When dancers here in the U.S. think about martial arts, what might come to mind is super-slow and controlled tai chi, or Hollywood's explosive kung fu fight scenes featuring the likes of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. Martial arts in real life can be anywhere and anything in between, as the Hong Kong Dance Company recently learned. A few months ago, the company wrapped up its ambitious three-year embodied research study into the convergences between martial arts and classical Chinese dance. Far from a niche case-study, HKDC's qualitative findings could have implications for dancers from around the world who are practicing in all styles of dance.

Researcher/dancer Huang Lei performing in "Convergence"Courtesy Hong Kong Dance Company