In recent years, "art tech" has become a buzzword in art and culture. Last year's pandemic, in particular, served as a catalyst that forced the art world to look to technology in its quest for innovative modes of performance and to use its imagination in the development of new creative spaces. The Academy has always promoted cross-disciplinary and cross-media creations. Early this year, Dean of Dance, Professor Anna CY Chan, invited Wong Chi-yung, alumnus of the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts, to jointly work on the experiential installation A HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER and the experiential dance performance OBSERVE. (Click here to watch the installation and performance.) The aim was to engage students in observation and reflection by means of installation art, then have them create a dance work; and through all this, to explore the possibilities for different presentations of the performing arts.

The collaboration came about due to the similar views on art shared by the duo. Professor Chan says that dance artists today should possess more than technique and professionalism; they must also be curious and have capabilities in knowledge transfer and collaboration. "We need to know how to transform knowledge in dance and artistic concepts, and apply them in different areas, such as choreography, teaching and even art administration. We have to work with artists from other fields to expand dance artists' creativity and explore the possibilities to turn scientific research into creative motivation and material. This is what Chi-yung and I always want to do."

Chi-yung jokes that he is the Academy's own "flesh and blood". A Theatre Lighting Design major, Chi-yung graduated with First Class Honours in 2003 before studying French Language and Civilisation at Sorbonne University, France. He then obtained a visual arts degree at the University of Paris VIII Vincennes - Saint-Denis. In 2016, Chi-yung went to Zurich University of the Arts and ETH Zurich where he and neuroscientists studied the integration of mindfulness practice and sensory installation, as well as the relationship between art and mental health. Although he frequently finds himself learning and teaching in Europe and the US, Chi-yung maintains close ties with Hong Kong's cultural circle.

Professor Chan says she initiated discussions for collaboration with Chi-yung after seeing his work To See A World in a Grain of Sand in Brussels, Belgium in 2018, and noting that it fits the School's vision of the future. "At the time, I was drawing up the School's artistic direction for the next decade. There were two main areas of urgent development — dance science and dance technology. Both are hot topics in dance globally."

Future Development Directions

Dance science and sports science are conceptual cousins. Both concern physiology, psychology, biomechanics, nutrition and scientific knowledge. Dance science uses evidence-based scientific research to help dance artists improve performance, reduce the chance of strain and injury, and build more promising career prospects.

Professor Chan points out that dance artists on stage are like 100-metre sprinters. "We, like elite athletes, need to develop explosive power, precision and endurance to be able to do multiple turns or perform other complex and extreme movements on stage. Balance between mental and physical development is also important. Improving dance artists' mental well-being and psychological health prolongs their careers as performers. One might think dance artists reach their peak at 40 and it's all downhill from there, but if they take good care of their physical and mental health during training and their performance career, they can continue to perform beyond 50 or 60."

To complement such development, the School has invested much time and effort in developing the hardware and "software". This includes opening a Dance Science Lab that collects students' fitness data for assessment and analysis, so training times can be adjusted accordingly. In terms of "software", the School has all it takes to nurture future talent. "One of our dance science lecturers was an MFA in Dance student at the Academy. After graduating, she went to the UK to take a Master's in Dance Science and stayed there to work. She has now returned and is teaching dance science at the School." (To initiate more discussion about the discipline, the School's Dance Science Team has launched a webinar series entitled Optimizing Dancer Potential, inviting practitioners to share their experience working with dancers to improve their performance, health, wellbeing and creativity. Click here to revisit the webinars.)

Dance technology, on the other hand, is the application of technology and multimedia in different aspects in dance, such as integrating film technology or virtual reality into dance. The School has a Dance & Technology Studio that provides a host of multimedia equipment to support faculty and students as they create, research and explore. "Dance performance is no longer confined to the stage, and can be manifested in a multitude of ways through different media. The pandemic makes cross-disciplinary creations all the more relevant. Technology makes what was previously difficult possible."

