JUMPING FRAMES Curator RAYMOND WONG... from www.danceasia.com.hk
2010-11-12 19:09:24


The only dance/video festival of its kind in Asia, JUMPING FRAMES, is just one of the "must see" events this year's Hong Kong Dance Festival.

Jumping Frames
A Sit Down with Curator Raymond Wong



Since 1979 and under the direction of Founder and Artistic Director, Wily Tsao, Hong Kong’s City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) has built its home audience to over 50,000 people annually and has received well over 100 invitations to perform globally. It’s no surprise they, labeled the most innovative dance company in Hong Kong, are behind Asia’s first dance video festival, Jumping Frames. Having begun only in just 2004 with screenings at the Fringe Club, it is the only festival of its kind in Asia. In 6 short years, the festival has received an overwhelming response from the international community. Curator of Jumping Frames, Raymond Wong, sat down with DanceAsia to discuss.

Tell me a little about the history and origin of the festival.

It started in 2004 with screenings at the Fringe Club. There was a need to develop this art form in China and really in Asia. CCDC started the festival to create a culture where local artists could take their own work because we had nothing of its kind in Asia. There are many other dance video festivals around the world. I think the most famous ones are in New York and Paris.

It sounds like the festival has become very successful.

Yes it has! In 2004, we began at the Fringe Club with a competition, 3 commissioned works and some international submissions. The festival happens every 2 years, so when I arrived in 2006, I began to curate the program. In 2008, we held it at the Agnes b. cinema and the response was so overwhelming from both the local and international communities. We then took the works all over Asia to Beijing, Guangzhou, and Singapore throughout the rest of ’08 and into 2009.

What did you do to grow the festival globally?

After that experience, I had contacts with many overseas programs and I asked for advice, so it has now become the only festival in Asia with commissioned work and competition. We premiere in Hong Kong and then go on tour. It’s quite amazing for me because many overseas presenters are so interested in knowing about our artists in China and Hong Kong. It’s really all about cultural exchange. Screening films is such a cheap way to exchange culture! So we invite local artists to make their own work that shows the vibrancy of their own culture and the arts scene here and then we send it to overseas presenters. In China, there are so many excellent artists to work these days. And we have had the chance of screening abroad in places like Italy, Glasgow, and Singapore. But now Singapore has started a festival after asking us for advice!

What is so special about the dance video art form?

Dance video is an artistic exploration of dance. The art form is widely known by simple documentaries of the dance on stage, but that is not really the majority of works we show. We like to show works that explore the cinematic effects of the camera and works that experiment with different types of technology. Stage performances are so different from film. Dance video challenges people’s perception of dance. For example, when you are watching a performance on stage, you are only looking from one direction, perhaps the front or the side, but when we are using the camera, we can explore every angle imaginable like a top shot. We can also explore movement in various ways by just focusing on the fingers. There is so much more power with film for the artist who wants to explore something they cannot do on stage.

So what films are you most excited for this year?

Oh there’s a lot! But I would have to say UK director Shelley Love’s piece, The Forgotten Circus. It features circus artists and actually runs backwards so it’s very interesting. Plus, I know her personally and she is a good friend. Also, UK choreographer Akram Khan, choreographs a work for his company inspired by the Indian dance form Kathak called If Not, Why Not. Curators from our partners in Portugal recommended their series of 12 Portuguese and Brazilian shorts. Also, this year we have started an exchange with the Pearl River Delta where we try to get different artists from around the region. We have 6 works in that category. It’s funny, Macau is so close, but the arts scene is so separate from Hong Kong. There are 2 artists from Macau showing work this year, one is local Macau and one is Portuguese. They are quite famous in Macau but unknown in HK! I really want to acknowledge the geographical and artistic diversity we have in the festival from the USA, Canada, and the UK to Israel, China, and Tibet. It’s amazing. Please come out and join us!