城市當代舞蹈團委任伍宇烈為第四任藝術總監 YURI NG NAMED 4TH ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF CITY CONTEMPORARY DANCE COMPANY

[2020年5月21日] 城市當代舞蹈團（CCDC）董事局今天宣布委任伍宇烈先生為城市當代舞蹈團第四任藝術總監，接替去年底辭任的曹誠淵博士。伍宇烈先生於2020年5月起參與舞團未來方向策劃，並將於2021年1月1日履新。

伍宇烈先生是香港本地土生土長的資深舞蹈家，涉獵芭蕾舞、當代舞、戲劇、古典音樂及無伴奏合唱，以至舞台佈景及服裝設計等範疇。伍氏六歲起隨王仁曼女士學習古典芭蕾舞，其後獲奬學金前往加拿大及英國深造。1983年赢取英國珍妮特國際芭蕾舞比賽金奬，同年加入加拿大國家芭蕾舞團為職業舞蹈員。1993年回港發展，並與CCDC開始建立深厚淵源。過往曾多次與CCDC合作，於《單吊‧西‧遊記》（1993）任編舞、佈景及服裝設計；《更衣記》（1995）及《硬銷》（2008）任編舞；《男生》（1996）、《糊塗爆竹賀新年》（1997）任編舞及服裝設計；《季節性效應》（2008）、《舞！舞？舞……》（2009）、《城市封神》（2011）任舞台／佈景及服裝設計；《香‧夭》（2018）任編舞、佈景及服裝設計。

伍氏於1997年獲香港藝術家聯盟頒發「藝術家年奬—編舞」；1998年憑舞蹈作品《男生》獲法國Bagnolet編舞奬。2006年，伍氏於珍妮特國際芭蕾舞比賽編創的兩支獨舞收編為英國皇家芭蕾舞學院課程內容。2008年憑與香港小交響樂團合作《士兵的故事》獲香港舞蹈年獎、2012年香港舞蹈年獎中獲得「傑出成就獎」，並於2013年獲香港藝術發展局頒發「年度最佳藝術家獎（舞蹈）」，2019年憑《香‧夭》奪得香港舞蹈年獎「傑出編舞」及「傑出大型場地舞蹈製作」。

伍宇烈先生的任命，是由董事局成立的招聘委員會經過廣泛的國際遴選產生。伍宇烈憑著他完備、深思熟慮，以及合適舞團現況的長期藝術發展方針脫穎而出。這發展方針展現他充分了解舞團目前的局限以及未來將會面對的結構性轉變，董事局一致認定他為理想人選。

城市當代舞蹈團董事局主席Robert Lewington先生表示：「我謹代表舞團全體成員，熱烈歡迎伍宇烈先生擔任城市當代舞蹈團第四任藝術總監。他的藝術視野、編舞才華、領導經驗、培育舞者的能力，以至在遴選過程中所表現出的熱情和魄力，都令我們印象深刻。他具備著豐富與本地不同界別的旗艦藝團合作演出的經驗——由當代舞至芭蕾舞，由古典音樂至當代音樂，是本地藝術界的人才。我們相信他在這段困難時刻會為舞團注入強大動力，並與各界持分者建立良好的關係，克服舞團未來的挑戰，讓CCDC 更受大眾所認識和喜愛。」

伍宇烈先生欣然接受舞團委任：「由舞者、編舞、佈景設計到服裝設計等不同崗位，二十七來我與CCDC保持緊密合作。我期待接受這個新挑戰，與舞團多位優秀的藝術家、董事局及同僚合作，為CCDC建立煥然一新的形象，以及提升舞團的品牌影響力。」

城市當代舞蹈團是香港首個全職專業現代舞團，於1979年由曹誠淵博士創立，為香港特區政府資助的九個主要演藝團體之一。舞團以「立足香港、匯聚華人菁英、創造當代中國舞蹈」為藝術路線，以體現香港當代文化及推動現代舞蹈發展為宗旨。四十一年來，舞團保留了超過二百齣本土編舞家的完整舞碼，也經常與其他媒介藝術家合作，展現多元化的香港文化特色。每年演出逾百場，參與人數超過十萬人次。

[21 May 2020] City Contemporary Dance Company Board of Directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Yuri Ng as the fourth Artistic Director of City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), succeeding Dr Willy Tsao who resigned at the end of last year. He will take part in the future planning of the Company from May 2020 onwards, and will officially commence his term from 1 January 2021.

