Student Sharings: School of Dance Choreographic Workshop I Performances

Ballet Students:
Under the COVID-19 pandemic, we successfully completed Choreographic Workshop I performances. In the process, organising an audition was the challenging thing for us. Since we did take care of our overseas students who did not come back to campus. It was not an easy thing to organise a live and a video auditions. Next, communication with each choreographers was another part of learning, we need to figure out who should be responsible for which part of work, for example promotion team, rehearsal team and showing team. When we started to choreograph our work, our dancer's passion was one of the motivations. Also, every comment and suggestions from our teachers and classmates gave us lots of room for thinking and progress. The successful completion of these performances we need to thank our Dean of School of Dance (Prof. Anna CY Chan), teachers (Anh Ngoc Nguyen, Li Yongjing and Yu Pik-yim) with the support from the students of School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts. We would like to give big thanks to them because they helped us to strive for a mask off performance, longer rehearsal time, perfect lighting and audio. Last but not least, it was our first time to perform our works on stage, thank you all for your tolerance, let us continue to learn and grow in the process, and hope we could see a better us in the future.

Chinese Dance Students:
We are so grateful to finish the Choreographic Workshop I. Under the epidemic situation of COVID-19, there is a lot of problems to go through and solve them. We appreciate 3 teachers so much about their patience and attentive observation in this course. During the process of organizing the audition, arranging the rehearsal schedule, promoting and to final presentation of the Workshop, we are “learning by doing” and self-discovered.

Because of the epidemic, we are facing more challenges. Our classes, audition arrangements, rehearsal and the presentation are adjusted within the vary of COVID-19 situation. We had regulated and rearranged the rehearsal and showings due to the Infection Control Measures.

As a choreographer, we have to conceptualize our piece and present it, also having independent thinking. Even learning about expressing our opinion throughout the cooperation with people is very important. Lastly, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to teachers, dancers, choreographers and TEA students to bring our piece to the stage, to the audience.

Contemporary Dance Students:
This year’s Choreographic Workshop 1 had been very challenging due to the current situation, the COVID-19 pandemic. The studio limitations, the endless schedule adjustments, school’s new regulations and a lot more were some of the difficulties we have faced during the creative process. Mainly, we were unsure whether the performance would be face to face or in virtual world.

Nevertheless, we used these tough uncertainties to further widen our individual creativity, be more open to various possibilities and solidify our ideas. With the help and proper guidance of our teachers plus our classmates’ sharing and suggestions, we were able to develop our preparedness and be adaptive with numerous circumstances.

This experience also provided us an opportunity to organize a production wherein we understood the responsibilities of a production organizer, a choreographer and as an independent artist. 

These surely would not fade out and will be brought even after our HKAPA lives and apply it as we face the real world of artistry.