Favourite Local Dancer

1. Ming Hon

Photo by Karen Asher

1.    Ming Hon
2.    Carol-Ann Bohrn
3.    Ella Steele


For Hong Kong-born and Winnipeg-raised contemporary dancer, choreographer and performance artist Ming Hon, life is a constant whirlwind of activity.

She had just returned to Winnipeg upon hearing that she was named the Uniter 30’s Favourite Local Dancer, stating that it was “an unbelievably wacky bit of news to receive!”

She says that “I’m stunned, but I also believe the honour of being Winnipeg’s local favourite dancer can only truly belong to the one and only wonderful Dancing Gabe.”

Hon had previously been involved with projects such as a solo exhibition titled Hotel Room/Only the Dead Wear Shoes to Bed and a piece presented by Plug In ICA for their Respondent Series titled Work.

Hon says she’s “deep in rehearsals, about to share a new work in a show with Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers (WCD)” titled ACTUALIZE. It’s set to open Nov. 29, with the first showing at 8 p.m., and closes on Dec. 1 with an artist talk to follow the last showing at 4 p.m.

The WCD website states that Hon’s practice “looks into themes of cultural identity, hybridization and race, as well as the economy and politics of the female body.”

Jolene Bailie, newly appointed artistic director of WCD, says that through dance, WCD “enables vital intersections, linkages and exchange among dance creators, dance interpreters, spectators and communities.”

The ACTUALIZE show hopes to “showcase relevant, new work featuring Winnipeg artists who are devoted to contemporary dance,” of which Hon is included.

“Audiences will experience a show that is deeply moving, complex and fun. All three works are motivated by authenticity and reveal aspects of humanness that are beyond words, expressing personal reflections in a highly physical, and at times, very humorous performance (that reflects) today’s greater societal challenges and celebrates both the depth of human capacity, as well as humans as individuals,” Bailie says.

Published in Volume 74, Number 12 of The Uniter (November 28, 2019)

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