REVIEW - WING CHUN at Sadlers Well Theatre 30 August – 7 September 2024

‘A delight for the martial arts and dance enthusiast.’ ★★★★ ½

WING CHUN a Chinese dance drama performed by the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre, is renowned for creatively combining ‘Wing Chun’, a form of martial arts thought to be initially developed by Ng Mui (a Buddhist nun from the Southern Shaolin Temple in Fujian back in the early Qing Dynasty) and the essence of Chinese cultural heritage of ‘Xiangyun Sha’, a traditional silk fabric originating in the 5th century from Guangdong Province in

China. The spectacular performance, directed and choreographed jointly by Han Zhen and Zhou Liya, was a celebration of the strength of martial arts blended with a fusion of traditional east Asian dance movements and contemporary ballet style in fast action and slow motion artistic expression. The dance performance, when highlighted by the elegant flow of long silky gowns and material, creates a beautiful and powerful visual storytelling from beginning to end.

The story follows the 1950s travel from South China to Hong Kong of Master Yip Man, the grandmaster of Wing Chun and teacher of Bruce Lee, the Legend in Kung Fu. The other story follows the challenging experience of filming the movie Wing Chun by the Shenzhen Film Studio in the 1990s. The narrator is Da Chun, an ordinary man who will soon take on a very important role in preserving the heritage of martial arts by following the footsteps of Yip Man. Wing Chun dance drama's opening scene begins as the reminiscence of Da Chun’s early days in Hong Kong when he joined the production crew as an ordinary lighting technician.

Dual narratives of two individuals happening in separate spheres of time and space, were explored and intertwined on stage with the ensemble cast of dancers at times merging with each other, and at other times, the characters mirroring each other. Chinese martial artists aspire for peace and harmony, and they appreciate and value the practice of mutual exchange through their teachings. This parallels the approach of Chinese filmmakers who embrace unity and diversity, while demonstrating innovation and tenacity. During the Hong Kong economic crisis, the filmmaker cast and crew sourced their inner strength from the story of Master Yip Man himself. They overcame their difficulties, found a new sense of purpose and managed to finally produce the movie Wing Chun. I must admit that for the audience, it was slightly challenging to follow the dual stories during the first act, with confusing questions arising as to who is who. We were watching a real-life story (that of Yip Man) within a filmmaker's story (that of Da Chun). The mixing of film language and theatrical dance drama was puzzling, baffling and at the same time satisfying.

This is a production on a massive scale and there are simply too many people and organisations to commend, praise and acknowledge for the success of the dramatist playwright Feng Shuangbai’s Wing Chun’s premiere in London. Special mention to the talented leading Cast. Chang Hongji as Yip Man. Feng Haoran as Da Chun and Head of Tai Chi Academy. Zhang Yashu as Director and Head of Baguazhang Academy. Xu Tianhui as Yip Man’s wife Wing Sing. Special acclaim to the composer Yang Fan whose epic musical scores of ambient classical orchestral music brings to mind the genius film music of Vangelis.

Simple and stunning set design on the revolving stage was created by stage designer Hu Yanjun. Smart lighting design was the creative works of Ren Dongsheng.

Wing Chun dance drama is a captivating production that runs at two hours with an interval of fifteen minutes. A delight for the martial arts and dance enthusiast. Above all a tribute and appreciation for the values and heritage of the martial arts. How much better a society would we all be living in if we all strive to apply the Chinese martial art philosophy of “Peace through Strength”.

Reviewed by Melanie Lam

Wing Chun

A fusion of contemporary dance, drama and martial arts tells the true story of Grandmaster Yip Man, trainer of Bruce Lee

Choreographed by Han Zhen and Zhou Liya | Written by Feng Shuangbai

Sadler’s Well Theatre 3 – 7 September 2024

Box Office https://www.sadlerswells.com/whats-on/joyway-london-wing-chun/

Company information

Choreographers Han Zhen & Zhou Liya           Scriptwriter Feng Shuangbai

Music Yang Fan                                               Set designer Hu Yanjun

Lighting designer Ren Dongsheng                  Costume designer Yang Donglin

Executive directors He Junbo, Zhang Zhenguo

Directors Lv Chengliang, Men Dacheng, Li Chenzhe,

Stylist Jia Lei                                                   Media Designer Tan Yingjie

Assistant Scriptwriter Xu Junrui                      Photographer Wang Xufeng

Calligrapher Xu Jing

Performers

Yip Man Chang Hongji                         Director & Head of Bagua Zhang Zhang Yashu

Dachun Feng Haoran                           Yongcheng Xu Tianhui

Butcher Rong Li Jianting as                 Master of Baji Quan Wang Jian

Master of Tai Chi Zhang Zhenguo        Master of Praying Mantis He Junbo

Plus a large ensemble cast

Social media

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