Press Release - For immediate release
24th Hong Kong Dance Awards 2023
- First on-stage Award Ceremony and Gala Performance since 2019
- 16 awards presented for an outstanding year in 2022
21 April 2023 – Hong Kong Dance Alliance (HKDA) is delighted to announce the recipients of the 24th Hong Kong Dance Awards, which were presented on stage to warm applause from an enthusiastic audience at Kwai Tsing Theatre Auditorium at 7:30pm on Saturday 21 April. A total of 16 awards were presented, including the Distinguished Achievement Award and 15 awards decided by a jury of expert panelists.
‘It’s great to be back on stage!’ said Alliance Chair Allen Lam, welcoming the return of the traditional live Awards Ceremony and Gala Performance. ‘This was a wonderful evening and a truly joyous occasion with the Hong Kong dance community able to gather together in person again after so long to celebrate the sector’s achievements.’ A glittering Gala Performance included specially choreographed sequences by artistic director Ricky Hu Song-wei along with performances by Hong Kong Ballet, Hong Kong Dance Company and City Contemporary Dance Company.
More than 50 nominations were shortlisted in 15 categories, covering work created between January and December 2022. Awards Jury Co-Chair Natasha Rogai commented that the quality of productions created in 2022 was particularly high: ‘All the shortlisted nominations were worthy of an Award – the quality of choreography, performance, production and design were truly exceptional and show how our dance artists have been inspired and re-energized by getting back to live performance.’ Fellow Co-Chair Stella Lau noted that, ‘This year the dance sector has taken inclusivity to a new level, with a range of important projects bringing the joy of dance to a wider community.’
Five Awards for City Contemporary Dance Company
City Contemporary Dance Company received no fewer than five awards. Its thrilling Brown, a new work by leading Korean choreographer Kim Jaeduk, was honoured as Outstanding Medium Venue Production and for Outstanding Ensemble Performance, with Peggy Lam receiving the Award for Outstanding Female Performance for the first time and Kim Jaeduk receiving his second Award for Outstanding Music Composition. The company also received the Award for Outstanding Alternative Space Production for Meeting In-Between Time, which made superb use of the Pokfulam Farm heritage site.
Choreography
The award for Outstanding Choreography went to Ricky Hu Song-wei for his
moving piece The Last Song from Hong Kong Ballet’s double bill Carmina Burana, which received the Award for Outstanding Large Venue Production.
The prestigious Tom Brown Emerging Choreographer Award went to Terry Tsang, who also received the Award for Outstanding Online Production for his thought-provoking Labora-Terry Landscape.
Distinguished Achievement Award
The Distinguished Achievement Award was presented to Lindsey McAlister in recognition of her immense contribution to bringing young people into the arts in Hong Kong over many decades.
Other Awards
Among the other awards Male Performance went to Ong Tze-shen for his brilliant portrayal of the title role in Hong Kong Dance Company’s Nezha: Untold Solitude, which also received Outstanding Set Design for Jan Wong and Outstanding Visual Design for Dan Fong.
Outstanding Small Venue Production went to West Kowloon Cultural District’s innovative multi-media Phygital D: Tsang Tsui-shan – Chroma 11. The Award for Community Dance went to the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts School of Dance for Jockey Club Dance Well Project making dance accessible to sufferers of Parkinson’s Disease and Services to Dance to Hong Kong Exchange for the H.D. X 2022 dance festival.
Please see attached for complete list of awardees and awardee citations.
Awards List: https://shorturl.at/ajFQY
Enquiries:
Ms Vanessa Chan
Tel: 2267 6631
