[中][ENG] 總監主場 Artistic Director's Home: 韓錦濤Angela Hang

總監主場

Artistic Director's Home

韓錦濤 Angela Hang

Studiodanz 創辦人兼總監 Founder and Director of Studiodanz

翻譯Translation: Tiffany Wong

成立一所舞蹈學校的背後 Behind the Establishing of a Dance School

我的舞蹈旅程由此說起，於1990年還在演藝學院就讀時，有幸獲得獎學金到美國北卡羅來納參加《美國舞蹈節》，當時的我只接受了三年現代舞訓練，學院還未設置「Musical Theatre」（音樂劇）課程，縱然「Jazz」（爵士舞）的影子在我數個啓蒙老師的編舞中有跡可循，但舞蹈節讓我初次真切地體驗到在香港鮮有接觸的舞蹈種類，令我眼界大開。其後，我差不多每晚到百老匯劇院看不同演出，並報讀紐約百老匯舞蹈中心的「Jazz」課堂，當中明快的節奏、表演方法及不同的肌肉運用，刺激了我的大腦及身體。直到畢業後，到世界不同地方巡演及到紐約進修，一直感受到的自由氣氛，令我萌生成立一所同樣自由的舞蹈學校的念頭。

My dance journey started here: in 1990, while I was still studying at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, I had the opportunity to participate in the American Dance Festival in North Carolina, USA on a scholarship. Back then, I had only received 3 years of modern dance training, and the Musical Theatre programme was not yet introduced at the academy. Even though I could see traces of Jazz in choreographies by teachers who inspired me, it was the dance festival that let me experience dance genres I seldom encountered in Hong Kong, which was indeed an eye-opener. Later on, I spent almost every night in Broadway theatres watching different performances and took some Jazz classes at the New York Broadway Dance Centre. The bright rhythms, the energetic performance approach and the utilization of different muscles stimulated my brain and body. After graduating, I performed at different places around the world and furthered my studies in New York. The atmosphere of freedom I felt throughout these journeys inspired me to establish a dance school that permits this freedom.

醞釀數年後，我終於在2003年成立Studiodanz舞蹈學校，目的是希望香港擁有一所以「Jazz」、「Jazz Funk」（放克爵士舞） 、「Street Dance」（街舞）、「Tap」（踢踏舞）、「Contemporary Dance」（當代舞）及「Urban Dance」（都市编舞）為主的舞蹈學校。Studiodanz的教育宗旨是「We believe that dance is for everyone」（我們相信舞蹈是爲所有人而設），我希望令每個人有機會接觸及學習舞蹈，並由淺入深，尋找適合自己的舞蹈方向。由一開始，我的目標已很清晰，注入「Street Dance」舞蹈元素，我專程飛往紐約找一些高水準的「Street Dance」舞者來港授課，同時亦聘請本地優異的舞者，分享他們對舞蹈的經驗及知識。

After brewing for a few years, I founded Studiodanz in 2003 with the aim of Hong Kong having a dance school that mainly teaches Jazz, Jazz Funk, Street Dance, Tap, Contemporary Dance and Urban Dance. Our school motto is: “We believe that dance is for everyone”. My hope is that the opportunity to learn to dance can be accessible to anyone, and that each person can proceed step by step to find a direction in dance that is suitable for themselves. From the very beginning, I had a clear goal of injecting elements of Street Dance, and I especially flew to New York to look for brilliant Street Dancers to teach in Hong Kong; and at the same time I hired excellent local dancers to share their experience and knowledge.

