A delightful double bill by “ New Wave ” choreographers Dominic Wong and Noel Pong , What ' s Next? and Crime Scene! is a recent City Contemporary Dance Company ( CCDC ) 30 th Anniversary programme staged at the Studio Theatre , Hong Kong Cultural Centre .
Two works of very different styles, What ' s Next? and Crime Scene! share the same set design by Yuen Hon - wai which looks simple but allows flexibility for creative manipulation . With a wide white staircase on one side, the stage has an upper balcony --- where performance takes place in Crime Scene! --- and a long white wall down below as the surface for perpendicular gliding, contact movements and video projection in What ' s Next?. The minimum use of props in both pieces gives ample space for the dance. Five square holes sometimes appear on the floor in What ' s Next? for dancers to vanish underground or for floor movements of their exposed upper bodies. In Crime Scene! , the square hole in the centre is retained in the Prologue for the fallen chandelier.
Dominic Wong ' s What ' s Next? makes use of space and technology on stage to create interesting visual effects of “ clouds ” and their ever - changing existence . Dancers dressed in “ cloud ” costumes suspend and moves in the air . Huge bodies of air - filled “ clouds ” make a strong impact , especially the one --- high up above the staircase --- glittering with the shadow of a human body in light . Videos of Chinese text projected on the wall and floor --- telling characteristics of different clouds and the process of cloud formation --- expose the hidden message of the sophistications of human nature .
What ' s Next? is accompanied by the live music of Nelson Hui who sits at the piano in a stage corner throughout the show . Choreography of fluid , simple movements and improvisations tie in with a lively variety of piano music , rhythmic beat , vocal and electronic sounds of nature . A refreshing piece of less colours, mostly white and beige for dancers ' costumes and stage decor, What ' s Next? gives more space for the interaction of visual components and dance movements resembling the clustering and changing nature of clouds as well as the unpredictability in moments of life. To Dominic Wong, perhaps more unpredictable is the outcome of his piece which can only be visualized during the stage rehearsal when all technical effects work out together.
While Wong ' s piece is created towards conceptual and intellectual expressions, Noel Pong ' s Crime Scene! is a mixture of drama, black humour and colorful choreography. A murder mystery is being unfolded on stage in ten scenes following the Prologue where dancers on the balcony, formally dressed up in suits and gowns, stand or sit in a row swaying to the vocal of the Swingle Singers. Standing down below in front of the fallen chandelier, dancer Chan Yi-jing --- who plays the role of the detective in the story --- “ conducts ” the prelude which starts the show with a note of Broadway-style glamour. A variety of cha cha, samba and tango steps, apart from modern dance movements, create colour and vitality in different scenes. Various moods of music ranging from classic oldies to new age compositions add spice and impact to the piece.
With the chandelier rising to the ceiling, Murder (Scene 1) opens with the sensuous duet of Dominic Wong and Yang Yizi but ends with Yang lying motionlessly on the single sofa. In Discovery (Scene 2), detective Chan Yi-jing looks for clues of the murder with careful movements. A dramatic contrast inMissing (Scene 3) reveals the fight of the lovers on the balcony with a lively parade of cha-cha-cha down below. Through a series of Stalking (Scene 4) ,Witness (Scene 5) , Investigation (Scene 6) , Affirmation (Scene 7) , Searching ( Scene 8) and Anti-Stalking (Scene 9) , the crime scenes are revisited and cases reconstructed to solve the murder mystery ending up in the eventual Lost (Scene 10).
The impressive fun and humour in Investigation (Scene 6) displays energetic movements with different weapons in each dancer ' s hand including gun, knife, saw, broken bottle, rope, spanner and baseball bat. Dancers run off the stage up to the staircase beside the audience ' s seats arouse sensational response. The amusing interaction between the detective and the gang, highlighted in shared bites of one banana, further provokes laughter in the audience. Searching (Scene 8) gives a poetic feel amid the frenzy with the music of Philip Glass. In the last scene Lost , all dancers cluster round the single sofa of the murder mystery except the detective who stands apart and discovers a piece of clue in his pocket.
Reflecting the innovative spirit of the new generation of choreographers, What ' s Next? and Crime Scene! demonstrate the endless creative possibilities of contemporary dance theatre.
「看舞‧析舞‧論舞——舞蹈賞析及評論寫作計劃」由國際演藝評論家協會（香港分會）和香港舞蹈聯盟合辦及統籌。
本網站內一切內容之版權均屬國際演藝評論家協會（香港分會）及原作者所有，未經本會及/或原作者書面同意，不得轉載。