Deliberate Collision Presents DANCE DANCE INVOLUTION “Burning Out to Burn Bright!?”

Three Gen Z performers from Hong Kong take to the stage in a sharp, darkly comic exploration of ambition, burnout, and generational disillusionment. Dance Dance Involution, directed by acclaimed theatremaker Eugene Ma, premieres at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this August.

Set against the backdrop of global hustle culture and quiet quitting, the production follows three young actors navigating the tension between performance and authenticity, past and future, pressure and paralysis. The result is a theatrical piece that is urgent, physical, and emotionally charged.

“Behind the silence of a generation is not apathy, but a quiet, relentless drive,” says Ma. “This work is the product of deep artistic collaboration, shaped by real stories and real stakes. It’s not just a play—it’s a collective act of articulation.”

The project began at Hong Kong Baptist University and features actors Dorothy Chow, Ashley So, and Kathleen Wong, co-creating alongside Ma. The piece delves into the cultural and psychological cost of endless striving, portraying a generation caught in cycles of ‘involution’—a term used to describe effort without reward, motion without progress.

Previous Project - WILD the Musical, Rose Theatre, U.K.
Directed by Eugene Ma
★★★★★ - Everything Theatre
Public Choice Award 2022 by The Young Audiences Music Awards

This show runs daily from 1st to 19th August (except the 10th) at 12:00 PM at theSpace @ Niddry Street, Studio Theatre. For more information, please visit: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/dance-dance-involution

Cast and Creatives

Director & Co-Creator: Eugene Ma
Performers: Dorothy Chow, Ashley So, Kathleen Wong
Original Devising Collaborator: Sheena Chan, Hong Kong Baptist University
Dramaturgy Support: Deliberate Collision Collective
Produced by: Deliberate Collision in association with Performance Atelier (Toronto)

About the Director
Eugene Ma is the Executive Artistic Director of Deliberate Collision and Founding Director of Performance Atelier (Toronto). His directing credits include The Making of King Kong (Drama Desk Nomination), WILD the Musical (Public Choice Award, YAMA 2022), and international work across North America, Asia, and the UK. He has taught at Yale Drama School, Columbia University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and more.