[中][ENG] 黃狄文的現代舞世界 ―專訪CCDC副藝術總監 Destined for Modern Dance – An Interview With Dominic Wong
採訪 Interview: 謝嘉豪 Tse Kar Ho; 拍攝、剪接 Video Shooting and editing: Ifan yu; 翻譯 Translation: Raven Ching 嗚謝城市當代舞蹈團提供相片及錄影 Special Thanks to City Contemporary Dance Company for providing photos and videos.
黃大仙沙田坳道的山坡是一個充滿活力的地方，因為這裡是香港當代舞蹈的搖籃，現任城市當代舞蹈團（CCDC）副藝術總監黃狄文（Dominic）的舞蹈事業就是源於此，亦成於此。
The hillside of Shatin Pass Road in Wong Tai Sin is a lively place that is also the cradle of modern dance in Hong Kong. Dominic Wong, the current Assistant Artistic Director of City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), also originated there.
從Disco到現代舞
From Disco to Modern Dance
與舞蹈結緣，彷彿是偶然，又似是命中註定。年少時Dominic一心想當演員，曾報考過香港演藝學院戲劇系，當過亞洲電視幕前藝人，與舞蹈很疏遠，對其認識就只限於Disco：「以前與朋友去Disco玩，我從來不會踏上舞池，總覺得很不自在。」投身舞蹈多年的他笑說命運暗中的牽線。
Dominic Wong’s tie with dance may seem accidental, but it could have been destined. In his early years, determined to become an actor, he applied to the Drama School of Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) and had worked as an ATV artiste. His only notion of dancing was Disco. “Before, when I went to the disco with my friends, I never set foot on the dance floor, I felt strange there.” Years after dedicating himself to dance, Wong cheerfully recounted the role of karma in paving the way.
緣分令從來不覺得自己會跳舞的Dominic碰上這門表演藝術：「當年進入電視台的藝員訓練班時，其中有一個現代舞課程就是由曹誠淵先生及其CCDC舞者們教授的，為我打開了舞蹈的眼界。」及後，Dominic在電視台工作認識了一位好友，那位朋友參加了演藝學院的校外舞蹈課程，還自掏腰包請他陪同參與。課程讓他體驗原來跳舞也可以這樣自由和享受，半年裡，他無間斷地參加舞蹈班，完全投入了舞蹈世界。
Wong never thought of dancing himself. “When I was part of the ATV training program, one of the modern dance classes was taught by Willy Tsao and his fellow CCDC dancers. This opened up my eyes to dance.” After that, while working for the TV channel, one of his friends joined HKAPA’s extracurricular dance classes, and paid for Wong’s tuition so he’d have someone to take the class with. For Wong, it was not just cost free, it was an enjoyable dancing experience and within half a year, he was a regular at dance classes, completely immersing himself into the world of dance.
黃狄文於黎海寧編舞的《畸人說夢》中演出。
Dominic Wong in Helen Lai’s The Comedy of K.
攝Photo: Conrad Dy-Liacco
另一邊廂，當時在電視台工作的Dominic不滿足於面對鏡頭的表演模式，與他理想中與人即時互動的演出模式落差甚大。終於他放棄電視台的工作，再次投考香港演藝學院，但這次考的是舞蹈學院：「到學校註冊當日要決定主修哪個學系，我毫無頭緒地看著表格上的選項：現代舞、中國舞、音樂劇舞及芭蕾舞。一位我認識並就讀於該校的朋友(他／她)剛巧經過，我便問他意見，他乾脆地建議現代舞，而我二話不說就選了現代舞。」這些看似不期而遇的經歷帶領Dominic進入他的理想世界：「開學不到半年，我已經覺得現代舞是我所嚮往、追求的。」畢業後，他於1996年加入了城市當代舞蹈團，正式成為全職舞者。
Wong discovered that he was not satisfied with his work in the TV industry; performing for the camera was far from his ideal of directly interacting with people while performing. Eventually, he quit his job at TV and applied for the HKAPA again, this time, to the School of Dance. “On registration day, I needed to decide which major to take. One of my friends, who was studying there passed by, so I asked his opinion. The friend right away suggested modern dance, and I took the advice without a second thought.” These seeming coincidences led Wong into his ideal world. “In less than six months after school started, I was already certain that modern dance was my aspiration; it was what I yearned for.” In 1996, after graduating, he joined CCDC and became a full-time dancer.
