1. 《LIFE+》Magazine
  2. 《LIFE+》Magazine Issue List
  3. Spring 2024 Issue
  4. Performance in the community
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    19 April 2024
    Cultural activities, such as theatre, dance, art, and opera, are often accused of being distant and elitist. Generally hosted in grand institutions or ticketed, high-priced venues, they very often fail to connect with anyone beyond a small group of enthusiasts and connoisseurs.

    However, a collaboration between Hong Kong’s 2024 French May Arts Festival and the contemporary dance company KHAM aims to challenge this norm, by creating a series of cultural events with no barriers whatsoever to attendance, engagement, and even participation.

    From their base in South- eastern France, KHAM, led by Lao-French choreographer Olé Khamchanla, explores a unique crossover between hip hop, contemporary, and traditional forms of Asian dance, inspired by Ole parental roots. His cultural and family background encouraged Olé to learn traditional Thai and Laotian dance techniques,
 and this led to him creating the first international dance festival in Laos in 2010. KHAM, the company, was created shortly afterwards, and since then Olé and his community of dancers have established a clear circulation of works and inspiration linking France to this particular region of Asia.

    Photo Courtesy: KHAM

    "We created this performance to meet the public where they are, in live environments like public parks, markets, and shopping malls. And because this performance is very accessible, it allows the public to be in the performance and become part of it."

    The first two weeks of May sees KHAM present their original work, Intrusion Chorégraphique, to Hong Kong audiences. However, refreshingly, the piece will not be performed behind the closed doors of a theatre or dance studio, and the audiences will be attracted organically.

    An invitation from French May partner, Chinachem Group, will see Intrusion Chorégraphique being performed in Central Market, Nina Mall, and the recently opened urban fossil garden attraction, Nina Park.

    Photo Courtesy: KHAM

    Choreographer Khamchanla described the dancers who will present the work in Hong Kong. “There are two men and one girl from street and contemporary dance. One of them is more breakdancing and popping, the second more breakdancing and circus, and the girl is from hip hop and contemporary jazz and circus.” And should you be lucky enough to encounter a performance of the work, it may be in the form of a surprise, as the dancers quietly emerge from the urban landscape in which its being performed. The first thing those in the space may notice, is the soundtrack, composed and performed by musician Mathieu Vallet. It signals that something unusual is happening, creating a sense of anticipation and tension.

    Intrusion Chorégraphique, which lasts around 15 minutes, is different every time it is performed, absorbing inspiration and stimulus from the surrounding environment. And those passers-by who stop to admire it as it unfolds, become part of the piece themselves, the dancers interacting in and around them.

    The French May has for many years been a pioneer in the drive to democratise culture in Hong Kong, and this exciting original creation by the KHAM company is a perfect example of how creativity can be shared and enjoyed by all members of the community.

    Photo credit: B. Becker

    Performance in the community

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