Wing Chun wows London audiences with magical moves

The worlds of dance and martial arts may not have the most obvious crossover but lovers of both art forms will head to Sadler's Wells dance theater in north London this week to see the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater company put on a show combining them to spectacular effect, Wing Chun.

The show's two-stranded storyline tells the tale of legendary martial arts master Yip Man, and also a film being made about his life.

The first half is mainly dance, with brief flashes of martial arts, which take center stage in the second half, showcasing the skills of China's unique cultural calling card that is so instantly recognized and widely admired around the world.

There are also passing references to the enduring influence of kung fu on popular culture in movies such as The Matrix.

There are set to be 12 performances in London, running until Sept 7, and then in October the company will perform four shows in Paris.

Wing Chun made its domestic debut in December 2022, before its first overseas visit, to Singapore in September 2023, and its 200th performance will take place during the London run.

Before the London premiere, China's Ambassador to the United Kingdom Zheng Zeguang praised the show and its cast for increasing cultural understanding.

"I am sure (the performances) will help the UK audience better understand both Chinese martial arts and the philosophy and value championed by the practitioners," he said, while also praising Shenzhen for its growing role as a cultural hub. "Shenzhen is at the forefront of China's reform and opening-up and technological innovation. Nowadays, the city is also building itself into a leader of culture."

Zheng highlighted the city's role by mentioning how the Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra had toured the UK this year, and he also drew attention to a recent visit to the city by the United Kingdom's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Zeng Xianglai, executive vice-president of the Shenzhen International Cultural Exchange Association, also praised the show as a cultural ambassador for the region and a traditional product showcased within it.

"Wing Chun showcases the allure of exquisite traditional Chinese culture through the harmonious fusion of two Chinese intangible cultural heritages: wing chun and gambiered Guangdong gauze," he said. "This innovative fusion not only bridges ancient Chinese kung fu and contemporary dance but also promotes mutual exchange, learning, and communication, transcending cultural boundaries."

The show has been well received, with The Guardian newspaper praising its "smart staging, sleek designs, awesome revolving sets, tricks of the light, a pulse-quickening soundtrack, uplifting storytainment, and above all exceptional dance, acrobatics and martial arts".

Hong Kong-born choreographer and opera director Caroline Chao called it "stunning ... beautiful, fluid, seamlessly combining dance with martial arts into one brilliant whole".

At a public question and answer session, the show's creative team and performers gave some insight into the lengths they went to putting it together.

"The biggest challenge was combining martial arts with dance," said Zhou Liya, who for the sixth time shares a joint choreography credit with collaborator Han Zhen. "Most dancers have foundation-level knowledge of martial arts, but that's not enough for a production like this, so they spent over a year learning different martial arts styles from the masters, so they were familiar with what was required."

In the main role of Yip Man, Chang Hongji is the central character in a uniformly top-class cast, and he revealed the extreme level of study that went into the demanding role.

"Wing chun says we must be diligent and practice, and that has informed my involvement in this production," he said. "I spent a lot of time researching my character and my moves, so when it looks like we are taking hard falls, we don't get injured. We spent many hours finding the right level of force to make the required impact without hurting ourselves."

With a cast-mate, he gave audience members a close-up view of the intricate moves used in fight scenes, which require hundreds of repetitions to look authentic, and Zhou Liya revealed "this needs so much practice that even in lunch breaks and at the start of the day when they greet each other, this is how they do it".

Wing Chun runs at the Sadler's Wells theater in London until Sept 7.

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com