通往未知的世界 Heading to the Unknown
為甚麼現代舞令他樂此不疲地追求下去？他如是說：「現代舞令我著迷的是，每個動作都如象徵符號，或帶有情緒、感覺，透過肢體語言與觀眾溝通。我很喜歡水墨畫的留白，不同人觀望都會有稍微的顏色轉變。」間接、留白，相對戲劇中的對白和文字的敘述，現代舞是屬於他與觀眾的溝通媒介，更能引領觀眾進入他的世界。Dominic的言談之間總是充斥著比喻，他解釋說可能與他喜歡看漫畫有關，小時候經常失眠，因為腦裡常浮現畫面和虛擬空間。而他天馬行空的想象是每次創作的推動力：「有一次在開車時抬頭看到天上的白雲，覺得好美。於是我就決定為天上的雲做一個作品。」那是他2009年在CCDC創作的《下一秒》。
What makes modern dance so compelling for Wong? “To me, the charm of modern dance is that each movement is symbolic, each might carry emotions and feelings, a language (that I can exploit). I like the idea of ‘blank space’ in ink wash paintings; the perception changes slightly from one viewer to another.” Compared to the text and narratives of drama, he prefers the indirectness and blank spaces of modern dance as a medium to communicate to audiences and lead them into his world. Wong often uses metaphors while talking about his dance journey, which he explained might relate to his interest in comics. On many a sleepless night during his childhood his imagination ran wild filling his brain with different scenes. His imagination fuels every creation. “Once I was driving and looked up seeing the clouds above, it was so beautiful. I decided to create a work inspired by the clouds in the sky.” The result was his 2009 work created for CCDC, What’s Next.
然而，推動他不斷創作的不只有想象力，還有他對未知的好奇：「創作人就像一個航海家，不停發現新大陸，探索未知……如果有一天我知道創作這條崎嶇路的終點，我應該不會再做創作。」回顧他的創作歷程，他總是在尋找創作的新島嶼，年少時，戲劇出身的Dominic由早期玩味甚濃的舞蹈劇場《男人炒飯》、《歡樂今宵》，到後來轉向純肢體的動作探索的《忽然四季》、《別有洞天》、《思纏想後》，到獲頒香港舞蹈年獎2017「傑出中型場地舞蹈製作」的《拼途》似乎又是另一個創作階段的開始：「創作時我沒有預先編排好動作，而是與舞者一起創作，是我第一個集體創作的作品。」
Imagination is not the only engine driving his indefatigable creativity; his curiosity of the unknown is another. “A creator is akin to a voyager, who continuously discovers new lands, explores the unknown… If I were to know the destination of this rugged road, I would have ceased to create.” Looking back over the works he has choreographed, it’s clear that he continues to discover new creative territories. His highly playful dance dramas, Men’s Chop Suey and E.Y.T, clicked with his early drama background. Later, in Xtremely Four Seasons, Blind Chance, and Second Thoughts, he turned to exploration of pure movement. Travelogue, his 2017 work that won the Hong Kong Dance Award for Outstanding Medium Venue Production, signified the beginning of another stage of creation, “I didn’t choreograph the movements in advance. Rather, I created them with the dancers. It was my first co-creation work.”
