[Eng] The Second Hong Kong International Inclusive Dance Festival 2024

Written by : Augustine Mok Chiu-yu & Benis Cheng

Photo credit provided by CCCD

The Second Hong Kong International Inclusive Dance Festival (HKIIDF) took place in 2024. Co-organised by Centre For Community Cultural Development (CCCD), BEYOND Bollywood and Eaton Hong Kong, this second edition featured twice the number of activities of the first edition:  fifteen workshops, five shows in three days, six Screenings-cum-Seminars, two thematic exhibitions and a tour of six performances.

HKIIDF is based on the belief that dance has different layers of interpretation: it improves quality of life, educates, expresses and empowers. Dance is also used as therapy and for personal growth, physical and mental health. 

This year’s HKIIDF focused on two themes: using dance to foster inclusion in Hong Kong society and advocating  the health benefits of dance.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

Accessibility and inclusion were core principles guiding the HK Inclusive Dance Festival. In line with this commitment, we sought to provide audio description services for visually impaired audiences. However, due to budgetary constraints, we were unable to extend these services to all programmes, excepted for one workshop led by a Korean artist and several film screenings.

This experience offered an important reflection for us as organisers: resources for specialised services like audio description must be strategically prioritised. It also points to a broader need for sustained sector-wide dialogue and support—from funders, policymakers, and the wider arts community—to ensure these vital services can be sustainably embedded in future programming.

The second theme of the festival was the health benefits of dance. Extensive resarch shows that dance is linked to better health, a position supported among others by the World Health Organization. Recent times have seen a notable increase in Hong Kongers using dance to promote their health. The most popular workshops were those focused on LGBTQ dance, attracting young people and individuals with special needs. Other workshops focused on inclusion, bringing together participants with diverse abilities to learn different ways of creating and expressing themselves through dance. Online workshops led by overseas dancers and choreographers also facilitated valuable exchanges. These workshops enabled interaction with international experts, obviating the need for costly travel. These online workshops demonstrated the efficacy of virtual exchange in promoting dance education, making international exchange of knowledge accessible to dancers in Asia.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

Danceability Performance

A collaborative performance coordinated by DanceAbility facilitator Danny Pin took place on the evening of 12 October 2024.  Among those attending was distinguished dance expert Kevin Wong. who said it was one of the most beautiful dance works he had ever seen.

The piece was created and performed by members of St James Settlement's Dancing Heart 2, CCCD's Symbiotic Dance Troupe and Tung Wah Group of Hospitals' "i-dArt". Nine dancers, some in wheelchairs and some with intellectual disabilities, improvised the piece. They performed according to the principles of the DanceAbility method, a versatile, inclusive method which is flexible and allows people to dance in any style or genre, with a wide interpretation of movement.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

Before performing, dancers get to know each other and then dance to the music together, responding to each other’s movement, freely imitating, interpreting and improvising within a structure decided by the group with suggestions from the facilitator. This was a successful and meaningful performance, which thrilled the audience. 

Other performing groups were also very inclusive as they came from diverse backgrounds and danced in different styles. Taking pride in their presence on stage and performing creatively, they showed the community that everyone can dance. After the festival, the groups should further refine their existing  works. It is a waste to perform them only once at the festival, as professional groups in Hong Kong only do a few shows before creating new ones. The dancers were only able to watch some of the performances by other groups during rehearsals, due to the limited capacity of the JCCAC black box theatre. The performances should be staged in a larger space if possible.  

Films

Photo credit provided by CCCD

The second festival offered a number of film programmes, including documentaries and screen dance creations. Thank You, Let's Dance directed by Alex Lai was a popular documentary, exploring Andy Wong Ting Lam's journey as a teacher.   Films by Ng Sze Wan showcased the work of Breeze Across Us (BAU), a dance group founded by Sze for people with and without visual impairments. In one film, Sze reflected on her last performance at the JCCAC, after which she disbanded the group. In that film, she raises important questions about the support of those involved in BAU, about responsibility, support and the nature of that support. Sze's recordings of BAU's performances gave the audience an insight into the legendary troupe. Viewing the films prompts the idea of an archive for future study, research and for posterity. New dance works choreographed for the screen were a feature of the films shown. The festival also aimed to stimulate interest in screen dance works from inclusive dance groups.

