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!

hoi studied at Sejong University(BA/MA) in Seoul. He worked as a solist at Saarländisches Staatstheater, Quan Bui Ngoc(les ballets C de la B), Eun-me Ahn Company, Teresa Rotemberg(Cia MAFALDA), Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch, Constanza Macras/Dorky Park.

2013 he began to develop his own creations performed in Seoul and other renowned festivals in Oostende(BE), Vienna, New York and Berlin. In 2018 he co-founded the company 12H Dance based in Berlin. In 2019 Together with Yamila Khodr he created the dance piece 360°, Grenz.land MV, Grenz.land Korea/Berlin, Hamlet.

In 2023 April, He started to work with Daegu City Dance Company, South Korea as an Artistic Director and Choreographer.

In modern society, there are people who want to remain children forever.

High growth – social phenomenon – weakening of the will to take responsibility – rising prices – population decline – aging society – population movement and weakening of values of urban area

Korea’s young generation struggles to get employed and get married, but there are many cases where they have no choice but to be stay single, regardless of what they would like to do.
These days, lifestyles and cultures have become more diverse, and we are changing into a society that respects individuals differences.
Forcing one to follow a general path of life is perceived as an unacceptable act that diminishes individuality.

The corrent social conditions in which it has become too difficult for young people to get a job, housing prices are so high that they can not afford to buy a home. Childcare and education costs are high. All problems of the young generation from a structural perspective.

Being influenced by appearances. Phenomena that has become more important than existence.
It shows a weak will and inability to make decisions.
Since you don’t have your own opinionthe easiest way to follow the mainstream.
I can’t stand not being loved by others.
Sometimes we lack the resources to endure difficult times.
I hope someone else could give me some direction.
They want to only satisfy their needs in the short term.
They are unwilling to take responsibility because they have no ability to take responsibility.

Artistic Director & Choreographer:
CHOI Moonsuk

Performers:
KIM Chosul, PARK Jungeun, Sami SIMILAE

Lighting designer:
Hwang Ungki

Music composer:
Seo Youngwan

Born in Hong Kong, she graduated from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2010, majoring in Chinese dance and choreography. During school, she got the Hong Kong Jockey Club Scholarship, Grantham Scholarship, and HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship; and went to America, Shanghai, Inner Mongolia, Malaysia for dance and cultural exchanges.

From 2012 to 2014, Chan joined DanceArt as a trainee dancer; in 2016, she joined Passoverdance as a core member and started choreography. Chan’s works are an in-depth exploration of human nature, looking for the connection between dance and life. She has been invited to participate in different dance platforms, including Hong Kong iDance Dance Festival, Hong Kong Arts Festival, City Contemporary Dance Festival, Hong Kong Dance Alliance: New Force in Motion Series, etc.

Later, Chan graduated with a Master’s degree in Expressive Arts Therapy from the University of Hong Kong. She is currently a registered art therapist of the Australia New Zealand Asian Creative Art Therapy Association (ANZACA TA) , Associate Artistic Director of Passoverdance.

In whispers of time, where shadows play,
A tale unfolds in night and day.
Love and pain, a woven thread,
In every heart, their whispers spread.
Through mist and veil, a dance ensues,
Of love’s embrace and aching blues.
The untold story, softly spins,
In distance, beauty’s truth begins.

Performer:
Gabbie CHAN Hiu Ling

Composer:
Mr. Max Chan

Passoverdance

香港藝術發展局支持藝術表達自由，本計劃內容並不反映本局意見。
Hong Kong Arts Development Council supports freedom of artistic expression. The views and opinions expressed in this project do not represent the stand of the Council.

Freelance choreographer, dancer. The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts MFA Choreography. Individual choreography works “Miss Puff”, “Block”, “Gold Fish”, “Mystery ID”, “XXX’s Day” and other works were invited to participate in Japan Yokohama Dance Collection; Italian art residency program Differenti Sensazioni International Performing Arts Festival; Poland Szczecin International Choreography Competition; Macao CDE Springboard Showcase, GBA Dance Festival, China Dancer Association “Young Artists Platform” of Creation Camp; Participated in Guangdong Dance Festival many times. Dance film “I Love You Love Me” was selected for USA College Dance Film Fest; “A Meal” was selected for the UK First-time Filmmaker Sessions.

