Review: The Legend of Lanling by Hong Kong Dance Company – starkly spectacular, superbly performed despite some flaws
- Chinese dance blends with martial arts in Hong Kong Dance Company’s The Legend of Lanling, which tells the tale of a real-life hero of the Northern Qi dynasty
- Both sets of skills are on dazzling display in this mesmerising piece of theatre, despite a lopsided structure and some lack of contrast and variety
Hong Kong Dance Company’s new full-length production, The Legend of Lanling, continues artistic director Yang Yuntao’s quest to combine Chinese dance with martial arts.
Warrior Lanling is the sobriquet given to a real-life Chinese hero of the Northern Qi dynasty, Gao Changgong (541-573). Famed for both his heroic military exploits and his gentle nature, Lanling is said to have worn a mask on the battlefield to disguise the beauty of his face and terrify the enemy – his combination of noble character and fierce fighting skills is the very essence of the classic martial arts hero.
He met a tragic end when the emperor had him poisoned.
The choreography, by Yang with principal dancers Ong Tze Shen and Ho Ho-fei as assistant choreographers, is heavily based on martial arts and is brilliantly executed by the whole company, with both male and female dancers as warriors.
Ong and Ho also share the title role, with Ho embodying the ruthless warrior and Ong the complex human being.
