[中][ENG]香港比舞楊春江——讓亞洲看見香港好作品 Daniel Yeung: HDX Hong Kong Stands Out
曹德寶作品《順》Hugo Cho’s Along; 攝Photo: Eric Hong
古時「比武」，目的之一就是招親，同場競技，勝者贏得美人歸；放眼現代，情況仍然一樣。一月初，一場「比舞」就在香港發生，八位香港編舞帶來八個舞蹈創作，一連三日接續登場，爭取來自台灣、日本及南韓等地製作人、策展人的青睞，期望進而跳上國際舞台。對於本地觀眾，不論是不幸錯過的，抑或是有心重溫的，都獲得觀賞優秀作品的機會，「完完全全集中於作品上，必須透過好作品讓人看見這個地方，沒有其他東西比這個精神更重要」，香港比舞藝術節總監楊春江（Daniel）堅定重申。
From martial arts tournaments in ancient times to present-day contests, the champion is prized for their exceptional skills and talents. In early January, a three-day dance festival, Hong Kong Dance Exchange (HDX), was held in Hong Kong. Eight Hong Kong choreographers brought audiences eight dance works, hoping to charm producers and curators from Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea and win a chance to perform on international stages. Local audiences who missed those productions on their first runs or who just wanted to see them again seized the chance to appreciate these outstanding productions. “These eminent chorographic works form the focal point of the festival, as they are pivotal in making Hong Kong stand out,” HDX Festival Director Daniel Yeung asserts.
一月五至七日，香港大會堂劇院及展覽廳舉行合共六場當代舞演出，節目選自香港、台灣、日本及南韓四地，香港編舞作品代表包括黃俊達的《輕飄飄》、邱加希的《睇我唔到》及《純生》、曹德寶的《順》、李偉能的《回聲摺疊》、莫嫣的《A Major Clown in G-Flat》、白濰銘的《900”》，以及毛維與黃翠絲的《地圖》。
HDX presented six shows of contemporary dance at the Theatre and Exhibition Hall of Hong Kong City Hall from 5 to 7 January. Programs were selected from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. Productions from Hong Kong included Très léger by Ata Wong Chun-tat, Remain Invisible and Unmixed by KT Yau, Along by Hugh Cho, Folding Echoes by Joseph Lee, A Major Clown in G-Flat by Jennifer Mok, 900" by Ming Pak, and Mapping by Mao Wei and Tracy Wong.
這批編舞近年都非常活躍，而且其獲選作品亦是廣受關注，屢獲好評，再加上分別由台灣圓桌舞蹈計劃、日本當代舞蹈網絡、福崗舞蹈藝穗節及南韓New Dance for Asia國際舞蹈節等平台引介的作品，這構成了香港比舞的輪廓，亦連結起亞洲當代舞發展的網絡。
The eight Hong Kong choreographers have been very active in recent years. With the selection of their well-known creations, as well as works introduced by Dance Round Table Project from Taiwan, Japan Contemporary Dance Network, Fukuoka Dance Fringe Festival, and NDA International Festival, Seoul, the line-up of HDX was in place, creating a network of contemporary dance development in Asia.
Daniel在民政事務局藝能發展資助計劃支持下籌辦香港比舞，他說這是一個實驗，沒有現存模式可以跟從，純屬試驗性質，並不知道最終效果如何。至於實驗的核心，就是作品，「好作品就是值得讓更多人看到」。而八個在香港比舞中演出的本地作品全屬重演性質，但這次是要在國際舞台上代表香港，「與其他國家的舞蹈來一個大比拼」。
Yeung was able to organize HDX with support from the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme of the Home Affairs Bureau. The event was an experiment for Yeung, as there was neither an existing model to follow nor any expectation of successful outcomes. Productions formed the core of the experiment. “Outstanding choreography deserves more audiences.” The eight local choreographic works in HDX were all re-runs; yet, in this showing they represented Hong Kong to “compete with dances from other countries”.
