Independent Curator / Choreographer / Mentor/ Arts Critic

Graduating from The Chinese University of Hong Kong with major in Fine Arts and minor in Chinese Music, Daniel is a self-taught dancer and was twice awarded scholarships to study choreography in Amsterdam and London. Daniel was raved by Europe’s BalletTanz year book as “The Choreographer to Look At” and was awarded the “Rising Artist Award” by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) in 2002. He is also a seven-time awardee of the Hong Kong Dance Awards (2000, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2020), organised by the Hong Kong Dance Alliance, and twice acclaimed as “Top Five Best Dance Works of the Year” by the South China Morning Post. In 2013, Daniel was awarded by the HKADC as the “Artist of the Year (Dance)” for his immense contributions to the development of dance in Hong Kong as performer, choreographer, dance critic, mentor and curator. In 2020 (till 2022), he was appointed by the Government as Councilor and Chairman (Dance Sector) / Vice-Chair (Arts Criticism) through democratic election for the HKADC. In the same year, Daniel was once again awarded by the Hong Kong Dance Award with the most prestigious “Distinguished Achievement Award”.

Daniel was granted by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority for an in-depth research on Dance Festivals and Curatorship from 2013 to 2015, providing him opportunities to research on different successful models of festival programs throughout Europe, and building networks for further collaborations with international dance festivals in Asia. In 2017, Daniel was funded by the Home Affairs Bureau for curating and presenting his first dance festival H.D.X (Hong Kong Dance Exchange) as an inter-Asia festivals exchange program festival, alliance with New Dance for Asia International Festival (Korea), Dance Round Table Project (Taiwan), Fukuoka Dance Fringe Festival (Japan) and Japan Contemporary Dance Network.

Daniel is also an active artist specialised in interdisciplinary noiseand international inter-cultural collaboration. He was invited by the Japan Kyoto Arts Centre three times for teaching and presenting works in the International Creators Meeting and “Hot Summer in Kyoto” workshop festival curated by Monochrome Circus, and has been invited two times as an artistic coordinator and choreographer to set his dance works with choreographers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Australia for the Little Asia Dance Exchange network touring program. Daniel has also curated and co-choreographed the multi-media dance work Little Prince Hamlet performed by himself with artists from Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Malaysia presented by the Hong Kong Arts Festival 2005. In 2007, he was appointed by the Seoul International Dance Festival as the artistic coordinator for an international collaboration co-choreographed by dance artists from Singapore, Mexico, Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea.

Starting from 2012, Daniel began with his new partnership with Hong Kong Arts Centre for his new project “Open Dance” as Curator and Joint Presenter, which he had produced 17 Open Dances in unconventional performance spaces with diverse dance forms and categories. “Open Dance” has also won him the Hong Kong Dance Award for his concept and contribution on community/environmental and educational dance category.

Recently Daniel has great interest in integrating contemporary dance and Lion Dance (a fresh take on the cultural heritage which has been around in China, and the rest of Asia, for centuries), and exploring more possibilities of how it can be presented. His multi-media production Contemporised-Lion-Dance works have been presented by Taikoo Place theatre ArtisTree as their grand opening program, New Vision Arts Festival, and JCNAP by HKADC in Hong Kong, also Sanriku International Arts Festival in Japan, and tanzmesse in Germany, in which he combined and collaborated with local and international artists from Japan, Taiwan, Belgium, Italy and Poland, ranging from aerial dance, circus, ballet, contemporary dance and Parkour.

Dance can truly become an international language because it is a “holistic cultural activity” that encompasses the body, mind, and even the soul. Dance can also genuinely represent a place and reflect an era’s pursuit and contribution to the “beauty” of itself and the world, allowing everyone to share in this beautiful realm together.

The biennial “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” has gained the visionary support of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government (hereinafter referred to as the CSTB) all along, allowing us to engage in long-term exchanges with the most important dance festivals and institutions around the world through our most representative dance masterpieces. This enables the world to continuously witness the evolution and progress of Hong Kong’s dance, culture, and art. From the first edition to the present, the global dance connections of the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” have doubled or even multiplied with each edition! Now in its fourth edition, with the highest number of participating international dance festivals and institutions, we have a total of 17 representatives from dance festivals, arts institutions, and performance venues attending the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” to select artists and works, facilitating more than 20 international exchange opportunities for Hong Kong artists, including world tours, residencies in various locations, and collaborative creations! I sincerely thank the CSTB and all the Hong Kong artists for their participation and full support, enabling the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” to achieve such impressive results.