黃狄文作品《別有洞天》Wong's Blind Chance
攝Photo: Jesse Clockwork
黃狄文作品《拼途》Wong's Travelogue 攝Photo: Cheung Chi Wai
Dominic說他以編作手法處理《拼途》，打開空間讓舞者訴說自己最私密的一面：「我覺得自己像個導演，創造了一個概念，並與舞者一同經歷這個自我探索的旅程。」他說，作品是從舞者自身的故事出發，這些故事讓他深深感動，而且加深彼此了解。舞作以喬楊述說姐妹情的一支獨舞開始，這使Dominic印象深刻：「在創作初期，她不知道如何啟齒講述自己的故事，但經過了一段時間互相溝通及動作試驗後，她漸漸打開了一個世界。那次創作經歷非常值得回味，甚有價值。」
Wong made use of the dancers as collaborators in choreographing Travelogue, making room for them to reveal their most intimate selves. “I considered myself the director. I created the concept, and experienced the journey of self-exploration with the dancers.” The work started with the dancers’ own stories, narratives that deeply moved him and let them get to know each other better as well. The work starts with a solo for Qiao Yang about her sister. The experience was an impressive one, “In the early stages, she (QiaoYang) didn’t know how to begin to tell her own story. However, after some discussion and movement trials, she slowly opened-up. It was a very valuable and memorable experience.”
黃狄文的作品《拼途》於香港舞蹈年獎2017獲頒「傑出中型場地舞蹈製作」。
Wong receiving Hong Kong Dance Award for Travelogue.
攝Photo: Mark Lam
不離不棄二十年
Twenty Years of Rebirth
在CCDC工作了二十年，從舞蹈員、編舞，到副藝術總監，舞團之於他，是孕育他成長的園地。但Dominic坦言過去二十年多次萌生離團的念頭。第一次是初入團的兩至三年，當時希望把握年輕時出國見識；但最終為了身邊人留下。
Working with CCDC for 20 years, going from dancer, to choreographer, to assistant artistic director, the company is where Wong has grown up. He is candid in revealing that he has thought about leaving more than once. The first time was after he had been with the company for two or three years, he thought of going abroad to gain more exposure, but eventually stayed on for the sake of the people close to him.
2006年中，當時的Dominic的舞蹈生涯已有十年光景，開始思考慮自己的前路，更想尋覓新鮮感和新衝擊，再次生離團的念頭。湊巧在這時候舞團邀請他編舞，創作短編作品的機會為他舞蹈路途帶來新鮮感和新衝擊。直到2012年，他終於編了第一個長篇作品《別有洞天》，他說：「創作令我似火鳳凰般重生、再生又再生。」
In 2006, after ten years with the company, Wong reflected on what he had accomplished and what he wanted to do in the future. Looking for fresh ideas and new insights, he thought about quitting the company again. But then, the company invited him to choreograph. It was an opportunity he jumped at, creating shorter works for mixed-bill programs, and then, in 2012, his first full-length piece Blind Chance. “To create, I am reborn like a phoenix, again and again."
去年，他接任CCDC副藝術總監一職，曾經歷過舞蹈生涯高低起伏的他，希望每個演出都可以讓團員保持對表演的新鮮感。為此他特別為每個作品度身訂造工作坊，為團員帶來新視野同時也為新作品作準備。例如今年桑吉加和鄧樹榮在《後感性．實相》製作期間就邀請了吳偉碩（梵谷）、黃俊達聯同鄧樹榮教授戲劇和形體劇場；黃振邦的《恐．集》製作期間則安排了巴西柔術和詠春課堂，而Dominic的《小王子》就有面具和形體的工作坊。Dominic認為當每個作品的題材都不同，這些工作坊就像一本字典供團員學習如何應對新作品的排練。除了針對演出而設的工作坊，他亦著重以舞蹈課鞏固團員的身體訓練。
Last year, Wong was promoted to the post of Assistant Artistic Director of CCDC. With his own career ups and downs in mind, he wanted to help company members bring freshness to every performance. Therefore, he designed workshops for each production that prepared dancers for the new perspective of the work. For instance, during the production of Sang Jijia and Tang Shu-wing’s Post-Perception / Transcendence, he invited Andy Ng Wai-Shek and Ata Wong to teach drama and movement theatre sessions with Tang Shu-wing. During the choreographic rehearsals for Bruce Wong’s Why Not Kill Us All…, he scheduled Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and Wing Chun classes and arranged mask and movement workshops for his own production of The Little Prince. According to Wong, each work has its own vocabulary, and these workshops are the dictionaries that help dancers learn the different language of the work. Apart from production-oriented workshops, he also stresses the importance of the daily technique class to strengthen the body and further develop an artist’s range.