香港比舞閉幕HDX Closing; 攝Photo: Cheung Chi Wai
亞洲的藝術節網絡 Arts Festival Network in Asia
香港比舞的由來，要由Daniel的一次海外考察說起，「西九支持下，我到了不同地方去看別人的Networking（網絡），分別去了歐洲及南韓，前者的發展往往令人羨慕，後者的發展近年亦很迅速」，他直言，考察期間已經心生一種「香港要直追」的感覺，同時亦很清晰，香港需要發展自己的模式，「別人自有其成功的地方，但是我們不能只是跟從，例如日本與南韓之間本身的交流已很頻繁，香港除了要加入去，更須思考如何進一步連結包括台灣、新加坡等等。」
The origin of HDX can be traced to an investigation by Yeung overseas. “Supported by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, I went to Europe and South Korea to learn about their networking. The development in Europe is admirable while South Korea has also been rapidly developing its networking in recent years.” During his research, Yeung realized that Hong Kong had to “catch up”, and he became assertive that Hong Kong needed to develop its own model. “We cannot simply follow the success of other countries. For instance, interaction between Japan and South Korea has been very frequent. Other than joining them, Hong Kong has to think about how to further connect with Taiwan, Singapore, and more places.”
「在當代舞發展的歷史上，香港、台灣、日本，以及南韓，大家有著類似經歷，或者曾經誤將仿效西方當成國際化，其後隨著與周邊地區的互動日益加強，大家都重新發現自己，文化發展亦慢慢開始以亞洲為中心」，Daniel期望，香港比舞能夠成為香港與亞洲鄰近地區長遠合作的第一步，「一方面我們將自己的好作品帶出去，另一方面我們歡迎區內伙伴走進來，繼而借助地利，加強連繫包括台灣、日本、南韓、新加坡等地，演好中間人角色。」 而他就選擇了台灣、日本及南韓三地的藝術節作為香港比舞首次實驗的伙伴。
“In the history of contemporary dance development, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea have shared similar experiences, such as mistaking westernization for internationalization. After strengthening interaction with neighboring regions, these places have made a self-rediscovery and gradually evolved an Asia-centered cultural development.” Yeung expects HDX to be the first step for Hong Kong to establish long-term collaboration with its Asian neighbors. “On one hand, we promote our best productions; on the other hand, we welcome regional partners to come to Hong Kong. With its favorable location, Hong Kong can become the intermediary to reinforce connection with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and other countries.” Yeung chose arts festivals in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea to tryout as partners for HDX.
「作為首個實驗，選擇既需要Safe（安全的），也需要Convincing（具說服力的）。」香港比舞特設節目評審制度，為的是要挑選出獲得本地舞蹈業界肯定及認同的作品。至於評審團隊的構成，本地方面就有來自西九文化區、香港演藝學院、香港藝術發展局及香港舞蹈聯盟等機構的業內人士，海外方面則有來自台灣、日本及南韓的四位藝術節代表。「以免變成了楊春江藝術節，反而希望透過他們的眼光增強代表性，以至帶來我自己都想像不到的可能性。」
“Since this is the first trial, our choices have to be safe and convincing.” HDX had a program selection panel to choose locally acclaimed productions. Industry practitioners from West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Hong Kong Arts Development Council, and Hong Kong Dance Alliance constituted the local panel. The overseas panel was made up of four representatives from arts festivals in Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea. “By setting up the panel, we hoped to avoid having a ‘Daniel Yeung Arts Festival’ and increasing the representativeness of the event, bringing possibilities even beyond my imagination.”
他透露，草擬活動計劃書時，原先預計香港比舞的「最好成績」，就是四個香港作品分別獲得四個網絡藝術節選中前往海外演出，結果成績超出預期，不但巡演次數達到七次之多，而且主辦單位都十分踴躍，就算面對資源緊張問題，都會主動提出不同解決方案，一心要將香港作品帶給當地觀眾，「說明作品夠好的話，別人自然懂得欣賞。」
When he drafted the event proposal, Yeung expected the “best result” of HDX was that four arts festival networks would respectively select four Hong Kong productions to be performed overseas. Surprisingly, the results were much better. In the end, seven works would tour abroad; in spite of a lack of resources, the organizers were eager to bring their audiences Hong Kong productions by proposing different solutions. “This proves that people will naturally show appreciation if the production is good.”
