TS Crew & Hong Kong Soul To Present NO DRAGON NO LION

TS Crew in association with Hong Kong Soul will present No Dragon No Lion, a dynamic fusion of beatboxing, Kung-Fu, dance-circus, martial arts, tricks and parkour at C ARTS, C venues, C aurora, main house 31 Jul – 25 Aug 2024 (not 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 & 20), 13.50 (14.40). Choreographed by Hugh Cho.

Re-creating the classical New Year Lion Dance and Chinese Opera as contemporary performance, live beatboxing and film music replace traditional Asian percussive music in an intensely physical performance that fuses Kung-Fu, dance-circus, martial arts, parkour and puppetry.

With a cast of eight physical performers and two beatboxers, No Dragon No Lion is a 50-minute spectacle that breathes fresh life and gives a cheeky nod to tradition whilst poking fun at stereotypes, and uses no props except stools and a large woven lion's head mask. The show returns to the festival following its appearance in 2023 (C venues) and its Asian Arts Award-winning run in 2022 (Dance Base), and was granted the honour of being the opening act at New York Times Square New Year's Eve 2023.

Choreographer Hugh Cho said, “We have created a unique style of performance by extracting the essence of the traditional form of Chinese performing arts and blending it with martial arts, physical tricks, parkour, capoeira and dance. The live beatboxing is added to replace the traditional percussive music. No Dragon No Lion is a journey of discovery and transformation, TS Crew and I explore the idea of a unique brotherhood, common to all humanity, but rooted in Asian culture. This is our fourth year in Ed Fringe with this show, I am hoping No Dragon No Lion can somehow transform to a long-running show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”

Founded in 2017, TS Crew (TS) is a professional performing arts group with members from different backgrounds, including film, drama, xiqu, dance, martial arts and stunting, and motivator of Hong Kong-international dance platform “Hong Kong Soul”, a three-year grantee of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. TS Crew is active in the international art scene and various platforms, such as New Year's Eve Countdown 2023 at Times Square in New York, Busan International Dance Festival, Sziget Festival in Budapest and Edinburgh Festival Fringe. No Dragon No Lion received the Asian Arts Award for Best Show from Asian Art Fund Scotland at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022.

Hong Kong Soul is a contemporary platform created by TS Crew to showcase the diversity and unique talents of Hong Kong artists. Shows at last year's successful pilot included No Dragon No Lion, Diary VII: The Story of...... and The (Hong) Kong Girls. This year, they're presenting three shows: No Dragon No Lion (C venues), It's Not My Body: Chapter 3.5 / This Is at Dance Base, and Must I Cry (Paradise at Augustines).a

C ARTS, C venues, c Aurora – main house, Lauriston Halls, 28 Lauriston Street, EH3 9DJ

31 Jul – 25 Aug (not 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 & 20), 13.50 – 14.40

31 Jul – 2 Aug: £11 (£9 concs)

7 – 25 Aug, weekdays £13 (£11 concs)

7- 25 Aug, Sat & Sun £15 (£13 concs)

www.CtheArts.com | 0131 581 5555

Previews

27 Jul               Warrington Arts Festival (excerpt, 30 mins)

28 Jul               Manchester (open rehearsal)

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