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Natasha Rogai

Kung Fu Artistry is a new work by the Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) that marks the 85th anniversary of the birth of the great Bruce Lee, one of Hong Kong’s best-loved and most celebrated sons.
Subtitled Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way, this dance drama explores his philosophy as well as his life and martial arts prowess.
Visually stunning and filled with evocative images and music, the production features thrilling martial arts choreography and a tremendous performance by Ong Tsz-shen as Lee.
With the premiere taking place as the terrible fires still burned at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the mood was subdued and a minute of silence was held before the performance began.
As the city came together in grief and shock, this was a fitting moment to celebrate Lee, an iconic symbol of the Hong Kong spirit of resilience, determination and fortitude. In a touching introductory speech, his daughter Shannon recalled how much he loved Hong Kong and how important it was to him.
That love was reciprocated in Kung Fu Artistry. Yang Yuntao, its choreographer and HKDC’s artistic director, and dramaturge Simon Wang Haoran tell Lee’s story with palpable affection and reverence through a series of snapshots from key periods in his life.

Created in cooperation with the Bruce Lee Foundation, the production vividly evokes this legendary figure through extracts from his letters, as well as photos (including many family photos) and video.
The first scene gives a colourful portrait of Hong Kong life in the 1950s, with the young Lee trying out everything from Chinese opera (his father was an opera performer) to Western-style boxing and ballroom dance – he was, as his daughter reminded us, the chacha champion of Hong Kong. He goes on to discover kung fu and gets into street fights.
The story continues through Lee moving to the US, creating his renowned martial arts system, jeet kune do (“way of the intercepting fist”), and ultimately achieving international cinema stardom.
Yang’s accomplished choreography ranges from the lively, upbeat opening with its 1950s dance references to thrilling displays of martial arts and intense solos embodying tenets of Lee’s philosophy. In the midst of all the high-octane movement comes a poignantly tender moment where Lee’s wife Linda, finding him asleep in a chair, gently takes a book from his hand and switches off the light.

The strongest scenes are in the first half of the show. The second loses momentum: the depiction of Lee’s film career is oddly elliptic, briefly referencing his best-known films and costumes, while a mass routine of martial artists practising with nunchuks, a weapon much identified with Lee, is too repetitive, although well performed.
For the past eight years, HKDC’s dancers have undergone rigorous martial arts training, making the company ideally placed to pay tribute to Lee’s life and work. Their impressive skills have already been on display in previous productions incorporating martial arts elements and here they surpassed themselves.
This was a brilliant demonstration of kung fu from the entire ensemble, men and women alike, with a special word for Lee Chia-ming’s breathtaking solos.
The thread that binds the show together is Ong’s consummate portrayal of Lee, from feisty, cocky teenager to mature martial arts master and blasé film star. His dazzling speed, control and balance in the martial arts sections contrast with the effortless fluidity of movement in the “Like Water” solo, personifying Lee’s famous words: “Be shapeless, like water.”

Technically, the production is a tour de force. Man Lim-chung’s art direction gives a suitably cinematic feel, with Jan Wong’s elegantly minimalist sets enhanced by Henry Lam’s video design and spectacular lighting from Korea’s Ryou Back-hee.
Patrick Lui’s superb score combines jazz with Chinese music, with much of the music played live on stage by a band headed by Lui himself on piano, while Martin Lai’s skilful sound design lets us hear Lee’s voice through his own words.
“Kung Fu Artistry – Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way”, Hong Kong Dance Company, continues at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre until December 7. Reviewed: November 27.


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Thrilling Bruce Lee dance show explores Hong Kong star’s life and career

Ong Tze-shen gives a consummate portrayal of Bruce Lee in the Hong Kong Dance Company’s “Kung Fu Artistry”. Photo: Arliugraphy, courtesy of HKDC

Eight years of rigorous martial arts training sees the Hong Kong Dance Company’s dancers ideally placed to pay tribute to Lee’s life and work. Photo: Arliugraphy, courtesy of HKDC

Ong Tze-shen (centre, in glasses) performs as the young Bruce Lee in a scene from the show. Photo: Ray Cheung

The opening scene of “Kung Fu Artistry” gives a colourful portrait of Hong Kong life in the 1950s. Photo: Worldwide Dance Project

How Bruce Lee hit the big time in 1972 and other Hong Kong cinema highlights that year

Bruce Lee in a still from Fist of Fury. The 1972 movie cemented the martial arts actor’s superstar status in the Hong Kong cinema industry. Photo: Criterion Collection

Bruce Lee in a still from The Big Boss (1971). Photo: Criterion Collection

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Bruce Lee in a still from Fist of Fury (1972). Photo: Hong Kong Film Archive

(From left) Chan Koon-tai, Ti Lung and David Chiang in a still from Young People (1972), directed by Chang Cheh.

Tina Chin Fei (left) is pictured alongside Madame Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno (centre) and Sir Run Run Shaw (back row) in 1970. Photo: SCMP

 Wang Chung (right) and Wang Kuang-yu in a still from Four Riders (1972).

(From left) Wang Chung, Ching Li and Yueh Hua in a still from The Web of Death (1976).

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Chan Koon-tai in a still from Man of Iron (1972). The Hong Kong actor, known more for his kung fu skills than his looks, became a big star in the 1970s.

Bruce Lee and Unicorn Chan visit director Chang Cheh (left) and actors David Chiang and Chan Koon-tai on the set of The Blood Brothers (1973). Photo: Celestial Pictures

Chan Koon-tai (centre) in a still from Man of Iron.

Chan Koon-tai (left) in a still from Killer Constable (1980).

Chan Koon-tai (left) in a still from Killer Constable.

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Lifestyle

Arts

‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts


‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts.


World of performing arts

Bruce Lee

Martial arts

Hong Kong culture

An assessment or critique of a service, product or creative endeavour.  Film reviews, restaurant reviews, reviews of art exhibitions. (Eg. Crazy Rich Asians: an important film, yes, but a good one?)


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.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts

‘Kung Fu Artistry: Bruce Lee’s No Way as Way’ by the Hong Kong Dance Company is a powerful mix of dance and martial arts