Chinese mainland dance dramas embraced in Hong Kong

The dance drama The Red Detachment of Women is staged in Hong Kong. Photo: Courtesy of National Ballet of China

An array of Chinese mainland dance dramas swept across Hong Kong over the New Year's Day holidays as the sell-out dramas attracted throngs of  local residents, the Chinanews reported on Sunday.

Their popularity has been attributed to their high quality, fusion of China and Western culture, and Hong Kong film elements with Chinese mainland dance dramas such as the Red Detachment of Women, Wing Chun, The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting and Swan Lake. 

The National Ballet of China's version of Swan Lake, directed by renowned Russian ballet star Natalia Makarova, maintains the traditional Russian style of the choreographer while integrating the artistic elements of the British and US versions. The Red Detachment of Women, a modern ballet, combines the unique elements of Chinese classical dances and traditional operas based on Western classic ballet.
"It's very exciting to see this dance drama again in Hong Kong today, and it's very close to the first edition I remember," a local audience member surnamed Wang said. 

Wing Chun also has drawn a large number of local audiences without a hitch with its Hong Kong movie style. "What our generation remembers about Hong Kong is Hong Kong movies," Zhou Liya, the choreographer-director of Wing Chun, said.

It hasn't just been Hong Kong people who have been embracing these dance dramas as the Chinese Intangible Cultural Heritage Inheritance School Promotion Programme also launched in Hong Kong on December 11, 2023. It aims to promote fine traditional Chinese culture among younger generations in Hong Kong and put into practice promotional activities related to fine traditional Chinese culture. 

Since 2019, Hong Kong has held a series of activities to deepen recognition of literary development for people in the Chinese mainland. In October 2024, the city will organize the 4th Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Culture and Arts Festival, boosting cultural links within the Greater Bay Area, Chinanews reported.