Greetings and welcome to the inaugural edition of SWEAT - Hong Kong International Dance Festival.
In SWEAT, we're thrilled to stretch, push, and connect the world of dance.
SWEAT is not an acronym. The body responds in a natural way when we dance. When we dance, sweat signifies our emotion, commitment, hard work, happiness, joy, and courage. When we create and discover dance, sweat is about our anxiety, curiosity, anticipation, distress, discovery and challenge.
As we watch dance, sweat is a sign of intensity, frustration, interpretation and affection. Initially, SWEAT festival invited people to come to Hong Kong for an array of workshops, presentations, conferences and more. However, with the "new normal" of many uncertainties, mandatory theatre closures and more, we curated the festival into a digital platform, which aim to bring positive energy to the world.
This provides us as an unique opportunity for scholars, performers, choreographers, community dance artists, dance students, local and international dance groups and companies, to connect and share how dance have changed our community and how we prepare for the future.
Throughout the past 2.5 years, I have witnessed dancers from all walks of life being open-minded, creative, resilient, and daring to be challenged even in the worst of times. Let's meet the residents at ArtsCross Hong Kong 2022 to witness how creative minds explore dance & technology “in the clouds”; celebrate the re-connection of dance academies and talented students at the first Digital International Festival for Dance Academies (IFDA) with screenings and interactive student forums; meet like-minded people who share mutual interest and passion for different facets of dance at the World Dance Alliance (WDA) Global Summit.
We're ready to open the virtual gates and welcome visitors who will virtually "arrive" in Hong Kong! Let’s “SWEAT” and dance together.
