‘Belongs to everyone’: wheelchair dancers move beyond boundaries in Hong Kong

At a rehearsal studio in Hong Kong on an early February morning, a group of 12 dancers gathered around a table, hands on deck and eyes locked in intense glances.They slammed the counter in unison. Then they twisted and turned their bodies with fierce precision, as a wave of energy swept through the room. Half stood, while the others moved in wheelchairs.The dancers dispersed into the four corners of the room. Evina Wong Wai-king, a 65-year-old wheelchair dancer, lifted her hand. Tilting her head upwards, she closed her eyes.The dancers were rehearsing for Wayfaring Beyond, a collaboration between the Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDance) and the China Hong Kong Para Dance Sport Association.The barrier-free performance, which offers free admission, is one of 11 featured in inclusive arts festival No Limits. It will be held at Tai Kwun in Central on February 28 and March 1.“Beauty isn’t about how we execute difficult moves ... but about those moments when we [dancers] immerse ourselves together in rehearsals, getting to know one another and paying full attention to each other’s bodies. These are the moments I find incredibly beautiful,” said Ong Tze-shen, choreographer of Wayfaring Beyond and HKDance principal dancer.