While editing "Choreographing History," choreographer Susan Leigh Foster elucidates choreography as a mode of narrating history and a point of intersection between the body and cultural contexts and plays a crucial role in the transmission of knowledge. The #DANCELESS complex 2026 focuses on "traditions in our times", entering traditional cultures and dance through the lens of contemporary performance and examining the tensions and contradictions of identity politics in post-colonial regions. Especially noteworthy is how Western theatrical dance has defined and standardized the aesthetics and concepts of mainstream contemporary dance education.
In the context of globalization, creators from different regions are all seeking the root of aesthetics and positioning themselves in relation to their own cultures. This particular initiative focuses on creators in the Asia-Pacific region, delving into the relationships between performance, theatrical dance, traditional body practices, and identity by questioning traditions.
This initiative will organize a series of cultural exchanges to foster mutual understanding among different regions. It not only represents current artistic practices but also encompasses wisdom and traditions passed down through historical and cultural legacies. By utilizing a residency approach, diverse situations, practices, and developmental paths in various regions will be observed. Ideas distilled from creative performances will shed light on how traditional concepts are imagined in the present day by the wider audience.
Compared to Western countries, the development of contemporary dance in Hong Kong and the Asia-Pacific region, especially with a focus on residencies, is still in its early stages. However, residency programs are crucial for broadening artists' horizons. They provide artists with work/rehearsal and living spaces, allowing them to focus on completing their projects and building networks within the local community, cultural institutions, and the public. Moreover, multi-stage residencies can provide creators and design teams with time, alleviating the pressure of tight deadlines, allowing more space to experiment with new forms of expression, and gathering feedback to refine their work.
Unlock Dancing Plaza will collaborate with contemporary dance units from four different regions, including the Mainland's Ergao Dance Production Group, Singapore's Dance Nucleus, Taipei's Thinkers’ Studio, and Melbourne's Dancehouse, to establish a deep contemporary dance and performing arts network in the Asia-Pacific region. The four groups, in addition to being similar in terms of resource scale and artistic vision, have also been continuously exploring the relationship between their cultural traditions, contemporary society, and theater performances in recent years. Australia and Taiwan have been very focused on indigenous cultures over the past decade and also re-evaluating the transmission, circulation, and dialogue methods that bring traditional practices in line with contemporary society. On the other hand, Ergao in Guangzhou focuses on traditional South Chinese culture and issues related to bodily movement and migration. The situation in Singapore is similar to that of Hong Kong; its local culture is formed by the blending of various Chinese and Western cultures, influenced by neighboring regions, and is also in the stage of seeking and establishing its own cultural identity.