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. However, according to some insiders, the HYC was an auxiliary unit of the Communist Party of China (CPC); the arts was a tactic of united front work. During her tenure as chairperson, Aw witnessed how the HYC contributed to the development of dance in Hong Kong, while achieving its political objective with dance and cultural activities. Aw has left the CPC since her emigration to Canada in 1974. This avid dance lover and former underground party member describes how Hong Kong dance made its way through the political and societal atmosphere of the 1950s and 1960s

Dates of interview: 21 and 22 October 2016
Location: Florence Mo-han Aw’s apartment in Vancouver
Recorded and noted by: Lam Heyee
Translated by: Joanna Lee