Presented by the City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC), the "City Contemporary Dance Festival 2026" (CCDF 2026) is running from Oct. 23 to 31 at the East Kowloon Cultural Centre. Centered around the theme "The Illusion of Time," this year's festival invites audiences to dissolve the boundaries of time, moving freely between reality and fiction, memory and prophecy, wakefulness and dreams.
Among the highlights, the closing program Jiří Kylián & Sangba takes the stage on Oct. 30 and 31. The production pairs Sleepless, a classic masterwork by former Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) Artistic Director Jiří Kylián, alongside Sensory Matrix, a brand-new creation by CCDC Artistic Director Sang Jijia. Ahead of the performances, DotDotDews reporters sat down for exclusive interviews with Sang Jijia, CCDF's festival and program director Karen Cheung, and CCDC dancer Shum Pui-yung, taking readers into the interwoven world of emotion and perception created by Jiří Kylián & Sang Jijia.
Classics Meet New Works: Sleepless Pushes Dancers' Physical Limits
The pairing of Sleeplessand Sensory Matrixstems from the festival’s curatorial concept of "Classic + New Work" dialogue: showcasing the company’s original self-produced creations while introducing world-class masterpieces. Sang Jijia shared that while Sleeplesswas his top choice, bringing the two together felt like a stroke of fate.
"We reached out to see if there was any interest in a double-bill format with the Kyliánseries, and fortunately, Sleeplessaccepted."
Jiří Kylián is a renowned contemporary dance luminary and master choreographer. His classic piece Sleeplessportrays the solitude and shifting consciousness of those suffering from insomnia. Sang Jijia noted that he chose Sleeplessbecause its core theme remains timeless across any era, "Almost everyone experiences insomnia, making it deeply relatable and easy for audiences to connect with." For him, having the rare opportunity for the company’s own dancers to interpret the work is "our absolute honor."
Sleeplessfeatures six dancers performing together. Urtzi Aranburu, who led the role auditions in Hong Kong, noted in a prior interview that the stage visuals are clean, sharp, and precise. The dancers must project an intense, magnetic presence, making exceptionally high demands on their physical stamina.
CCDC New Work Sensory Matrix: Discovering Unique Individuals in the Metropolis
"Sensory Matrix"is also the overarching theme for CCDC's 2026–27 performance season. The concept evokes a layered intersection of spaces, characters, and time, constructing a multidimensional viewing perspective. Sang Jijia hopes to use dance as a medium to build deep connections with the audience through emotional, visual, and multifaceted dimensions.
When Sensory Matrixmaterialized on stage, it captured the complex state of contemporary society and individual inner worlds, focusing intensely on unique individuals adrift in a vast crowd. Sang Jijia explained, "In this bustling metropolis with people constantly coming and going, we enrich the layers through stage installations and imagery, making audiences feel as though they are immersed in multidimensional spaces. We hope everyone can find their own footing and positioning within it."
Yet, how should one approach the work if an audience member feels detached and unable to sync with it? Addressing this, Sang Jijia stated candidly that creators do not worry about such concerns. "When choreographing, I always ask myself whether the dance possesses 'readability.' Abstraction is only part of it; merging abstract and concrete elements is precisely why I am endlessly fascinated by dance."
Dancer’s Interpretation: Nuanced Layers Within a Single Emotion
CCDC dancer Shum Pui-yung successfully secured a role in Sleepless. She candidly shared that because the two pieces stem from different cultural backgrounds and eras, their connotations are wonderfully diverse. For her, participating in both works is an invaluable opportunity to explore physical expression.
Reflecting on her experience performing in Sensory Matrix, Shum believes that different urbanites will experience unique feelings when watching it.
"Your mood changes depending on whether you are looking out at towering skyscrapers or natural landscapes." She noted that she often has to channel her own lived experiences into the emotions required for the role, trying a different state of mind with every performance. However, these shifts in feeling do not mean swinging to extremes, but rather fine-tuning different intensities within the same emotion.
"For instance, with anger, you have to modulate anywhere from Level 1 all the way to Level 10."
Hoping Audiences Let Go and Weave Their Own Stories
When asked about their expectations for the program, the interviewees all expressed hope that audiences will enter the theater with an open, unburdened mind and follow the dancers to construct their own personal stories. Sang Jijia hopes that after watching, the audience will utter the word Ach—the English title of the piece, which is also a German interjection of sighing and wonder—inviting viewers to use their own intuition and senses to fill in this one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.
(Reporter: Ashley; Video Editor: Yi; Translator: Ella Qu)
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