A dance performance entitled "So Low" by Hong Kong dancer Lai Tak-wai has been staged in Beijing.

With time as the theme, the dance depicts a man struggling within time and space.

"Sometimes we are chasing time, like when you try to catch a bus. But sometimes you feel that time is pushing you, like when you have to give your proposal to your boss. So, I used an abstract way; I used a big prompt on the stage to show how you push time or time pushes you," said Lai.

The show premiered in 2017 and received the prize for "Outstanding Choreography" at the 2018 Hong Kong Dance Awards.

The performance lasts an hour and does not have an intermission.

Challenges of a solo performance

"You have to be a choreographer and a dancer and sometimes the director also. When you dance by yourself, it's quite easy to follow your own speed, but for the audience, they may feel bored if you keep the same tone. So, how to present your dance work is very challenging," Lai explained.

A graduate of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Lai has been a member of the Junior Ballet Contemporain in Paris, the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan, and City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong. He is currently an independent choreographer and dancer and a much-sought-after dance instructor.

"Contemporary art for me is about mind and body connection. It's not only about dance movements. It's about how your body wants to be and how you fulfill your energy and emotion into your body language," he said.

"So Low" is part of the 20th Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival.