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Never-never Land

“Never-never Land is a very pure piece with no language, simple set, invasive weighted electronic music, and two bodies. Yet this purity is, in fact, full of trivial emotions and mental knots.” Tang Siu Wa, renowned critic

Never-never Land sighs to the society’s extreme development, it reflects the frustrated situation of the being and passion for life. One almost 50 from Hong Kong, another one barely 34 from Taiwan, these two Asian choreographers cross their cultural boundaries, attempt to seek authentic physical motivation through their bodies, and thus the “uselessness” and “usefulness” in life. Dance, sound, space, time and light, all interweave to evoke the chaotic era that we are all chasing.

When “useful” implies excellent, quick, cost-effective and fulfillment of different kinds of labels, “useless” may be behind the times, yet it is also out of the ordinary and common mind-set, it is a philosophy of living a simple life and brave enough to face the future. “Never-never Land” is a war of fight, a void of emptiness, some sedimentation and hopes.

Collaborating closely with the designer team, we derived a simple set with 4-side audience to explore emptiness in space. We also collected 130 chairs and stools from Hong Kong residents to indicate the concept of turning useless to useful. When audience entered the theatre, every seat they picked implied the choice of unique history and life stories.

Production
Choreographer & Performer Ong Yong-Lock, Chou Shu-yi
Rehearsal Master Joseph Lee
Set Co-Design Chou Shu-yi
Lighting Designer & Set Co-Designer Lee Chi-wai
Music & Sound Designer Steve Hui
Costume Designer Yu Toi-ling
Programme Length 1 hour without intermission
Suggested audience no. 130 pax
Touring Company 8 pax (2 Choreographers & Dancers, 1 Rehearsal Master, 1 Design, 2 Technical Support, 1 Tour Manager, 1 Documentation)
Touring Availability On appointment
Supporting Activity Workshop and meet-the-artist session
On Tour
Kwai Tsing Theatre, Hong Kong
2016
May
Festival Pharenheit, Le Phare, Le Havre, France
2018
Jan
Cloudgate Theatre, Taiwan
2018
Jun