「比武」過後，Daniel陸續收到來自澳門、台灣、日本，以及新加坡等地不同藝術節代表的「戰書」，表態將來有意加入網絡，令他相當興奮，「絕對是喜出望外，真真正正做出了成績。」
After the ostensible ‘contest’, Yeung has received ‘letters of challenge’ from representatives of arts festivals in Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, and other countries. He is excited about the possibility of them joining the network in the future. “The response is exhilarating as it reflects the achievements of our work.”
"好作品就是值得讓更多人看到。
Outstanding choreography deserves more audiences."
重演為好作品找新觀眾
New Audiences for Outstanding Works
八個本地作品說是重演，卻非原封不動照搬舊作品上台，「重演並不是單純地重做一次，而是一個持續發展的過程。」Daniel希望打破一種「首演完了，作品便完」的思維；對於重演，他並非僅僅讓觀眾「再看」多一場演出，而是要為好作品尋找新觀眾，同時讓好作品繼續成長。
Although the eight local works were re-runs, they were not quite the same as they were in their first incarnation. “Re-running is not equivalent to re-doing; it is a process for continuous development.” Yeung hopes to get rid of the notion that “a production ends with its première”. He is not satisfied with only letting the same audiences “watch the performance again” in a re-run, rather, in the future, he intends to find new audiences for outstanding productions that can lead to their further refinement.
Daniel對八個香港作品充滿信心，故此大力鼓勵創作團隊上下廣邀過去比較少看當代舞節目的朋友入場，「必須選擇好作品，這樣才可進一步開拓新觀眾，並且抗衡行內那種『一味鬥多』的風氣，你做我又做，作品水準參差不齊。好作品又少機會重演，被差作品埋沒，結果造成了所謂的『伏味濃』，使人誤以為香港沒有好作品。其實香港有高水平的作品！」雖然香港比舞看似是一個把作品搬上國際舞台的藝術市場，但同時也是朝著擴大香港舞蹈觀眾群的目標進發。
With full confidence in the eight local productions, Yeung encouraged his team to invite friends who rarely go to contemporary dance performance. “Only by selecting outstanding productions can we look for new audiences and counterbalance the ‘emphasis on quantity’ in the industry. Over-production leads to unsatisfactory quality of productions and diminishes chances to see good work. As a result, people get the impression that there are no high-quality dances in Hong Kong.” Although HDX appears as if it is an art market that gives productions an opportunity to be performed on international stages, it also targets reaching a wider dance audience in Hong Kong.
香港比舞旨在呈現出香港的好作品，讓更多新舊觀眾看得到，倘若這個實驗能夠繼續進行，Daniel希望平台可以成為香港舞壇的成績表，「大家可以有個明確目標，花時間、用心血去創作，並且爭取入節，代表香港去與區內同業交流」，觀眾又可視為一個「揀舞、睇舞」的指標，了解更多本地及國際當代舞的發展。
HDX aims to present prominent Hong Kong productions to both the usual and new audiences. If the experiment can continue, Yeung hopes that it can become a new paradigm for the dance industry in Hong Kong. “We can work on our dances with a clear target, to represent Hong Kong to conduct exchanges with dance practitioners in the region by joining festivals. Audiences can also regard the platform as an indicator for ‘dance selection’ and ‘dance appreciation’, understanding more about the development of local and international contemporary dance.”
