Press Release - For immediate release
25th Hong Kong Dance Awards
- Spectacular ‘Celebration of Dance’ Gala Performance
- 15 Awardees announced
- 2 Distinguished Achievement Awards and 2 Lifetime Achievement Awards presented
21 April 2024 – Hong Kong Dance Alliance (HKDA) is delighted to announce the recipients of this year’s Hong Kong Dance Awards. A spectacular ‘Celebration of Dance’ Gala Performance at Kwai Tsing Theatre on Saturday 20 April showcased the range of dance genres and the depth of talent in the Hong Kong dance scene.
The show included performances by Hong Kong Ballet, Hong Kong Dance Company, City Contemporary Dance Company and Beyond Dance Theater and culminated in an electrifying finale featuring 14 street dance artists. As Alliance Chair Allen Lam said in his opening speech, “We honour the rich tapestry of dance forms, from classical ballet to contemporary, from traditional Chinese to street dance, that together form the vibrant fabric of our dance community.”
Highlights of the award ceremony, with some truly touching moments, included the presentation of Distinguished Achievement Awards to Sang Jijia, presented by Guest of Honour Helen Lai and to Kevin Wong, presented by Helen Ng; and Lifetime Achievement Awards to Sylvia Wu and Mandy Petty, both of whom had children fly in specially from London to be with them. Wu’s daughter presented her with a bouquet on stage, and Petty’s son and fellow tap dance artist, Michael Lin, spoke of his pride in his mother when he presented the award to her. Wu’s award was presented by veteran ballet teacher Joan Campbell, to whom both Wu and Petty paid tribute for her help in starting their careers.
Outstanding Choreography Award winner, Sang Jijia, also expressed his gratitude, saying, "I am extremely thankful to HKDA for presenting me with this award. Back in 2009, it was the first time I received the Outstanding Choreography Award, and after more than a decade, winning it again fills me with immense gratitude and excitement. Thank you all so much."
The awards for Small, Medium and Large Venue production went respectively to Siu Lung Fung Dance Theater’s Run, City Contemporary Dance Company and West Kowloon Cultural District’s Stream of Dust and Hong Kong Dance Company’s A Dance of Celestial Rhythms, which also received the award for Ensemble Performance.
Two dancers were honoured for their outstanding dancing and dramatic work in Hong Kong Ballet’s The Great Gatsby – the Female Performance award went to Ye Feifei in the role of Daisy Buchanan and the Male Performance award to Yonen Takano as George Wilson.
A second Male Performance award went to Ho Ho-fei for his briliant combination of Chinese dance and martial arts in Hong Kong Dance Company’s Convergence,
Leung Po-wing received the award for Music Composition for his spine-chilling score for City Contemporary Dance Company’s Travel of Soul Time AFTER Time.
Striking an international note, the award for Costume & Set Design went to France’s Jérôme Kaplan for his gorgeous designs for Hong Kong Ballet’s Coco Chanel: the Life of a Fashion Icon while Britain’s Studio 59 received the award for Lighting & Visual Design for the dazzling visuals of another Hong Kong Ballet production, Sam and her Amazing Book of Dinosaurs.
Unlock Dancing Plaza received the award for Services to Dance for #DANCELESS Complex 2023 in recognition of the festival’s commitment to facilitating exchanges between the dance community and the public. The award for Alternative Space Production went to Lee Ka-ki’s The Valentine Twists for its ingenious use of an industrial setting and the Community Dance Award to SDZ’s 2023-24 Dance on E Community Dance Project for bringing young and elderly people in Eastern District together through dance.
A complete list of the awardees, award citations and artist bios is attached.
Awards booklet: awards booklet
Enquiries:
Ms Vanessa Chan
E-mail: vanessa@hkdanceall.org / danceawards@hkdanceall.org
Tel: 2267 6631
