Oct. 10, 2021

Interdisciplinarity: Philosophizing Dance Aesthetics | Henry Lai

Jason met Henry whilst taking an elective at the HKAPA and immediately struck up a great connection. Henry was also one of the advisors on the STAGE project board.

How does dance and philosophy intertwine as an art form? Is dance a philosophy itself? Much of dance has evolved from a performative act into the universal thought process and stream of consciousness that has shaped the world around us. Behind every text spoken is movement as a communicative language. Behind the aesthetics of dance is also humans' basic need to share and connect beyond the ring of philosophical fire that has made art what it is today.

Henry Lai is a  lecturer in Complementary Studies and Liberal Arts at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). Prior to his current tenure, he worked at Silicon Valley for more than 10 years managing international education programmes and is a M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering graduate from Purdue University, USA. 

Kickstarting the month of Interdisciplinarity, this episode explores the intersection between two often complex yet fulfilling topics of discussion - dance and philosophy. Yearning for a deeper understanding of dance aesthetics and intellectual rigour? Join us as we foreground cross-disciplinarity of arts in the background!

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Henry LaiProfile Photo

Henry Lai

Lecturer

20+ years of experience managing and conducting training for multi-national US firms, the last 8 of which were for Asia Pacific operations. Focus: Leadership development, business skills, change management, innovation and creativity. Fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin.
Specialties: Influencing skills, Innovation and Creativity, negotiations, strategic planning, people management, team building. Use of theatre training games/exercise to enrich and make learning soft skills more effective.

Travelled to 100+ countries. Good experience with multi-culture environment.

Bachelor's degree program Lecturer at Hong Kong Academy For Performing Arts. Customize business skills training for Artists. Also directs theatre performances in spare time.

Bachelor's and Master's degree in Electrical and Computer engineering.
US work experience for 15+ years, moved back to Hong Kong in 2003.