Regardless of Chinese or foreign, East or West, in cultural exchanges, we hope to continue expanding the proud achievement and renowned brand of “Hong Kong as an international hub” through the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange,” as well as the unique position of “dance” as an important carrier of the human spirit and culture!

I eagerly anticipate that the achievements of this edition of the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” and the accumulated accomplishments over the years will not only be reflected in Hong Kong and local artists but also extend to Mainland China and the rest of the world. Special thanks to our close collaborator, the “Macau CDE Springboard” which, starting from this edition, will bring artists and works from the Greater Bay Area of China to the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange.” Furthermore, in addition to the existing connections, this edition of the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” has also established ties with newly joined dance festivals and institutions from different regions of the world, from nearby Laos to as far as Canada, Luxembourg, Finland, and Israel. Together, we share this gift and glory of the “Hong Kong Dance Exchange” with audiences worldwide, enabling us all to venture further into the realm of dance and elevate Hong Kong to greater heights of authenticity, virtue, and aesthetic radiance.

Let us join hands and dance together, striving to put our bodies into action!

A choreographer, performer, and performance curator. Lee was appointed as the Artistic Director of Unlock Dancing Plaza in 2022. His curatorial work focuses on the production, storage, and dissemination of knowledge in the creative process, the dialogue between cross-cultural contexts and cross-artistic mediums, and the modes of physical creativity in community practice.

Lee was awarded the Arts Development Award for Young Artist and the Chin Lin Foundation of Emerging Choreographer. He was also a part of the iCoDaCo(International Contemporary Dance Collective) creation and touring in Europe. Lee’s recent works include “Folding Echoes”, “Unfolding Images: We Are Spectacle(s)”, ”this work has three possible titles:”, “Slow Dance: Something Borrowed”. His works were toured UK, Germany, Japan, Australia, Shanghai and Beijing.

This work starts with a popular romantic dance, then proceeds with bundles of text, sound, and movement alternations. It gently deconstructs the underlying concepts of “choreography” by stripping away presuppositions, giving back the right to define the work to the audience. What else can you see?

Concept & Choreographer:
Joseph LEE

Performers:
Wai-yin CHEUNG*, Paula WONG, CHENG Nga Yan

Rehearsal Assistant:
Andy LEE

Media Designer:
CHENG Nga Yan

Premiere Lighting Designer:
CHIU Ching Yi

Costume Designer:
Trista Ma

Produced by:
Unlock Dancing Plaza

^{*The ‘Arts Talents Internship Matching Programme’ is supported by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council}

Premiere Information
Premiered on 20 October 2023 at Black Box Theatre, Kwai Tsing Theatre, Hong Kong in #DANCELESS Complex – Think with the ( )
Body presented by Unlock Dancing Plaza

Mui Cheuk-yin is an internationally renowned solo artist and dance ambassador for Hong Kong. Her choreography has a distinctive voice and often mixes contemporary and traditional elements. Mui’s commitment and passion to strive for the best in dance have earned her numerous honours, including Hong Kong Dance Awards and the Distinguished Achievement Award from the Hong Kong Dance Alliance for her dedication and long-standing commitment to developing dance in the city over three decades.

A traditional wedding is an extravagant celebration – the bride and the groom exchange vows, the guests offer congratulations, and a ritualised ceremony is staged to symbolise marital bliss. But beneath the pageantry and the couple’s commitment to each other, marriage can signify complex family and social obligations.

Double Happiness: The Promise of Red is the latest work by celebrated Hong Kong choreographer Mui Cheuk-yin. Created in collaboration with actor and wedding chaperone Chan Kin-man – a young male practitioner in a local profession traditionally dominated by older women – the poignant and thought-provoking performance reflects on the thoughts and emotions of those fulfilling their formal duties.

Unfolding in eight chapters, the work draws on the performative symbolism and aesthetics of traditional Southern Chinese wedding rituals, including the giving of extravagant gifts, the combing of the bride’s hair, offering tea to family elders, and having the marital bed blessed by a bouncing baby boy. Around this framework are interwoven allusions to the ancient custom of bridal laments once practised in Hong Kong walled villages, and the legend of Cantonese opera heroine Princess Changping – a Ming dynasty princess who, after staging a marriage to save her family from enemy forces, took her life in a suicide pact with her husband.

