COMPOSER MUI KWOK-CHIU, Chinese percussion master Chin Kwok-wai and the young dance sensation Allen Lam sit in a circle backstage at the Cultural Centre's Grand Theatre. They are surrounded by a web of journalists, and they are talking in circles. The topic of conversation is Vibration in Stillness, an experimental journey melding dance and drums, the east and west.
The theme behind it is the five elements that make up the universe according to Chinese philosophy. 'It is yin and yang,' Mui explains. 'It's universal, it's a hybrid.'
It is also difficult to explain, which is why we have gathered today at a 'meet the artist' session during which snatches of the upcoming show will be performed before it takes over the intimate, nearby Studio Theatre.
Vibration in Stillness is a commissioned work for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. Drawing together diverse local talents, it fuses live percussion from two of Hong Kong's drumming masters with the martial arts-inspired dance of a remarkable, local choreographer. The aim is to create multimedia theatre that is universally appealing and understood. It is a truly collaborative work that focuses on no one contributor and is held together by a flowing conversation between Chinese and western drums, and radiating ripples of dance.
The plan, they explain, is to sweep through time and evolution, from the primitive sound of drums, to 'futuristic rock' and a finale that will see the audience joining in the percussion. Just beyond our triangle of artists linger yet more collaborators. A cast of notable dancers from modern dance and ballet backgrounds drape across a bench, while the dishy violinist Leung Kin-fung plucks on his electric violin.
In the centre of the room stands former principal percussionist of the Hong Kong Philharmonic, Lung Heung-wing, looking like a Chinese Quentin Tarantino with heavy rimmed specs. He stands beside an immense drum set-up and curious side-table of frying pans, African percussive instruments, metal maracas and Japanese bamboo massage sticks. He launches into an inspired routine of western drumming, djembe rhythms and eclectic sounds from the toys on his right.
Mui says that the twin set of Chinese and western drums will converse with one another, moving gradually from a spot behind the audience at the beginning of the show, to the stage and then to the upper tiers of the theatre. The concept is to draw the audience into the centre of the music. The show simultaneously moves through the five elements of earth, water, fire, wood and metal as the dancers flow onto the stage, interpreting the drum beats and accompanying score of Mui's pre-recorded sounds.