Unlock Dancing Plaza is a promising contemporary dance company founded in 2002 based in Hong Kong, with Ong Yong Lock as Artistic Director and Joseph Lee as Associate Artistic Director (Joined in 2020). Unlock is committed to pursuing innovative breakthrough and theatrical liberation. These commitments are embodied in and practised through its productions. The company focuses in reflecting dance on the basis of individual. Through defining dance in the uniqueness of a body and being free from the institutionalised aesthetics of dance, Unlock deeply believes, “Everyone can dance”.

Curating cross-media, cross-regional, and experimental projects, Unlock Body Lab is developed to discover and show the possibilities of dance in various forms. #danceless includes a series of creative works, performances and workshops that are based on public participatory as the main way of artistic practise. It promotes and deepens the diversity of  imagination of dance; facilitate the mutual exchange between artists and the public through experiencing dance together.

Unlock is a three-time Hong Kong Dance Awards recipient and highly recognised by the dance industry. Its representative works include Jump to Mars, Dance with me, Boy Story. Reborn, Wanderer, serial dance-theatre Walls 44, Chopin VS Ca, and etc. The company is financially supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council since 2009.

Vision

Not only does the initial of UDP stand for “Unlock Dancing Plaza”, but it also means “Unlimited Dance Performance”. The company tries to be free, without presets when we are creating. Not being bounded to any form, shape, concept, imagery, preset, our attitude towards creation is free. Complying with concrete state of life, it shows a performing way based on intuition.

Mission

• Curate disruptive and high-quality artworks to bring a refreshing strike on the audience and the dance scene;
• In the #danceless public participatory project, develop Bodynamics, Body in Time and different participatory creation and performances for students, elderlies and general public to aware their body and experience art;
• Carry out body research through the Unlock Body Lab platform to provide opportunities for local artists in nurturing their creative inspiration and promote cultural exchanges.