Double Happiness: The Promise of Red surprises and transfixes – demanding stamina and humour from the performers, and compelling the audience to meditate on the personal and political meanings of honesty, loyalty, promise and contractual commitment.

Concept, Performer:
MUI Cheuk Yin

Wedding Chaperone (Dai Kum) Consultant and Premiere Performer:
Chan Kin-man

Text:
Chris Shum

Lighting Designer:
Lee Chi-wai

Set Designer:
Yuen Hon-wai

Composer and Music Designer:
Steve Hui

Costume Designer:
Ribble Chung Siu-mui

Sound Designer:
Anthony Yeung

Han is a 34-year-old from Keelung, Taiwan, and graduated from the Dance Department of the National Taipei University of the Arts (Masters). Before the age of 15, she learned folk dance, and after turning 15, she officially entered school to receive formal training in various dance styles such as ballet, modern dance, contemporary dance, and improvisation. Graduating at the top of her class, she was admitted to the Dance Department of the National Taipei University of the Arts, with dance performance as her life goal.

In 2017, she joined Hung Dance and currently works as a full-time dancer and rehearsal director for the company. She participates in the company’s major productions as a lead dancer, and has toured both domestically and internationally, leaving footprints across Europe, Asia, America, Australia, and Africa. She has performed over 160 shows and has received 13 international awards. One of the notable works she has performed in, “Birdy,” has won the first prize at the “New York and Burgos International Choreography Competition” in Spain. Critic Lin Yu-shih once mentioned in a review that Cheng Yi-han’s presence is incredibly strong, capturing the audience’s undivided attention on the stage, almost to the point of breathlessness.

Life is a sentence, and as a woman, the word “shape” exists in my sentence:

Because being in the “right shape” puts me in jeopardy, and being in the “wrong shape” invites ill intentions.

Dance is a journey, and within this journey, I explore solitude: What shape must I take to be free from fear? In my choreography, I utilize popping techniques and pauses to symbolize both the heartbeat and the confrontation of impact.

What lingers from the outside world’s intrusion finds its place within me, as my body convulses and slowly metabolizes them. I strive relentlessly until my heart and body are gracefully intertwined.

Finally, as I turn around and face the world, I deeply comprehend that I am not alone in embarking on this journey.

Performer:
CHENG I-han

Album #1:
Concrete

Composer:
Liam Byrne, Ólafur Björn Ólafsson, James McVinnie

Songs:
Somnoptera

Album #2:
Rêveries

Composer:
Rob Simonsen

Songs:
Ondes

Originally from Laos, Olé Khamchanla grew up in France and discovered hip-hop dance in 1990. Then he trained with various dancers and choreographers such as Farid Azzout, Gabin Nuissier and Storm for hip-hop dance, Fred Bendongue and master Beja Flore for capoeira, Abou Lagraa and Monica Cazadei for contemporary dance.

Little by little, he finds his style, a way of dancing which is his own and which allows him to assert himself on the dance scene.

He was a dancer and co-choreographer with the A’CORPS company from 1997 to 2010, in which he created several shows that set his creative mark. This 1st company allowed him to affirm his status as a choreographer, notably through his first trio “We are all…”, created in 2003 on his return from Italy.

In 2006, he went to Laos and Thailand to learn traditional dances and create his first solo, “Kham…”, a return to his roots which offered him the opportunity to deepen and refine his choreographic language.

In January 2010, he created the first international dance festival in Laos, FANG MAE KHONG / FMK (Listen to the Mekong), which aims to promote and facilitate the circulation of artists from Southeast Asia, while allowing the exchange with European and international artists.

Since then, through the KHAM company created in 2011, Olé Khamchanla has multiplied international cooperation actions in Asia (residencies, training, creations, transmission), and continues to enrich his choreographic vocabulary and the circulation of cultures and works between France and the Asian region.

The artistic approach developed today by Olé Khamchanla is that of a contemporary creation freed from the codes of the dances that he hybridizes, of an incessant search for the crossing of dances, cultures, and sometimes of different artistic disciplines, with which, throughout his works, he explores different themes of the human race, his failings, his fears, his disguises, his interactions with the group…

In Cercle, Olé Khamchanla questions the essence of his dance, from its origins in hip hop to its current hybridity with contemporary dance and the traditional dances of Thailand and Laos.