Seminars 

Photo credit provided by CCCD

The seminars were well attended, Ng Sze Wan and Andy Wong's sessions at the Eaton Kino cinema (40 attendees) were very popular. Other notable discussions included a presentation on the future of inclusive dance by Mimi Lo, Cally Yu and Scarlette Cheng. Lo noted that Hong Kong dancers are ready to teach and perform abroad, contributing significantly to cultural exchanges and pointed out that local dancers need more resources. She predicted that 'inclusive dance' will soon become obsolete as the dance world embraces inclusion. Yu emphasized the importance of audience participation,  stating that 'empowerment' means creating experiences that have a tangible impact on the audience. She also stated that inclusion should be a fundamental aspect of everyday life. Cheng emphasised the importance of recognising and learning from dancers with disabilities, while also advocating their inclusion as teachers and choreographers

Exhibitions

Photographs, installations and videos focused on the rights of disabled artists were presented, while public guided tours with live performance presented by blind and visually-impaired dancers enriched the exhibition experience for audiences. These exhibitions were thought-provoking in multiple ways and encouraged audiences to consider how to value the artistic excellence of differently-abled artists and how to popularise inclusive dance.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

Tours

For people who could not make it to the venues, we  took the performances to them – for example, to elderly centres etc. These events proved very popular.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

We are not alone

Inclusion was a key part of the 9th KIADA (Korea International Accessible Dance Festival), which took place in Seoul from 11-18 August 2024. This festival, organised by a dedicated committee, is a remarkable example of a dance festival that caters for differently-abled people from all over the world, including Korea. The event featured solo and group performances by differently-abled people. The Korean Government sponsored the participation of international groups.  The festival  ended with  an online performance by visually impaired artists and an online workshop led by Yoo Sun-sik. At this 9th KIADA Festival, there were initiatives to improve creative activities for visually and hearing impaired dancers, stage facilities for disabled artists, and strategies to raise awareness of disability. Half of our Festival Committee members visited KIADA and South Korea's experience offers valuable lessons.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

There is promising prospect of a partnership with KIADA.  HKIIDF faces constraints due to limited resources. Nevertheless, our process is interactive, leading to artistic outcomes and exciting collaborative opportunities for artists to learn and excel in dance. The festival, involving many groups and participants, can invigorate, influence and diversify dance in Hong Kong. It is vital that it continues to serve as a robust and original platform, thereby establishing inclusive dance as an authentic artistic form.  The guiding principle of inclusive arts is "nothing about us without us" and the organising committee will therefore undertake a review of the festival's organisation and delivery with a view to promoting even greater diversity.

It is appropriate to end with a brief discussion of the relationship between dance and health. This has significant implications for the future. The School of Dance at Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts runs the Jockey Club Dance Well Project for patients with Parkinson's disease, while the Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and The Chinese University of Hong Kong all promote ballet exercises for stroke survivors and Unlock Dancing Plaza runs workshops for carers. The Hong Kong Dance Alliance is supported by the Arts Development Council in a special programme focusing on dance and wellness.

Photo credit provided by CCCD

The CCCD offers three programmes in the area of dance to promote health. One uses dance to improve physical balance and provide psychological support to enable people to walk and move with confidence, grace and alertness. Another helps carers and people with mental illness or in recovery to cope with anxiety, stress and strain. Finally, the  Dalcroze programme uses music and movement to prevent falls and slow the progress of dementia.

Dance will undoubtedly help to build a healthier Hong Kong in the long run.

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Written by co-curator (聯合策展人) of the second Hong Kong International Inclusive Dance Festival:

Augustine Mok Chiu-yu, Founder of Centre for Community Cultural Development

Benis Cheng, Co-founder and Program Director of BEYOND Bollywood