Company Wayne McGregor: Deepstaria

EVENT DESCRIPTION

WestK is proud to present the Asian premiere of Deepstaria, a groundbreaking new work by internationally acclaimed choreographer Wayne McGregor, and performed by Company Wayne McGregor, at the Xiqu Centre’s Grand Theatre on 20 and 21 September 2024. Featuring acoustic imagery and music provided by Oscar-winning sound designer Nicolas Becker and music producer LEXX, and enhanced by digital audio engine Bronze AI, Deepstaria is the latest work by McGregor that conjures a highly sensory dance and sound experience. Co-produced by Montpellier Danse, France, Italy’s Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi, Pfalzbau Bühnen Ludwigshafen from Germany and the UK’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Deepstaria is co-commissioned by WestK. This marks the production’s third stop on a world tour after making its grand debut in France and Italy in June and July respectively. Tickets are available now through the WestK website.

Integrating contemporary dance, visual arts and new technologies, Deepstaria takes audiences on a mesmerising self-exploring journey

Drawing inspiration from humanity’s enduring fascination with the void, such as the dark depths of the ocean, and our inborn desire to explore the world to its limits, Deepstaria combines intricate choreography with sophisticated sound design and the revolutionary Vantablack Vision® technology to create an unfathomable and mysterious darkness onstage. It invites audiences to contemplate the interplay between darkness, knowledge, and our own morality. McGregor describes this interactive performance as a quest for enlightenment and self-discovery.

The premiere of Deepstaria in France and Italy won high praise, with the New York Times noting: “There is something deeply touching here in the presentation of the human body – so small and frail amid the voids beyond our knowledge and imaginative grasp, yet also so ingenious, resolute and brave.”  

The winner of multiple accolades, Wayne McGregor is an internationally renowned British choreographer and director who is known for trailblazing innovations in performances that have explored the intersection of dance, film, music, visual arts, technology and science through multidisciplinary collaborations, radically redefining contemporary dance and the performing arts in the modern era. He was the first choreographer from a contemporary dance background to be invited into the role of Resident Choreographer at the Royal Ballet in London and has been involved in more than 20 projects that have helped to reconfigure the company’s repertoire since he joined in 2006, and has works in the repertories of the most important dance companies in the world including Paris Opera Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York City Ballet, La Scala Ballet, American Ballet Theater, and Bolshoi Ballet. McGregor has also worked in cinematic productions across a plethora of genres including blockbusters such as Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire.

In addition to the stage performances in Xiqu Centre, there will be a post-performance meet-the-artist session on 20 September 2024 (Friday). Nicholas Becker and LEXX from the sound composition team of Deepstaria will be hosting a hybrid seminar on “The Creativity of Music and Technology in Live Performances” in collaboration with Dr Eugene Birman, Associate Professor from the Department of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University in early September. What’s more, top dancers from Company Wayne McGregor will lead a dance workshop on McGregor’s contemporary dance techniques.