1962 she received professional dance training at the Department of Arts at huaqiao daxue (the Overseas Chinese University).

An interview of

Berkshire

Hong Kong

1954

Sixty Years of Blessings

JOAN CAMPBELL

Joan Campbell was born in Reading, Berkshire. She came to Hong Kong in her 20s in 1954, and has been living in this city ever since. Hong Kong dance would have gone down a very different path had Campbell landed somewhere else, as she has involved herself in many firsts in Hong Kong, among which most notably was establishing recognition for the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD)’s Ballet in Education syllabus.

An interview of