‘No Dragon No Lion’ from TS Crew began as a community performance project in Hong Kong during the pandemic, and was then developed into a 30 minute show through a residency at Edinburgh’s Dance Base in 2022.

It then further evolved into a 50 minute performance, which appeared at last year’s Fringe, and returns this year at C aurora. It combines elements of traditional Chinese dance with contemporary artforms and beatboxing to create a diverse and compelling spectacle.

I wanted to find out more about the journey the show has been on. And about TS Crew, who are also a key part of the Hong Kong Soul platform that is presenting three shows and two street artists as part of this year’s Festival. I spoke to Company Manager and Producer Andy Lo to find out more.

CC: What can people expect from ‘No Dragon No Lion’ – what kind of show is it?
AL: This is kung-fu, contemporary dance and circus.

The TS Crew unique performance style is achieved by extracting the essence of traditional forms of Chinese performing arts and blending it with martial arts, physical tricks, parkour, capoeira and dance. Live beatboxing is then added to replace the traditional percussive music.

A journey of discovery and transformation, TS Crew explores the idea of a unique brotherhood, common to all humanity, but rooted in Asian culture.

CC: What first inspired you to create this show – and to combine traditional and contemporary art forms?
AL: During the time of COVID, while experiencing all the difficult moments in Hong Kong, TS Crew decided to create some projects that were related to our cultural roots and yet contemporary enough to connect with the Hong Kong people of today, treating it as a gift to them.

The show started as a community performance project in 2021. Then we developed it into a more comprehensive, as well as tourable, piece via a residency at Dance Base in Edinburgh in 2022. And then, in 2023, we extended the whole performance to a 50 minute version.

CC: How do you go about devising and developing a show like this?
AL: It was truly an organic process.

With the artistic framework laid by our choreographer Hugh Cho, performers from diverse backgrounds – including contemporary dancers, lion and dragon dance performers, parkour players, martial arts practitioners, as well as beatboxers – started creating through jamming.

Via artistic and choreographic adjustment, together with adding suitable context, it became a full length ‘No Dragon No Lion’.

CC: You’ve presented this show at the Fringe before – how has it evolved over that time?
AL: The first time we came to Fringe was is 2019 with the show ‘Along’. Then in 2022 we presented the first 30 minute version of ‘No Dragon No Lion’.

We kept evolving the show, along the way combining the essence, as well as some elements, of ‘Along’ together with the first iteration of ‘No Dragon No Lion’, to create the full version of the show that we presented last year.

It has been a five year journey in Edinburgh, as well as a five year journey of artistic development, for the sake of artistic and performance excellence.

CC: You’ve toured the show extensively, what have been the highlights so far?
AL: The passions and reactions, and the standing ovations, of audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe have been key highlights.

CC: Why do you think the Fringe is a particularly good place to present shows like ‘No Dragon No Lion’?
AL: ‘No Dragon No Lion’ is a show with different layers and complexities, which means that audiences from different backgrounds can get what they need from the production. Different audiences might have different perspectives.

And that makes it perfect for the Fringe. The Fringe is the biggest platform that allows different artists and different audiences to encounter each other.

CC: Can you talk us through the performers in ‘No Dragon No Lion’ – who are they and what are their backgrounds?
AL: Our choreographer Hugh is also our Artistic Director, and a performer with a contemporary dance background. Steve Ng is Associate Artistic Director and a performer with a capoeira background.

To Chi Sing is Rehearsal Coordinator and a performer with a strong lion and dragon dance background, as well as being involved in stunts in different movies in Hong Kong, and having some parkour and tricking experience

Other performers include Leo Lau and Oscar Chan, with beatboxing backgrounds. King Tsoi has a lion dance and contemporary dance background; Herman Lui a contemporary dance background; and Rikubouz a tricking background.

Wong Chi Chung and Tang Chi Hang both have a break dance background; and Ethan Cho – Hugh’s son – is our talented little performer.

CC: Tell us more about Hong Kong Soul – what are the aims of the initiative and what other shows are appearing under that banner this year?
AL: Hong Kong Soul is a platform motivated by TS Crew to showcase the diversity and unique talents of Hong Kong artists in a collective way, while also allowing the Hong Kong dance scene to connect with new audiences.

It is a live performance programme featuring artists from Hong Kong. Apart from ‘No Dragon No Lion’, we have ‘It’s Not My Body Chapter 3.5 / This Is’, a double bill show at Dance Base. I think this double-bill is very interesting, providing different layers of perspective on performance, imagination and context.

Alongside the dance and circus performances, we are also presenting a spoken drama/physical theatre show called ‘Must I Cry’ at Paradise at Augustines. It is about the vanishing value of a city.

And in addition to those three shows, we have two street artists joining us as well.

CC: What have been some of the highlights for TS Crew to date?
AL: Highlights include a full year touring seven cities in Asia in 2018; our full-house experience at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019; and being invited to perform as the opening act at the Times Square New Years’ Eve celebrations in New York.

CC: What do you plan to do in Edinburgh this month while not performing?
AL: We are eager to watch more shows, and meet new and old friends. And at least some of our members will climb up Arthur’s Seat.

CC: What have you got planned for after the Festival?
AL: We will be working on a collaboration with a Japanese company in Hong Kong, commissioned by the West Kowloon Cultural District.

Also, we might come back for a UK tour in February 2025, and we are thinking about Adelaide Fringe next year as well.

‘No Dragon No Lion’ was performed at C aurora at Edinburgh Festival 2024.

Other Hong Kong Soul shows…

‘It’s Not My Body Chapter 3.5’ / ‘This Is’ was performed at Dance Base.

‘Must I Cry’ was performed at Paradise at Augustines.

LINKS: tscrew.hk | hongkongsoul.com

Photo: Cheung Chi Wai