She was co-director of the dance theatre “Jade Zen” for Xinjiang Grand Theatre. She performed as a dancer at the 2023 Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival by Ryu Suzuki’s work “RAIN” and played the main female dancer. Participated in the improvisation performance at Rafael Lozano-Hemmer’s “Biometric Theater”.

2024 Choreography ‘Block’ won the second prize at Szczecin International Choreography Competition in Poland, Poland.Participated in Wu Hui’s Ecological Body Research Project, Plant Series–Domestication. Participated in the French May Festival, Ola Maciejewska artist’s project; Participated in Mao Wei’s work “Dance Me to the End of Night” in mainland China tour.

Dance teacher, choreographer, dancer，The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts MFA Choreography.graduated from the Guangzhou Art School and was awarded a full scholarship to study Chinese dance at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in 2010. He has worked as a gymnastics teacher at Sport Scene LTD, a dancer at the Hong Kong Dance Company, and in 2014, he received the Budding Young Artist Fund for ImPulsTanz Vienna International Dance Festival.

Subsequently, he has served as a guest teacher at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, GYDP of The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the Hong Kong Dance Company Children’s Group, and Caritas Ma On Shan Secondary School. He has participated in the Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong New Vision Arts Festival, Vienna International Dance Festival, Sanriku International Arts Festival,Tanzmesse in Germany, and the “ON SITE” Festival in Macao.

Recently, his choreography work “Block” was selected for the finals of the Szczecin International Choreography Competition in Poland.Dance Director of the immersive musical ‘In the Name of Hanjin’ at the 2023 HK New Vision Arts Festival, and dance video work selected for the ‘Artists for Hope International Dance Film Festival’ in the USA.

In a relationship, conflicts make couples want to gain the upper hand. They pull each other, trample on each other’s self-esteem, and push each other in the argument, from the table to the floor, from the kitchen to the bedroom. The living space shrinks as the conflict escalates. The relationship of the couple is like being blocked. They pull each other, trying to drag each other down from the high ground of the argument, and then stand up again, extending the argument to every corner of the room.

Performer:
ZHANG Yu Tong, LI Tuo Kun

Premiere date:
2024.06.30

Premiere location:
Poland Szczecin ,The Opera at the Castle

Award

Poland International Choreography Competition – Silver Award

William Cardoso is a choreographer and dancer based between Luxembourg and Portugal. He began dancing at the conservatory of music in Esch-sur-Alzette before joining the professional school EPSE Danse in Montpellier.

On leaving school, William decided to travel around Europe where he met artists from different horizons, and this also enabled him to continue his training outside the school system.

In France, he works with Clara Villalba and Olivier Dubois (intern). He also engages in performative experiments with artists Florence Peake and Eve Stainton. In Luxembourg, he works with various choreographers such as Jill Crovisier, Giovanni Zazzera, Léa Tirabasso,… among other national artists. He joined Fabian Thomé Duten’s company in Madrid. Later, he joined artist Andreas Constantinou’s Himherandit Productions in Aarhus, with whom he has worked for a long time to this day. It has been also involved with the artist Valerie Reding on a political engaged project called Monsters.

« Sometimes I feel like throwing myself against a wall to externalise the mental pain and turn it into physical pain. »
Raum is a place of encounter with our demons, our fears and our forgiveness. It is a place of confrontation and a search for inner balance in order to grow in harmony. This performance seeks to accept the darkness that sometimes dominates us, and to soften it by creating a space without judgment and fear. Raum is a space for liberation and speaking out, it is a scream that we have held inside us for too long.

Artistic direction, concept:
William Cardoso

Performers:
William Cardoso, Cheyenne Vallejo

Sound:
Guillaume Jullien

Light Design:
Krischan Kriesten

Photography:
Marco Pavone, Pit Reding

Video:
Jade Goetzinger

Residency Support:
Trois C-L, Centre de création chorégraphique luxembourgeois
Fondation Indépendance by BILL, Ministère de la Culture au Luxembourg

Co-Production:
Trois C-L, Centre de création chorégraphique luxembourgeois

Production:
William Cardoso Company

In 2010, he studied mime under Hiroyasu Sasaki, director of the Japan Mime Institute.

In parallel, he studied classical ballet.

In 2011, he participated in a workshop led by Saburo Teshigawara at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media.

