Review | The 10th Hong Kong Tap Festival an energetic celebration of dance featuring talent from city and East Asia
- The 10th Hong Kong Tap Festival was also a celebration of 15 years of R&T, its presenter and Hong Kong’s only professional tap dance company
- Dancers from Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Shanghai joined Hong Kong counterparts in showing off their skills, with a finale choreographed by a local tap legend
The 10th edition of the Hong Kong Tap Festival was also the 15th anniversary of its presenter, R&T (Rhythm & Tempo), Hong Kong’s only full-time professional tap dance company.
The festival’s gala performance was a celebration of the passion and dedication R&T have put into pioneering and popularising tap dance in Hong Kong.
It brought together Hong Kong talent along with guest artists from Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Shanghai, in a showcase of technical skill and energy.
The programme included a series of group, pair and individual numbers, some accompanied by recorded music, others by live music from a four-piece jazz band.
Solos from two Japanese dancers stood out: long-time R&T supporter Yuta Hori, who goes by the stage name Pori, appeared in Softly as in a Morning Sunrise, full of witty interaction with pianist and band leader Bowen Li (himself a virtuoso performer); and Ikki Yonezawa, who showed breathtaking rhythm and control in There Will Never Be Another You.
There were also strong contributions from South Korea – Arirang featured Kwon Oh-hwan and Kim Soon-young competing with each other in spectacular fashion.
