A raving party with desperate dancing souls.

 

As they face the end of their prime years and bid farewell to the insolence of youth, a group of rebellious souls struggle to survive in face of reality. Night has fallen and these men and women find themselves facing their own demons. Rhythmic music reverberates and seven dancers move with desperation, letting lose their primitive emotions. Dance Me to the End of the Night is the ultimate gesture of youthful rebellion, a struggle against an absurd generation. We seem to have changed the world in some way, yet everything also seems to remain completely unchanged...

 

 

 

Our personal feelings are among our most private possessions, but some states of mind are shared. Mao Wei, an independent dance artist, explored the vulnerability that lies beneath a strong façade with the dance theatre performance The Formidable Year, when he reached 30. Now at the prime age of 32, Mao, who has triumphed over some dark days in life, rises from the ashes with his new production, Dance Me to the End of the Night, a creation infused with madness and featuring performers who dance like no one's watching. Such madness does not stem from arrogance, but instead from an awareness that there is nothing left to lose, and the fight must go on.

 

 

 

Mao Wei
The 2021 Hong Kong Arts Festival video version of The Formidable Year gave Mao Wei a taste of boundary-breaking creativity; the subsequent live performance on stage in Macau was described as "confronting and brutally beautiful”. Having reflected on his experiences during the past year, Mao Wei continues this creative journey in a collaboration with Chan Tai-yin as dramaturge.

 

Following the narrative structure of The Formidable Year, this new production with a newly created set, lighting, music and costume design speaks of the resilience and vulnerability of young people in their “formidable year".

 

Mao Wei first studied Chinese dance before immersing himself in contemporary dance. Incorporating the latter with traditional Chinese dance, he searches for his own expression of style and form. Chan Tai-yin, who graduated from The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London, specializes in conjuring contemporary theatre with improvisation. This is their first collaboration and promises to bring to the audience an exciting meeting of expressions through dance and theatre.

 

MW DANCE THEATRE PRODUCTION
Choreographer: Mao Wei
Dramaturge: Chan Tai-yin
Touring Lighting Design: Ho Fu-lung
Touring Costume & Set Design: Ainsley So, Mao Wei
Composer: Tsui Chin-hung
Sound Design: Tsang Kei-kwan
Production: Tony Wu, Volans Qian
Acknowledgements: Mohe Culture, Yiguo Culture & Communications
Live Performers：Hui Hiu-Ying, Li Zidong, Wen Chuan, Su Zihao, So Tsz-Shan, Pan Tong, Mao Wei.