Special participation in a workshop by KARAS soloist and instructor Rihoko Sato was an opportunity for him.

He will continue to participate in workshops until 2019, learning Saburo Teshigawara’s dance method.

In December 2019, Inspired by words from Saburo Teshigawara, he began his own creative work in June 2021.

In theater, he appeared as an ensemble member in NODA•MAP productions from 2010-2016.

In June 2023, his solo dance piece “Double poem” presented at the SAI DANCE FESTIVAL 2023 COMPETITION won the Grand Prize.

Invited to dance festivals in Macau, Korea, Finland, and Kyoto.

He places emphasis on gravity, space, objects, light, and mental images.

The physical and skin sensations of self and others, and the shifting of the center of gravity to support the body.

He creates movement by leaping from his imagination based on the memories of his body.

He pursues physical expression based on mime on the theme of human fragility and what it means to be human.

I feel that a person represents his/her own world and universe through his/her creations using a wide variety of expressions. And I believe that the various creations, such as poetry, paintings,and music, which come from all creators, are miniatures of all creators.

In other words, I feel that every creator represents the world, the universe, and life through overwhelming natural beauty and activity, repeatedly shrinking and expanding.

Double poem is a dialogue between creator and creation.
It is a dialogue not with others, but with oneself, a dialogue with the self that goes back and forth between the past and the future, beyond the reflection in the mirror.

Performer:
KUROTAKI Yasushi

Music:
Kinderszenen 7.”Traumerai” Op.15pf
by Robert Schumann
Valse triste, Op.44
by Jean Sibelius

AWARDS

SAI DANCE FESTIVAL 2024 EXHIBITION (JAPAN)
Invited from:

• Hong Kong Dance Exchange HDX (HONG KONG)
• Asia Dance Festival in Hanoi (VIETNAM)

SAI DANCE FESTIVAL 2023 COMPETITION (JAPAN)

• Grand Prize

Invited from:

• WORLD DANCE ON STAGE – INTERNATIONAL GALA in Helsinki (FINLAND)
• 2023 MACAU CDE SPRINGBOARD (MACAU)
• INTERNATIONAL DANCE FESTIVAL IN GUNSAN 2023 (SOUTH KOREA)

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.

It is not a still life, but still and alive.
The Moment 刻 explores the performativity of stillness and the dynamics of the gaze. Drawing from KT Yau’s previous “Life Drawing” research project, the work investigates how the act of posing and being observed transcends the realm of visual arts practice.

In live drawing sessions, Yau invited her mother, ex-boyfriend, and a professional portrait artist to closely observe and depict her nude form. As they drew, the inviters were asked to verbalize their immediate impressions, memories, and thoughts triggered from their observation. These reflections revealed the complex power dynamics at play — the mother-daughter relationship, the intimacy of former lovers, gender perspectives, aesthetics and history on nude mode drawing, and more.

Beyond a mere still life, The Moment 刻 animates this state of “stillness” on stage. Drawing the reference from the tradition of “tableau vivant” (living picture) — the work positions the performer’s frozen pose as a site of performativity. The audience’s gaze is given new dimensions, moving between empathy and voyeurism, aesthetics and objectification. Juxtaposing the verbatim materials with the state of stillness and transformation on stage, KT is constructing a work with an autobiographical lens filtered through the eyes of others. With the verbatim records are being transformed into a foreign language in which the power relations are presented in this new version, in challenging the way Yau in positioning the memory and performance. In between stillness and movement, verbatim and performance, intimacy and distance, the work revealed the meaning of nudity and nakedness.

Concept, choreographer, performer:
KT YAU Ka-hei

Dramaturge:
Dong YAN

Producer:
Orlean LAI

Video Designer:
Wilfred WONG

Stage & Lighting Designer:
Lawmanray

Foley Artist & Audio Editor:
SHAM Chung-tat

Voice Performers:
CHENG Yee-chai, Michelle LI

Interviewees in the research process:
Louise LEE, WONG Suk-fun, Lawmanray, Siu Ding

Special thanks:
Hin HON, Christine HE, Jennifer MOK, Tilliana

Production management:
orleanlaiproject

Acknowledgement:
The concept and idea of the work were conceived and developed from the “FIRST Creation Platform” presented by Freespace, West Kowloon Cultural District.

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.