Cross-disciplinary, Self-directed Learning

As a cross-disciplinary artist, Chi-yung's works examine the multifarious possibilities for collaboration between art and science. After receiving funding support from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for his project A HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER, Chi-yung reached out to the School of Dance for collaboration. Professor Chan invited Chi-yung to be its Artist-in-Residence and believes the exhibition and collaboration of A HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER will inspire fresh perspectives in the School. The ideas underlying the work are resonant with the School's emphasis on interdisciplinary learning. Professor Chan explains, "The work shows how cross-disciplinary collaboration can be done. The production opened the door to faculty and students from the Schools of Music, of Theatre and Entertainment Arts, and of Film and Television. Of even greater importance than the experience is the tapping of possibilities for future cooperation." The Academy's Artists-in-Residence usually correspond to the respective Schools that invited them. Professor Chan broke new ground by inviting an artist outside of dance to be the School's Artist-in-Residence, bringing creative excitement and stimuli to faculty and students.

The inspiration for A HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER came from Chi-yung's mindfulness and neuroscience research while he was working as a Research Fellow at Yale University. Alongside the installation was the experiential dance performance OBSERVE, and a related public forum (Click here to revisit the forum) and a 360-degree virtual reality viewing. Every aspect of the project was geared towards maximising learning. Chi-yung designed phased learning sessions to take place in the three weeks the installation was on display. In the first week, Chi-yung hosted a five-day workshop — scrutinising art from a mindfulness perspective with increasing depth, such as pondering "What is mindfulness?" and "What is meditation?"; explaining the creative process, for example, by analysing how A HEAVEN IN A WILD FLOWER evolved from research, and examining its concepts and workflow; lastly helping students to experience mindfulness and meditation. "I taught cognitive skills to help students make sense of their feelings and the pressure they faced, and sublimate their creativity, because meditation is not only about relaxation; it also inspires," says Chi-yung. In the second week, Leila McMillan, Senior Lecturer of the School, led an improvisation workshop in response to the inspiration drawn from Chi-yung's workshop, guiding students to experiment with and respond to the installation. Together, they worked out the artistic direction and choreographed the dance performance. In the last week, the installation was opened up to live audiences. Through interacting with audiences in over 30 performances, students were able to learn as they performed in this unique setting.

Preferring Sharing over Judging

Looking back at the process of collaboration, Chi-yung says he wanted to facilitate students' learning. "So much has happened in the world in recent years. It got me thinking about what I could do for the next generation. Since I am frequently in Europe and the US, why don't I bring back what I've seen and learnt?" When asked what he thought of his Academy "siblings", Chi-yung says he looks upon them as "young friends". "Hong Kong students are in the habit of speculating and catering to teachers' preferences in order to get better grades. That's why I kept telling them I'm not a teacher, I didn't come here to appraise them; I came as their equal to share and let them show their most genuine side." Chi-yung says the topic of his first class was "The Arts (Practice) of Doing Nothing". At first, the students were not used to simply sharing and not getting grades, but after a week, they got used to it. "They learnt very quickly. When we have a platform for dialogue with the young, they go very far once they have gained enough self-confidence."

Professor Chan, who observed the whole process, agrees that this kind of learning brings new insight. "Chi-yung gave them a lot of space to question. Every time I saw the students' works, I noticed fresh developments. When a person's curiosity is sparked, they take an interest in what's happening around them and set out to explore; it's a process that encourages self-directed learning. The project showed us the impact of installation art on dance creation. Students gave impromptu responses and turned these responses into creations of a different kind. This type of cross-disciplinary of art and science practice is new in Asia. We hope the Academy will take the lead in spearheading the development of the art of dance in Hong Kong."

Due to the pandemic, the School of Dance has not organised public performances for over a year. It is ultimately the wish of all dance artists to return to the stage and enjoy the passion and applause the limelight brings. In the second half of this year, the School will turn its focus to performance. Various interdisciplinary projects and exchange with different overseas groups are also in the pipeline and are expected to take place at the end of this year. Indeed the School is propelling the development of dance education through multiple channels.

(The article was published in the June 2021 issue of Academy News. Click here to read the original story.)

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