Veteran Hong Kong choreographer Helen Lai, who has won the Hong Kong Dance Awards seven times, was the artistic director of the City Contemporary Dance Company from 1985 to 1989 and its resident choreographer from 1991 to 2011.
Accolades included Badge of Honour from the Queen of the United Kingdom in 1995, Medal of Honour by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government in 2000, Choreographer of the Year from Hong Kong Artists’ Guild (1990), a Distinguished Achievement Award at the 2002 Hong Kong Dance Awards, Award for Arts Achievement (Dance) in 2003 and Outstanding Contribution in Arts Award in 2015 from Hong Kong Arts Development Awards and an Honorary Fellowship from The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts on July 2004.