Freespace Dance 2023: Mui Cheuk-yin – Double Happiness: The Promise of Red自由空間

A meditation on commitment and sincerity veiled in traditional wedding rituals

A traditional wedding is an extravagant celebration – the bride and the groom exchange vows, the guests offer congratulations, and a ritualised ceremony is staged to symbolise marital bliss. But beneath the pageantry and the couple’s commitment to each other, marriage can signify complex family and social obligations.

Double Happiness: The Promise of Red – the latest work by celebrated local choreographer Mui Cheuk-yin – draws on a series of traditional Southern Chinese wedding rituals to unveil the thoughts and emotions of those fulfilling their formal duties, and in the process explores the meaning of honesty, promise and contractual commitment.

The work is a collaboration between Mui, and wedding chaperone Chan Kin-man, a young male practitioner of a profession traditionally dominated by older women. Featuring whimsical rhymes by lyricist Chris Shum adapted from ritual wording, and taking inspiration from traditional Cantonese opera tales, Double Happiness: The Promise of Red combines dance, music and installation in a profoundly thought-provoking performance.

Note: : A pre-show participatory physical introduction session introducing related choreographic concepts and movements is available on 22 April (7:00pm–7:30pm). This session is open to ticket holders only. Registration details to be announced.