Born in Hong Kong and an experienced dance artist, Mr Yuri Ng has been involved with ballet, contemporary dance, drama, classical music and a cappella, as well as stage setting and costume design. He began classical ballet training with Jean Wong at the age of six, going on to win scholarships to study in Canada and the United Kingdom. He was awarded the Adeline Genée Gold Medal from the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) in 1983 before joining The National Ballet of Canada as a dancer.

After his return to Hong Kong in 1993, Mr Ng established a strong connection with CCDC. He worked with the Company on many performances, including A Game of ____ (1993) as choreographer and set and costume designer; The Second Shirt Skirt Show (1995) and Love On Sale (2008) as choreographer; le beau (1996) and The Firecracker (1997) as choreographer and costume designer. He contributed to Seasonal Syndromes (2008), Very Dance(2009) and The Legend and The Hero (2011) as stage/set and costume designer, and to Requiem HK (2018) as choreographer, set and costume designer.

Mr Yuri Ng received the Artist of the Year Award – Choreographer from Hong Kong Artists’ Guild in 1997 and in 1998, and was awarded the Prix d’ Auteur at the Sixth  Rencontres Choreographiques Internationale de Seine-St-Denis (Bagnolet) for his choreography of Boy Story. His two solo pieces choreographed for Genée International Ballet Competition in 2006 have been adopted into the RAD syllabus. His choreography of A Soldier’s Story, in collaboration with Hong Kong Sinfonietta, received the Hong Kong Dance Awards in 2008. He won a Distinguished Achievement Award at the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2012 and Award for Best Artist (Dance) from the Hong Kong Arts Development Council in 2013. Ng also won Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Large Venue Production for Requiem HK at the Hong Kong Dance Awards 2019.

The appointment of Mr Yuri Ng came after an international search conducted by a specially-formed Committee of the CCDC Board. From applicants from around the world, five were shortlisted for interview. Mr Yuri Ng’s long-term artistic plan for the Company was comprehensive, well thought-out and pragmatic. It also demonstrated a clear understanding of the constraints and structural changes CCDC is likely to experience in the future. Mr Ng, with his exemplary qualities, eventually emerged as the successful candidate and was endorsed unanimously by the Board of Directors.

“On behalf of my fellow members of the Company, I am most pleased to welcome Mr Yuri Ng to be our fourth Artistic Director,” said Mr Robert Lewington, Chairman of the CCDC Board of Directors. “We were most impressed by his artistic vision, choreographic prowess, leadership experience, the ability to nurture dancers, as well as his great passion and energy. His numerous accomplishments in cross-over projects with local flagship art companies – from classical to contemporary dance and from classical to contemporary music – made him an outstanding figure in Hong Kong’s art scene. His joining with CCDC will motivate us to move forward. We believe Yuri will establish a good relationship among stakeholders from different sectors, cope with forthcoming challenges faced by the Company, and make CCDC more well-known and welcomed by the public.”

Of the appointment, Mr Ng said, “From dancer, choreographer, to set and costume designer, I have been collaborating with CCDC in different positions for 27 years. I look forward to taking up the challenge and partnering with outstanding artists, staff, and members of the Board of Directors in order to give CCDC a new image and increase its brand impact.”

Founded by Dr Willy Tsao in 1979, CCDC is one of the nine major performing arts groups financially supported by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. CCDC has inspired and enchanted audiences in Hong Kong and around the world with exquisite modern dance performances for 41 years. The Company has staged more than 200 original works to critical acclaim. CCDC has also undertaken innovative collaborations with outstanding artists from other disciplines and from around the world. It is renowned for reflecting the vigour and creativity of Hong Kong’s vibrant, multifaceted contemporary culture, putting on more than 60 shows and entertaining audiences of more than 50,000 people every year.