When Hong Kong Ballet’s resident choreographer Ricky Hu Songwei and his wife, fellow choreographer Mai Jingwen, were assigned to create a new production inspired by Dunhuang for the company, they had what they describe as “an immediate headache”.
Dunhuang, in northwestern China, is known for the Mogao Caves, a Unesco World Heritage site on the ancient Silk Road featuring more than 1,000 years of Buddhist rock art. Over the years, its murals and statues have inspired numerous dance productions across China, all bringing the site’s wall paintings to life by blending classical ballet techniques with Dunhuang dance movements.
“There are so many dance dramas based on Dunhuang themes already, so how could we create something different from theirs?” Mai says.
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