“VOYAGE of the Eight Graces,” presented by the Hong Kong Dance Company and co-produced by Singapore’s The TENG Company, is coming to Shenzhen this October, offering a groundbreaking cross-cultural production that reimagines ancient Chinese aesthetics for the contemporary stage.

The production is an artistic innovation that blends traditional and contemporary theatrical forms. Drawing inspiration from the cultural essence of the traditional Chinese “Eight Graces” — music, Go, calligraphy, painting, poetry, fragrance, flowers, and tea — the work elegantly embodies the refined aesthetic of the East.

The performance pioneers a new interdisciplinary format where dance, theater, and live cross-cultural music are equal creative partners, rather than mere background support. The TENG Ensemble moves beyond classical convention, performing live across a fusion of musical idioms that range from traditional Chinese instrumentation to modern sounds. The musicians interact in real-time with the dancers, their melodies flowing with the performers’ breath, rhythm, and emotional shifts in an immersive synergy .

The choreography, led by choreographer Huang Lei, eschews the rigid formalism of classical dance in favor of pure physical expression. Dancers use their bodies to explore the spirit of the “Eight Graces,” reflecting contemporary emotions of confusion, anxiety, focus, and release — without forced imitation of antiquity.

Time: 8 p.m., Oct. 16-17; 3 p.m., Oct. 17

Venue: Bay Opera of Shenzhen, Bao’an District (深圳滨海艺术中心)

Metro: Line 5 to Baohua Station (宝华站), Exit D(Tang Li)