Session III — A New Perspective for the Future of Performing Arts (10:00-11:10, Oct.18)

How are performing arts organizations across Asia reimagining their roles through innovation, inclusion, and collaboration? From digital transformation and community engagement to the creation of accessible experiences, the arts are expanding beyond traditional boundaries to connect with diverse audiences.

Moderator

Paul Tam | Executive Director, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District

Speaker

Yvonne Tham | CEO, Esplanade

Meggy Cheng | Executive Director, Hong Kong Dance Company

Ms. Tham introduced Esplanade Offstage and Baybeats as key platforms for expanding artistic networks and deepening public engagement. Esplanade has strengthened its membership program, enhanced digital integration, and adopted marketing automation to better understand and serve diverse audiences. The organisation has also focused on building meaningful connections with local communities through neighbourhood-based initiatives and outreach. To promote inclusivity, Esplanade offers accessible ticketing and concession programs for people with disabilities, ensuring that the arts are welcoming and reachable to all. This holistic approach reflects Esplanade’s commitment to cultivating participation across generations, interests, and lived experiences.

Ms. Cheng discussed how Hong Kong Dance Company (HKDC) continues to develop Chinese dance for contemporary audiences, while maintaining cultural roots. HKDC has showcased works internationally, including Hong Kong Week 2025 @ Seoul, and consistently highlights traditional aesthetics such as martial arts and historic cultural figures.

In response to shifting audience behaviors, intensified cultural competition, technological disruption, and economic constraints, HKDC has pursued new strategies:

• Artistic Convergence: Combining martial arts and Chinese dance to create original works that resonate on global stages.

• After Snowfall: A collaboration with artist Chris Cheung, using brainwave and augmented reality technology to explore movement and perception.

• Storm Clouds: Inspired by a classic Hong Kong comic, featuring outdoor 3D projection mapping and cross-media storytelling to expand audience reach.

• Creative Partnerships: Collaborations with brands like Tamjai and international partners have generated alternative funding streams and broadened cultural presence.

• Wellness and Community Engagement: Workshops on mindfulness and healing connect dance with health and everyday living.

• Expanded Accessibility: HKDC presented its first performance featuring wheelchair dancers and introduced tactile tours for visually and hearing-impaired audiences to experience performance through physical touch and spatial exploration.

Meggy emphasized the belief that every individual plays a role in shaping the future of the arts: “Any form of art is a form of power—it has impact; it can inspire change.”

By integrating martial arts, augmented reality, comics, and multi-sensory design, performing arts institutions are transforming cultural heritage into new forms of storytelling. Cross-industry partnerships, wellness workshops, and inclusive performances featuring wheelchair dancers and tactile tours demonstrate how the arts can empower and inspire social change.

The future of performing arts lies in this intersection of creativity and empathy—where innovation not only enhances expression but also strengthens the human connection that art embodies.