Chinese dance drama about Wing Chun stuns London audience at debut

LONDON, Sept. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- A report from Xinhua: 

As two performers in dark cheongsams and cloth shoes executed a fist technique bout with both power and grace, the audience at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London seemed to hold their breath, captivated, before erupting into long-lasting cheers and applause.

These movements were not part of a martial arts show but a Chinese original dance drama titled "Wing Chun," named after one of the most renowned forms of Chinese Kung Fu.

"It blew my mind," Ellen Costa told Xinhua after watching the show, adding that she was impressed "from start to finish" and had a "very emotional moment."

Created in Shenzhen, the production made its Europe debut in London on August 30 and will run for 12 shows until September 7.

Incorporating martial arts elements, including Tai Chi, Bagua Zhang and Praying Mantis, into both classical and contemporary dance, the show mainly tells the life story of Yip Man, the grand master of Wing Chun.

The show intertwines the journey of people pursuing their dreams with the philosophies of Chinese Kung Fu masters, emphasizing righteousness, kindness, modesty, love, and peace.

"I think it was a very non linear, beautiful representation," Vita Henderson Chan told Xinhua after the show. "It leaves a lot for interpretation, for the viewer to be able to project their own meanings onto some movements and to understand the emotion."

She said it was "masterful" in terms of "the skillful transition of the emotions of dance into intense practice movements of the martial arts."

She added that the performers demonstrating movements in a synchronized manner was "impressive" and "so powerful in one breath."

During the two-hour show, some viewers sobbed as the characters experience heart-wrenching lows. When the final curtain fell, almost everyone stood up to applaud and cheer, while the performers made two encores in response to enthusiastic audiences.

"It's creating a story which people understand, which is not too complicated or abstract," Farooq Chaudhry, a dance producer in the United Kingdom (UK), told Xinhua.

Since its premier in Shenzhen in 2022, "Wing Chun" has been staged in dozens of major cities across Asia, including Beijing, Hong Kong and Singapore. It will celebrate its 200th performances in London on September 6.

In its French leg of this tour, the show will have four performances at the Palais des congrès de Paris in early October.