2017年，黃狄文（左一）、曹誠淵（前）與一眾CCDC舞者到以色列巡演。
Wong (first from left), Willy Tsao (below) and dancers during 2017 Israel tour.
圖片由CCDC提供。Photo provided by CCDC.
除了藝術方向，作為副藝術總監，還須處理舞團的行政及策劃，Dominic說：「這個行政崗位與我之前的舞蹈或創作的工作很大差別。我像回到孩提階段，由零開始學習所有事情，例如文書或行政程序等事情。幸好舞團各部門同事都很樂意幫忙。」個性隨和、平易近人的Dominic，一向親和力十足，舞團上下人員都很喜愛他，難怪連曹誠淵先生也以「暖男」稱讚他。
Apart from the company’s artistic direction, the assistant artistic director is also responsible for managing the administration and planning of the company. Wong described, “This administrative role contrasts significantly from my previous dancing and creative work. I had to start from zero to learn about everything, from paperwork to administrative procedures, like a child. I am glad that colleagues from every department are all very helpful.” Warm-hearted and easy-going, Wong has won over the team with his gracious manner. Every member of the company likes him, and Willy Tsao, CCDC’s founder and Artistic Director, calls him the “Caring Guy”.
加入香港的現代舞界二十年，他憶起當年剛畢業的自己，身處於香港舞蹈界百花齊放的時代。當時多空間、東邊舞蹈團、動藝，還有很多師兄師姐已經一直為香港的現代舞蹈默默耕耘。到今天西九文化區、康文署、民政署、香港藝術發展局對舞蹈界的支持亦比二十年前多。前人種樹，後人乘涼，Dominic認為現在是開花結果的時候：「我希望見到香港的舞蹈文化成熟起來，並將香港人的『新奇視野』與世界分享。」他上任之後，除了舞團固有的一些計劃外，亦已經部署了一些新項目，希望為舞團和團員帶來更積極的發展，甚至香港年青一代舞者提供展示實力的平台，讓有志創作的編舞帶來更多走向國際舞壇的機會。
Having been a figure in Hong Kong’s modern dance circle for 20 years, Wong reflected that he graduated at a time when Hong Kong’s dance scene was beginning to flourish. It was a time when there was plenty of space for growth. Y-Space, E-side Dance Company, DanceArt Hong Kong, and other companies founded by early graduates of the HKAPA steadily contributed to the growth of Hong Kong’s modern dance. Because of their work, today, there is better support from West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Home Affairs Bureau, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for the dance sector. They ‘planted the walnuts and pears for their heirs’. Wong thinks that it is the right time to reap the benefits. “I would like to see Hong Kong’s dancing culture ripen, and share Hong Kong’s ‘exotic perspective’ with the world.” After assuming his new post, Wong has established several new projects to bring better development for the company and its dancers. He envisages that these can even serve as a platform for the next generation of dancers to show their talents, and for bringing about more opportunities for them in the international dance scene.
對於本地的現代舞發展，他希望盡力為它做些事情，他說：「我身為一位土生土長的藝術家，當我有最後一口氣，都不會離棄對舞蹈藝術的追求。」
“I am a local artist. I could not leave behind Hong Kong’s modern dance development. I would like to continue doing something for it until my last breath."
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謝嘉豪 Tse Kar Ho
生於香港。畢業於聖若瑟大學哲學系。從事文字及編輯工作外，亦兼具多年表演經驗，現任舞踏藝團「以太劇場」團長。
From the University of Saint Joseph. Apart from writing and editing, he is also a performer and is currently director of Theatre Aether.