韓錦濤在《美國舞蹈節》與當時為表演編舞的編舞家合影Angela taking a photo at the American Dance Festival with choreographer who choreographed for the performance；照片由韓錦濤提供 Photo provided by Angela

舞蹈比賽和舞蹈節之必要 The Necessity for Dance Competitions and Dance Festivals

Studiodanz於2010年舉辦第一屆《The Best Dance Crew》 比賽，比賽種類包括「Street Dance」、「Urban Dance」、「Jazz Funk」、「Jazz」及 「Contemporary」，每次都邀請多個外國專業舞者擔任評判，並於比賽後安排一星期的《Studiodanz Dance Festival》舞蹈節，讓客席評判帶領不同工作坊和授課，而比賽緊接舞蹈節的舉辦形式亦因此逐漸成形。我們希望透過舉辦舞蹈比賽和舞蹈節而提高本地舞者的舞蹈水平，打好舞蹈基礎，學習了解編舞背後的創作意念，培育高水準的舞者。但很可惜，由於多年來《The Best Dance Crew》和《Studiodanz Dance Festival》都是由Studiodanz以自負盈虧方式舉辦，亦因籌辦成本金額巨大而一直未能「回本」， Studiodanz自2016年起再也沒有能力負擔這個比賽和舞蹈節。雖然前路茫茫，但我們不言放棄，也一直在探索更多的可能性。

In 2010, Studiodanz organized the competition The Best Dance Crew for the first time. Genres included Street Dance, Urban Dance, Jazz Funk, Jazz and Contemporary. Each year, we invite a number of overseas professional dancers to be the judges, and we hold the one-week Studiodanz Dance Festival following the competition, letting these judges lead different workshops and classes. The shaping of a dance competition with a subsequent dance festival began to take form. By organizing dance competitions and dance festivals, I hope that local dancers can strengthen their technical foundations and learn to understand the creative concepts behind choreography, so that a higher calibre of dancers can be nurtured. Unfortunately, The Best Dance Crew competitions and Studiodanz Dance Festivals had been self-financed by Studiodanz and had run at a loss due to the large organizational cost, and since 2016 Studiodanz has been unable to shoulder the competition and festival financially. Despite the uncertain road ahead, we will not give in and have been exploring different possibilities.

《The Best Dance Crew》2016評審及表演嘉賓合照 Photo of Judges and Performing Guests at The Best Dance Crew 2016 ；照片由韓錦濤提供 Photo provided by Angela

藝術創作之傳承 A New Generation of Dance Makers

Studiodanz除了教導初階至高階的舞蹈學生，亦致力吸納和培訓具潛質的編舞，由2016年至今，舉辦了4年名為《Chor.Outlet》的舞蹈創作表演，目的是支援本地新一代編舞去發展他們的編舞才能，我們提供免費的指導、場地、燈光設計及後台支援，把舞室變成黑盒劇場，給新進而有潛質的編舞作實驗舞台。我們希望同時開發初中階學生對舞蹈欣賞的認知，也促進舞者之間及舞蹈界別的連繫。

Apart from teaching students from beginners to advanced levels, Studiodanz also strives to recruit and train choreographers who display potential. In the four years since 2016, we have organized Chor.Outlet, a choreographic platform aimed at supporting new local choreographers to develop their choreographic talent. We provide consultation, venue, lighting design and backstage support free of charge, and turn our dance studio into a black box theatre[CL1] [CW2] , giving budding choreographers a stage for experimentation. Meanwhile, we hope this programme builds beginner- and intermediate-level students’ knowledge of dance appreciation, and fosters connections between the dancers and the dance field. [CL1]The chor outlet was show at a standard black box, not at studio [CW2]I suggested this edit for the studio is turned into a black box theatre for a stage for experimentation

《The Best Dance Crew》2016 The Best Dance Crew 2016；照片由韓錦濤提供 Photo provided by Angela

在舞蹈探索的過程中，我盡我所能不斷地實踐及營造氛圍，因我知道創作的路從來都不是紙上談兵，需要經歷無數實戰。作為舞蹈藝術總監及教育工作者的我，希望香港繼續是一條共融的道路，提供下一代更廣闊自由的藝術創作空間，讓舞蹈得以繼續傳承下去。

In my explorations in dance, I try my best to put ideas into practice and to create a productive atmosphere for work, because I know that creativity does not come from just talking. As an Artistic Director and an educator, I sincerely hope that Hong Kong remains an inclusive environment to provide a broad, free space for creativity, for dance to be passed on.