Hong Kong Circus, a non-profit organization, held a “Circus Dream” event at the end of August for 4 consecutive nights (Aug 29th to Sep 1st, 2017). It was a performance combining elements of aerial arts, fire dancing, contortion, juggling, and contemporary dance.
Contortionist: Jodie Yung. Photographer: Geo Yng. Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus.
HK Circus recruited high school students and adults with no previous training in aerial and circus arts, and provided them with training to perform along with other aerial professionals, including two performers from the UK and Japan. The organization aims to promote and educate the public about circus arts and connect people from different walks of life, including the audience, through circus performances.
Silks performer: Maggie Chan, one of the high school students from HK Circus’ Joint School Circus Program. Photographer : Anthony Lam Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus
Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, the performance venue, was truly one of a kind as it resembled a maze more than the regular seating theatre that one might think of for a circus. And because of it, the audience had to physically move through the gallery space to experience the show, which is a unique quality of the Circus Dream. Because it is an unconventional venue, tickets are limited to 50 people per night, which meant the show was sold out!
Silks performer: Joe Lam, professional silks performer and instructor. Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus.
The venue was tall—25 feet tall (ceiling height in Hong Kong is as precious as the guacamole on your tortilla chips, read more in “Pole Dancing in Hong Kong”). The venue was decorated in a forest theme, which represents the circle of life in nature. All 25 feet of walls were covered with green patterned clothes specifically dyed for this show. At one of the corners stood a tree decoration which was partly made of real trunks–even the seats cushions resembled a piece of log.
Flying pole performer: Rhyn Cheung, professional pole performer and instructor. Photographer: Lampson Y Design & Photo Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus.
The show started with a contortion performance breaking through a “shell”–the beginning of life. The height of the night was a fire dance by the Hong Kong Circus leader, Chris Leung, followed by a flying pole act. Together they represented lightning and fire, the destructive forces of nature. You could hear sounds from the lit-staff as it scratched through the air. He used the glowing apparatus to create circles and circles of fire, transferring flames with his tongs to either end, and leaving ambers on his bare hands. He absolutely brought fire to the Circus Dream!
Fire dancer: Chris Leung, leader of Hong Kong Circus and professional circus artist. Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus.
Some of the audience members who were experiencing circus art for the first time were simply amazed by the performances. Many of them wished there were more show dates and more shows of this kind. It was absolutely a great experience to be able take part in this amazing production.
(Left) Silks performer and dancer: Margret Ho, founder of Hong Kong Circus and circus artist. (Right) Dancer: Oscar Li, professional dancer. Photographer: Josh Tam from Josh Takes Photos. Courtesy of Hong Kong Circus
This post first appeared on Bad Kitty Blog | Pole Dancing Fitness Lifestyle Ne, please read the originial post: here