A solo at the crossroads of cultures with which the choreographer dialogues, borrowing from the West and the East, from street movements and those from the classical arts.

An intimate space on the inside and a zone of exploration on the outside, the circle is also the evocation of a certain universality that can be found in the dancer’s gestures, and of a perpetual movement that pushes him to seek new mechanisms.

A powerful and poetic dance, an intimate performance that shares with us an artistic and existential quest:
how to evolve among the codes that surround us, how to find our path, our balance?

Performer:
Olé KHAMCHANLA

Music:
Detlene

Light:
Michel Vendittelli

Costume:
LychEE

Production:
Compagnie KHAM

Coproductions:
Théâtre du Vellein – Villefontaine (Fr) Pôle Sud CDCN de Strasbourg (Fr)

Soutiens:
DRAC Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Région Auvergne Rhône Alpes, Département de la Drôme, Communauté de Communes Porte de DrômArdèche

Thanks:
CND Lyon

This creation has been supported by Groupe des 20 Auvergne Rhône Alpes (Fr)

Photo:
Benjamin Becker

Representative of the Greater Bay Area Dance Platform: Hong Kong

As a choreographer, during the two years of research, I have been exploring ways to transform classic drama scripts into dance theater and have tried to adapt and interpret the classic scripts “Macbeth” and “Waiting for Godot”.

As a dancer, I participated in Le French May Art Festival CHRISTIAN RIZZO’s work ‘YOU AND YOU AND YOU AND ME AND YOU AND US AND YOU’ in May 2023. Participated in the Hong Kong Arts Festival commissioned Mao Wei’s work ‘DANCE ME TO THE END OF THE NIGHT’ the tour in China in the second half of 2023.

In 2021, the screen dance ‘CUN CAO’, which I participated in the creation and performance of, was screened at Hebel Halle Kino Cinema in Germany.

Entering this white world by chance, everything new is addictive, and the cruel reality is terrifying. People are afraid of drowning in the white foam, and fear disappears in the running track. Where will the fragmented white take you?

*Representative of the Greater Bay Area dance platform

Dancers:
LIU Zhi, XIONG Yilin

Thanks:
Mr. Yan Xiaoqiang
Mr. Ong Yong Lock
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

Anna Cheng is a versatile talent crossing the roles of a curator, creative producer, performer and writer in the performing arts field for over 25 years. She is currently the Senior Producer of Performing Arts (Dance) at the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA), responsible for the artistic programming in dance, including the annual contemporary dance festival “Freespace Dance” and various research and development, international residency exchange, new commission and co-production, and audience engagement projects.

Before joining WKCDA, Anna had been the key producer and project manager for different major arts organizations in Hong Kong including the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Arts Centre and Chung Ying Theatre Company. As an independent producer, she had been curating and producing dance, theatre and music performances, festivals, conferences and tour internationally with local and overseas artists and partners. As a dance critic, her articles were published in local publications and Taiwan’s Performing Arts Review.

Anna is now one of the steering committee members of the Asia Network for Dance (AND+), examiner for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (Dance, Arts Administration) and an expert panelist for the Hong Kong Dance Award.

As both editor and critic, Daisy Chu has been covering arts and culture for many years, for publications including CrossOver Magazine, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Ming Pao Daily News, Xpressions Magazine, and organisations such as the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Dance Company, the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong), and the West Kowloon Cultural Authority. Chu also writes regularly about dance and theatre for newspapers and magazines in Hong Kong.

Daisy Chu is currently an examiner of dance, theatre and arts criticism for the Hong Kong Arts Development Council, a member of the Dance and Multi-Arts Panel of the LCSD, expert adviser for the Arts Capacity Development Funding Scheme (ACDFS) under the Advisory Committee on Arts Development (ACAD) and a panelist for the Hong Kong Dance Awards, Hong Kong Drama Awards, IATC (HK) Critic’s Awards and Hong Kong Theatre Libre Awards.

Stella Lau graduated from the Hong Kong Academy of Ballet and was awarded twice the Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund Scholarship. Lau began her performing career with the Hong Kong Ballet and was the first homegrown principal dancer. She has extensive performing experience in both classical and contemporary works in Hong Kong and overseas.