藝術節圓滿結束，也是時候略作檢討，Daniel認為很多地方都值得深入思考，其中在探討「重演的意義」這個課題上，相信已經交足功課，編舞有機會繼續深化作品，重新尋找作品與自己、與觀眾，以至與舞台的關係」，的確，再看八個香港作品時，不難發現當中的沉澱、發酵，涵蓋創作主旨、表演方式，以至空間運用等等，說是重演，其實又是首演。
Evaluation follows the successful close of the festival. Yeung thinks that many details are worthy of serious consideration, particularly “the meaning of a re-run", which many believe has been sufficiently examined. “Choreographers acquire an opportunity to develop their works and rediscover their relationship between choreography, audience, and the stage.” When we review the eight local works, it is not difficult for us to observe reflection on the essence of the works, ways of performance, and utilization of theatrical space. The re-runs are in fact, premières.
"每樣事情都是創作，教書、宣傳、舉辦藝術節都是一次創作。Everything is a creation. Teaching, promoting and organizing a festival are forms of creation."
楊春江，香港比舞藝術節總監Daniel Yeung, Festival Director of Hong Kong Dance Exchange;
圖片由受訪者提供Photo provided by interviewee
藝術節本身也是創作
Arts Festival As Creation
Daniel既是舞者，又是編舞，同時從事舞蹈教育、撰寫舞蹈評論，Daniel過去以不同身分參與過世界各地大大小小藝術節，今次換了角色，他又如何取長棄短，籌劃一個令自己、令他人都滿意的藝術節呢？「我自己都是藝術家出身，覺得每一樣事情其實都是創作，教書是創作、宣傳是創作，當然舉辦一個節都是一次創作。」
As a dancer, choreographer, dance educator, and dance critic, Yeung has participated in numerous arts festivals around the world in different capacities. With a change in role, how did he take advantage of his strengths and organize a gratifying art festival? “I am an artist who regards everything as creation. Teaching and promoting are forms of creation, let alone organizing a festival.”
他舉例，團隊決定將大會堂展覽廳變為表演空間，並特設面積甚大的前廳，為編舞、舞者、製作人、策展人，以及現場觀眾提供一個聚腳點，旨在促發更多分享、交流，就是一次新嘗試。
He gives us an example of re-invention: to facilitate sharing and exchange, his team turned City Hall’s Exhibition Hall into a performance space with a spacious anteroom, providing a place for gathering of choreographers, dancers, producers, curators, and audience.
不過，雖然外界反應相當不錯，但是Daniel明言，如再辦下一屆香港比舞的話，他亦無意照用這個空間，「如果認為創作上不斷重複自己，根本沒有意思，其實籌辦藝術節亦都一樣，我不覺得純粹重現一次就足夠。」相反，他更期待繼續發掘其他場地的可能，並進一步豐富舞蹈藝術節的內涵。
In spite of positive comments, Yeung will not use the space for the next HDX. “Repetitions are pointless when it comes to creation. This is also applicable to organizing arts festivals, as I am not content with reproductions.” On the contrary, he expects exploration of other possible venues to enrich arts festivals.
那麼會有下一屆香港比舞嗎？Daniel表示正在構思當中，並著手尋找資源，除了上述有關空間運用的思考，他亦努力鑽研開拓觀眾的新方法，不過，無論外在形式如何轉變，核心精神始終一樣——作品為本。「時代變遷、社會問題、政治爭議、以至競爭力下降等等，都令香港的聲音、畫面愈來愈模糊，因此我們需要加倍努力，將新東西、好東西找出來、留下來，必須透過好作品讓人看見這個地方，沒有其他東西比這個精神更重要」，Daniel如此說。
Will there be another HDX? Yeung is considering the possibility and looking for resources for the next festival. Other than thinking about spaces, Yeung is also exploring new ways to enlarge audiences. Regardless of the differences in style, the core spirit remains unchanged—being production-centered. According to Yeung, “Changing times, social grievances, political controversies, and declining competitiveness have blurred Hong Kong’s characteristics. We have to put much more effort into discovering new objects and saving outstanding ones. Nothing is more important than allowing Hong Kong to be understood through its exceptional productions.”
