Hands Across the Ocean

In 2021, funded by British Council, seven Magpie Dance ambassadors delivered workshops and taught company repertoire to people with learning disabilities in Hong Kong as part of Spark Festival.

Following this, we were excited to be invited by British Council to put forward a new project. In 2022, ‘Hands Across the Ocean’ brought together sixteen dancers from Hong Kong and the UK who have produced a dance film that looks at similarities and differences for dancers with disabilities in both countries. Magpie Dance’s Artistic Director, Alison Ferrao said about the project “Dancers from both countries learnt huge amounts about one another’s culture and were able to explore this through their shared passion for dance.” Dancers with learning disabilities in Hong Kong and the UK filmed in the studio, at home and in their local towns, Magpie Dancer Jamie said “I love photography myself, and getting involved in this with Magpie Dance is mind-blowing”.

The resulting dance film ‘Hands Across the Ocean’ will be premiered for the first time as part of International Dance Day on Saturday 29th April 2023, it will be premiered online on Youtube

You can watch the film using this link, from 10am BST / 5pm HKT on Saturday 29th April - https://youtu.be/OkKwrFiDIk8