Lau obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Hons) and Master of Fine Arts in Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts where was awarded First-class Honours in 1997 and Dean of Dance Prize in 2010. Lau is currently Associate Professor of Ballet and Leader of Gifted Young Dancer Programme and Outreach of the Academy.

Besides focusing on higher education for over twenty years, Lau is also committed to the development of dance in the community at large. She hosts public talks, lectures and workshops on dance appreciation. She was showcased in the Hong Kong Dance Hall of Fame and was awarded the Secretary for Home Affairs’ Commendation Scheme for her outstanding contribution to the development of arts and culture in Hong Kong. She was the chairperson of the Hong Kong Dance Alliance and Vice-President of the World Dance Alliance Asia Pacific. Currently, she is serving on governments’ art form panels and advisor to performing arts organizations.

Wong graduated from the CUHK(BBA). He joined City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC) in 1995 as a Publicity Officer and participated in many independent dance productions as a freelancer. He was the Company Manager of DanceArt Hong Kong, Project Manager of CCDC and Senior Marketing Manager of Theatre Ensemble/ PIP Cultural Industry from 2000-2008. Wong became the Senior Programme Manager of CCDC Dance Centre in 2008 and was the Director of the Centre. He was also the Vice-Chairperson of Hong Kong Dance Alliance, a member of Art Form Sub-committees (Community) of LCSD, and Arts Advisor (Dance) of HKADC. Wong is committed to promoting the ecological sustainable development of the local dance industry, focusing on the influence of cultural policies, networking, and resources on the dance community. Wong received the Distinguished Achievement Award of the 25th Hong Kong Dance Award in 2024.

Artistic Director of TROIS C-L | Maison pour la danse

Bernard Baumgarten, a Luxembourger by nationality, began his career as a dancer and choreographer, primarily in Frankfurt and Berlin among others, before transitioning to curating various festivals and projects in Luxembourg.

He has been the artistic director of TROIS C-L | Maison pour la danse since 2007. Located at the Banannefabrik in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, this center focuses on creation, residencies, research, audience development, and continuing education for both professionals and non-professionals.

TROIS C-L is a founding member of Grand Luxe Network and a member of the European network Aerowaves, both of which serve as platforms for artistic exchanges in support of choreographers. TROIS C-L is also a member of European Dance Development Network (EDN).

Dance artist / Curator
Festival Quartiers Danses – Montréal

Born and raised in New-Caledonia/Kanaky from Vietnamese descent, Charles Brecard is a dance artist, a curator for Festival Quartiers Danses, a sport massage therapist and poet based in Montreal/Tio’tia:ke, Canada.

His approach FLUIDIFY connects his experience in traditional, contemporary, street dances, and his knowledge in bodywork, philosophies and spiritualities. Thus, he is teaching in various contexts, from amateurs in cultural mediation to professionals during festivals, intensives or educational programs. His choreographies, imbued with a strong physicality, an epic and surreal aesthetic, a melancholic poetry and a lucid activism has been presented, awarded and recognized in Canada and Europe.

Stating that amidst our troubled era, art should first bring people together to build solidarity and celebration, he co-initiated a few community projects such as Le Bercail, Sacré Jam, Protopie.

In 1993, she received a grant from the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs for overseas dancer activities and came to Japan to pursue her dance activities and to obtain her master’s and doctoral degrees from Ochanomizu University Graduate School (2003).

While involved in dance in both countries as a Japan-Korea coordinator, she noticed that it was difficult for young artists to advance overseas in the Japanese dance environment.

In 2017, she established the SAI Executive Committee and started the SAI Dance Festival, which mainly consists of COMPETITON to discover and nurture young Japanese artists, EXHIBITION to promote international exchange, and PLATFORM to advance overseas.

With the aim of becoming more fully-fledged, the company incorporated as SAI Limited Liability Company in 2024.

He worked with Saarländisches Staatstheater, Quan Bui Ngoc(les ballets C de la B), Eun-me Ahn, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Constanza Macras/Dorky Park, 12H Dance as a dancer, Choreographer, Artistic director in Europe and Asia. From 2023, he started to work with Daegu City Dance Company, South Korea as an Artistic Director and Choreographer.

Taiwan-based Artist. Founder of Ku and Dancers, a strong improvisation-based dance company that has just reached its 30-year anniversary and has set its footprint all over the world.

