Kirsten Ho on Ocean Art Walk 2015 at Stanley Plaza

First up in our Ocean Art Walk 2015 at Stanley Plaza series we have our fantastic choreographer Kirsten Ho! Be sure to catch the performances this weekend (Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 April) at 1pm, 2pm and 3pm at Stanley Plaza!

Kirsten, tell us about your piece!
Using the relationship between water and land as a metaphor for the effect of industrial development on nature, Fluid Crash translates the energy of the ocean into a dance that harnesses and challenges tidal movement. The behavior of mankind has a cause and effect on the harmony of marine life, eroding an invisible balance in the same way that the force of water carves the face of our coasts.

My main source of inspiration was…
The beauty of the ocean. Living in Hong Kong, we see water around us every day and often take it for granted.

To me, Ocean Art Walk is about...
I feel that Ocean Art Walk has an important message that needs more exposure and accessibility in our community. Water is an important element of Hong Kong's landscape and with increasing levels of pollution we need to work much harder to protect our fragile ecosystems. 

Through my dance I hope to...
Encourage the audience to reflect on the issues and be moved emotionally to personally connect to the theme of the piece. The dancers swirl from high impact movement into fluid moving formations to create a tranquil yet dynamic landscape of dance.
 
I want the audience to connect with the movement and be reminded that water is both powerful and precious. I would also like the audience to be entertained, dance can have a message and still be enjoyable to watch. 
 
How can we help our environment? 
We should all increase our awareness and understanding of our impact on the environment. I would like to see us have more respect for our surroundings and do our best to recycle and to produce less waste.

The greatest challenge was...
Environmental harm is a challenging theme that could potentially be portrayed as heavy and negative. I would like my piece to be true to the theme but still have an optimistic approach and feel uplifting. It's never too late to clean up our ocean!