HONG KONG (SE): The Catholic Rosary Evangelical Dance Group marked its 28th anniversary with a performance of the spiritual dance hymn, Festum Christi, at Hong Kong City Hall on April 11 and 12, blending sacred music and contemporary dance in a spiritual reflection on the Seven Last Words of Jesus.
The performance became a tribute to the group’s founder and spiritual advisor, Father Francis Lau Tak-kwong, who passed away on April 10—a day before the event opening. Despite their grief, the group carried on with a show that honoured its founder and conveyed themes of forgiveness, redemption, suffering and reconciliation. The 90-minute production concluded with a finale titled, Pilgrims of Hope.
The event included performances by different choirs and music ensembles, along with children from the dance team of Kowloon Tong Bishop Walsh Catholic School. It also featured moving personal testimonies: one from a Catholic mother who shared how her faith gave her strength, and another from a Protestant participant who described feeling the comforting embrace of Jesus before undergoing brain surgery.
The performance on April 11 was attended by vicar general, Father Paul Kam Po-wai, and several priests, while Auxiliary Bishop Joseph Ha Chi-shing and members of religious communities attended the following evening. All proceeds from the event will be donated to grassroots organisations.
Emily Or Wan-wan, chairperson of the group, told the Sunday Examiner that Festum Christi was originally performed in 2007 and 2008 and has since been developed further to reflect on salvation through Christ’s final words. “It emphasises the collaboration between humanity and God in the mystery of salvation,” she explained.
She described the reconciliation scene—featuring a male dancer bathed in cascading white flower petals—as her favourite. “It symbolises God’s grace reaching everyone,” she explained. “Dance serves as a form of abstract expression, allowing the audience to interpret meaning for themselves and connect with their own emotions.”
A tribute to the late founder, Father Lau
Or recalled the early days of the group, established in 1996, when members were unsure whether liturgical dance could resonate with audiences. “But Father Lau believed in us. He encouraged us to persist and told us that our form of expression was needed in Hong Kong,” she said.
His sudden passing, after weeks of helping prepare for the show and writing the event brochure, came as a deep shock to the group. On the day he died, Or and several members left a key rehearsal to visit him at Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital. “I was able to hold his hand and thank him,” she shared. “Through this performance, we wanted to say to him: ‘Don’t worry, Father Lau, we’ve grown up.’”
In his final message, printed in the event brochure, Father Lau recounted how the group was founded in 1996 to honour the Word of God through dance performance during the Rosary Church’s 90th anniversary at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui.
He expressed his hope that the group would continue guiding congregations in worship and bring more people to the faith through liturgical dance.
