Wayson Poon’s Contemporary Dance Work at 2019 – 2022: PHONATE
Conceptual framework
When everything comes back to the beginning, it’s hard to be in a zone of apathy. A 5-hole harmonica and a piece of sellotape on the lips – in this minimalist setting. Rhythm, space and strength hidden in things can be shown through the process of exhaling, holding and inhaling. Under the tone of slow and peaceful movement, the body movement and feeling pull each other, and the resonance of the performance process drives the collective consciousness. The scenario is constantly reconstructed, while the throbbing is extended deeply down to the bottom. In the theatre, once we choose to enter the artwork, the external world projected in the deep subconscious will be re-recognised and re-understood along with the process. Because we are all human beings.
Artistic Practice:
In the common poetic nature of human beings, Wayson Poon will establish various action lines within the theatre space based on his continuous movement research (Note 1). The sense of “Qi” and the action of breathing can be strengthened and demonstrated respectively in the theatre space. The performer’s body seems to be under the pure comfort, but it is full of bitter flavour. Sharing the same rhythm of breath – inhalation and exhalation, the reception of vision and hearing lingers audience’s own dialogue between emotion and self questioning. The air is turned into energy then flows in different channels, producing various kinds of different sounds, rippling in the “empty” space. Confucius said, “gentlemen are harmonious but different.”. “We strive to shake every life with artistic actions in the theatre.
(Note 1: This research explores, develops and builds a movement language that is unique to everyone’s body, guided by the “Qi” from Taoist scriptures, the Liquid Body and 5Rhythms.)
Description of work
When breathing becomes language…
Duration
50 mins
Milestone
2019 Jan – Performance @ E-side Dance Company (Hong Kong)
2019 May – Development sharing @ Dance Nucleus (Singapore)
2019 Aug – Residency @ Helsinki supported by WKCD (Helsinki)
2019 Aug – Residency @ CSC Bassano del Grappa (Italy) supported by HKADC
2019 Sep – Development sharing @ Lucie Grégoire Danse (Canada) supported by HAB
2019 Nov – Performance @ E-side Dance Company (Hong Kong)
Timeline
2019 Nov ~ 2020 May – Asia Culture Council Fellowship (Indonesia & USA)
2021 April ~ 2021 August – “Dancers Practice with Wayson Poon” (Hong Kong)
2022 Feb ~ 2022 April – Rehearsal with dancers in Hong Kong (total 8 wks)
2022 April – Hong Kong premiere at The Box, Freespace, WKCDA
2022 May – Nordic touring performance in Dance House Finland
Team
Choreographer: Wayson Poon
Sound artist and dramaturge: Peter Lenaerts
Lighting designer: L
Producer: Carrol Ho @KALOSProductionsHK
WKCD Producer: Grace Yu
Acknowledgement
E-side Dance Company (Hong Kong)
Dance Nucleus (Singapore)
West Kowloon Cultural District (Hong Kong)
CSC Bassano del Grappa (Italy)
Lucie Grégoire Danse (Canada)
KALOS Productions HK
(To be continued…)