After teaching for 25 years, Ming-Shen Ku retired as Dean from the Dance School of Taipei National University of the Arts. She received the Wu San Lien award, a lifetime achievement award, in 2009 and the National Award for Arts in 2020.

Founding Artistic Director & Principle Choreographer of The Human Expression (T.H.E)
Dance Company.

Artistic Director of cont．act Contemporary Dance Festival

Kuik Swee Boon is the founding Artistic Director of The Human Expression Dance Company and its annual cont．act Contemporary Dance Festival. His career began with Singapore People’ s Association Dance Company and Singapore Dance Theatre before becoming the principal dancer of Spain’ s Compañ í a Nacional de Danza (CND) from 2002 to 2007.

Under Swee Boon’s direction, T.H.E has become a seminal dance company with a signature voice derived from training in his HollowBody™ methodology, developed from 2016. This methodology informs Swee Boon’ s repertoire of works for T.H.E, which has toured many international festivals. His numerous commissions include Infinitely Closer (2022) for Esplanade’s dains festival, which also marked the opening of Singapore’ s new Singtel Waterfront Theatre.

Swee Boon is a recipient of the 2007 Young Artist Award, a nominee for the 2003 Benois De La Danse Award, and a 2021 – 2023 Singapore fellow with the International Society for the Performing Arts.

In 2017, choreographer LAI Hung-chung founded Hung Dance, with the name and meaning of “Hung” symbolizing the spirit of soaring freedom. Since its inception, the company has been tirelessly creating and striving to convey Taiwanese art through international tours. It is also committed to fostering international connections for young creative talents. In 2019, the “Stray Birds Dance Platform“ was established to support emerging choreographers, providing opportunities for production and touring, promoting international collaboration, and bringing new vitality to the field of dance in Taiwan, thus advancing the development of Taiwanese dance.

Hung Dance focuses on the interactive moments between dancer training, developing dancers‘ abilities, and conceptualizing works. It develops a dance training system according to the requirements of creative concepts, integrating traditional Tai Chi elements to find a balance between contemporary thinking and dance.

Hung Dance aspires to inspire and move audiences through its works, and invites the public to join us in soaring freely in the world of dance, both on stage and in the community.

Liisa Nojonen belongs to Finland`s highly acclaimed jazz- and modern dance awarded founders and international influencers.
She has belonged to many planning committees in the field of dance, for example, The State´s Art of Dance Committee
She has represented Finland as a field adviser and an international member of jury in dance competition,
and promote the recognition of Finnish dance in the international arenas.
Her work has produced many noticeable awards to her at home and internationally of which I can mention next:
World Championship and Golden Shoe and First Price in Choreographer Competition USA 1990.
And many other awards and acknowledgements as a choreographer and trainer in Finland and internationally.
Six Awards for life’s achievement 2017-2019: (As The Finnish Cultural Foundation,
Satakunta Cultural Foundation, Union of Finnish Dance Artist of Finland),
The association of Dance Institutes of Finland, Finland´s Theaters Central Union life’s achievement award and a golden badge year, State Prize for Dance 2006. SICF Diploma for Cultural Exchange Asia – Finland – Asia.
Dance School Liisa Nojonen founder, (Managing Director, master teacher, choreographer 40 years)
PDC Pori Dance Company Founder (, Artistic Director, choreographer, managing director, producer 25 years)
PDC Pori Dance Month Festival Founder, (Managing Director, artistic director, producer).
International advisor of Dance Month Festival
Joy of Dance Company Founder, Artistic Director, Producer since 2015
Working as a choreographer, assistant of choreographers since 1979 in TV, Movies, Films, Opera

Born in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Gran Canaria, Spain, choreographer and dancer Natalia Medina Santana, has a degree in Physical Education from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a Master in Performing Arts from King Juan Carlos University (Madrid). Her professional activity is developed as a cultural manager, focusing her work on Dance.

Natalia is the Director of QUÉ TAL ESTÁS PRODUCCIONES, S.L., from where she directs, manages and organises the following projects:

• MASDANZA, The International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands.
• ACROSS HIP-HOP LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA.
• ACROSS HIP-HOP LANZAROTE.
• “NATALIA MEDINA” DANCE SCHOOL.
• NATALIA MEDINA DANCE COMPANY.
• TRANSITANDO, Contemporary Dance Festival with Fundación DISA.
• RETAMA, Contemporary Dance Cycle.
• SUMMER & DANCE CAMP at The Pérez Galdós Theatre.

