Founded in 1979, City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) has always been a key player and witness of the vigorous development of contemporary dance in Hong Kong. We understand that in addition to the individual endeavour of arts groups and artists, collaborations between parties from different fields beyond dance is also crucial to the development of the art form. CCDC cares deeply about the development of contemporary dance, as such, we set up the City Contemporary Dance Laureate last year, to give recognition to individuals who have contributed to the development of our art form in Hong Kong, and to encourage more input and participation from the public. Following last year’s success, The 2nd City Contemporary Dance Laureate Presentation Ceremony will be held at the fourth-floor foyer of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre on Saturday, 1 April at 6pm. Click here for ceremony highlights!
Mr Maurice Lai (Dance Film Director)
One of the few Hong Kong directors actively involved in dance films, Maurice Lai graduated from the School of Film and Television at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts. Ingenious composition, fluid application of musical rhythms and refreshingly unique editing techniques are characteristics of his diverse portfolio of dance films, which reflect his artistic vision for the interchanging space between the stage and the video screen, as well as the visual balance between the choreography and the audience. At the 2016 Jumping Frames International Dance Video Festival, he presented Boy Story and Rite of City II – Present. The powerful atmosphere in these two works innovatively broadened the experiences towards dance for Hong Kong and overseas audiences, offering a pioneering interpretation for the art of dance video.
Ms Stella Lau (Dance Artist/Experienced Dance Educator)
Chairperson of the Dance and Multi-Arts Panel for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Stella Lau is firmly committed to the promotion of dance programmes in Hong Kong through the LCSD, as well as the investment of resources towards overseas exchanges for local dance artists. Lau and her team understand the limitation imposed by the current performing venues, which restricts the performance of modern dance productions, causing much wastage of resources in terms of both creativity and production. Thereupon, she acted as a key driving force behind LCSD’s commission of CCDC’s Beijing and Guangzhou tour of Dance On Series, which promoted Hong Kong’s cultural prowess through reaching a more diverse audience, while offering local artists the opportunity to revise, refine and further develop their creative outputs.
Mr Wong Ying Nam (Chinese Medicine Practitioner)
Known as Wong Daifu (Doctor Wong in Chinese), Wong Ying Nam is a Chinese medicine practitioner. He served as the resident doctor in Beijing Dance Academy in the 1980s, when he began to treat injured dancers with Chinese medical techniques. He later moved to Hong Kong, where he continued to practice medicine, providing immediate and effective physical rehabilitation therapies to dancers from different local dance companies with his exceptional skills in acupuncture. His patients come from Hong Kong and overseas, spanning several generations. His treatments have enabled dancers to pursue artistic excellence on stage and he has moved deeply by dancers’ persistence and effort. For the past three decades, Mr Wong has been a caring and quiet companion of dancers’ as they strived to scale new height artistically. He is highly respected and valued by generations of dancers, from renowned veterans to rising young stars.