Choreographer of Kham dance company in France and artistic and executive director of Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival (FMK) in Laos.

Native from Laos, Olé KHAMCHANLA grew up in France and trained in Hip Hop from 1990 as an autodidact. Then he works with various choreographers for hip-hop dance, capoeira and contemporary dance. He was co-choreographer with the A’CORPS company from 1997 to 2010, before creating his own company, KHAM, in 2011.

In 2006, he went to Laos and Thailand to learn traditional dances, an initiatory journey which has nourished his dance and his projects since then. In Laos, he founded the Fang Mae Khong International Dance Festival (FMK) in 2010.
Olé KHAMCHANLA explores an incessant search for the crossing dances and cultures, with which he questions the human being issues and its complex psychology.

C.E.O MASH Dance House

Edelman began his dance training at the Kibbutz Dance Workshop under Yehudit Arnon and later studied choreography at Rotterdam Dance Academy, earning the “Prince Bernhard Award.” He created the acclaimed “KAV-300” for the CaDance Festival and worked in the Netherlands from 1995 to 2001, collaborating with prominent European artists. His work integrates performance media and technology, using dance-theater to explore socio-political issues with a critical lens.

Edelman’s creations have been staged across Europe and supported by cultural institutions. He has worked independently and with repertoire companies such as Scapino Ballet, Rotterdam, and Choreographic Theater of Johan Kresnik, Bonn. In Jerusalem, he co-founded Machol Shalem Dance House with Ofra Idel, fostering collaboration and experimentation.

Currently CEO of Machol Shalem, Edelman leads The MASH XR research program, merging choreography with innovative technologies to advance artistic creation and professional dancer training. His work reflects a commitment to pushing boundaries, blending tradition with experimentation, and inspiring social dialogue through dance. Edelman believes in art as a transformative force, creating platforms that challenge perceptions, inspire change, and bridge cultural divides.

Stella Ho is the founder and artistic director of Stella & Artists. Her choreographic works have been staged in a range of events, including the Macao Arts Festival, International Youth Dance Festival and Macao City Fringe Festival. In recent years, she has been committed to promoting the development of dance in Macao by organizing “Macao CDE Springboard”, which motivates creation of local dance works and also actively brings local dance works for international exchanges.

Choreographer, Dancer, Researcher

namstrops
The Sky is Vast! International Dance Festival in Miyazaki

Choreographer and Artistic Director of “namstrops”. Presented works in 40 cities across 15 countries. Yokohama Dance Collection EX 2011 awardee. Cultural Affairs Agency Fellow (Romania). Visiting Researcher at Miyazaki and Kanagawa Universities.

Yi-San, Wu is Chairperson and Associate Professor of Taipei National University of the Arts, School of Dance, and Artistic Director of Yi Production. Teaching and choreography for nearly 30 years, Her over 30 works have been premiered across Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, UA etc. professional companies, dance festivals and institutions. She was a professional dancer in Cloud Gate Dance Theatre and City Contemporary Dance Company. Her creations integrate theatrical and Dance, blending Eastern and Western movement vocabularies, as well as explore cross-cultural dialogue, multimedia, gender, identity, and the exploration of life’s existential questions.

Korean traditional dancer
Art director of Daegu Dance Festival and Asia Dance Festival
Founder of Korean Dance Art Center & BEADS POUCH

Designare Movement / New Dance for Asia International Festival

Yu Ho Sik is the founder and artistic director of Designare Movement, a private contemporary dance company in Korea.
He currently produces and choreographs various productions in Daegu City, Korea.

Critic/ Director
JAPAN DANCE PLUG Co. ltd.

Norikoshi is the most published dance critic of contemporary dance in Japan. He has lectured on dance at universities and festivals around the world. He is a dance advisor for international festivals and the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Theater.

He writes reviews for dance magazines and newspapers. He writes reviews for dance magazines and newspapers, and writes a series of articles for a monthly magazine.
Since 2023, he has been running the “Dance Critics [Training to Dispatch] Program,” which trains dance critics and dispatches them to dance festivals in Europe, and the “Online Dance Private School.