words Kathleen Allard

If the question is what’s the happiest place in Hong Kong, hands down the answer must be a concert by dance legends Grasshopper. Cantopop concerts are notorious for the exuberance shown by thousands of perhaps otherwise reserved Hong Kongers, but a Grasshopper concert is in a league of its own. Brothers Calvin and Remus Choy and their best friend since secondary school, Edmond So, use the power of three to elevate Grasshopper concerts to an energy level unseen and unheard of in other Canto concerts. Theirs are the only concerts where the audience remain on their feet for long stretches of time: at Grasshopper shows, I’ve even observed Hong Kong people actually booty shaking in addition to the usual vigorous glow-stick waving and inflatable tube thumping.

One would think that after more than two decades in the music biz, dozens of CDs, countless awards and sold-out concerts, Grasshopper would have nothing left to prove. But with the arrival in town of two other justifiably famous acts – dancing queen Elva Hsiao from Taiwan and Korean singer/dancer/rapper Lee Min Woo of legendary man-band Shinhwa – Grasshopper must meet the challenge and show them what Hong Kong’s got when all three acts perform their best moves at the Chivas Asia Dance Extravaganza on December 19.

“The performance style of Korean artists and, to an extent, Taiwanese artists is heavily influenced by American hip-hop,” says Remus Choy. “And much of Cantopop is suited to karaoke. But Grasshopper have a lot more fast songs, so this event will be a very good chance to show what the Grasshopper sound is.” And Edmond So adds, “This is going to be a very hot party!”

The extravaganza tops off a busy year for these former church choirboys, who had the second sold-out run of their Forever concert series in February, followed by a CD single with Twins, a Music Is Live show with Joey Yung in August and concerts around Asia and North America. In addition, each of the Grasshopper guys has his own solo career. Remus Choy is well known on the club circuit as DJ Remus and plans to do a remix CD in 2008. Calvin Choy has been writing and producing for other artists as well as Grasshopper. And Edmond So can be found on local screens and airwaves, acting in movies and on TV as well as hosting a late-night radio show.

“From the beginning, we had no teachers,” Calvin says. “We did everything ourselves, together.” “Not just the singing and choreography, but everything: sewing our own clothes, hair styling, we did it all,” Remus adds. By age 16, they were singing in lounges and in 1985 they grabbed the public’s attention in the New Talent Singing Awards, a banner year in which Alex To won the contest, William So was the first runner-up, Grasshopper were finalists and Hakken Lee only made it to the semi-finals! Grasshopper became protégés of the legendary Anita Mui and released their first recording in 1987.

And that name? It turns out it has a number of connotations. “Because when we started out, we were so thin and young … and green!” Calvin says. “And then we thought about that old TV series Kung Fu, where the student is called Grasshopper and always asks so many questions. That was us.”

Not to mention their performing style, as Edmond adds: “On stage, we were always jumping, jumping, jumping.”

Since then, their scorching dance moves, perfect vocal harmonies and delight in being outrageous – with antics like the notorious white-feather music video (in which they’re clad solely in white feathers) and gasp-inducing boy-boy kiss at their 2005 We concert – have kept Grasshopper on top.

With Lee Min Woo and Elva Hsiao fans known for extreme exuberance at their live performances, Grasshopper knows they’ve got a point to prove. Can the Grasshopper zealots prove their point? Calvin says, “No problem. Just jump a little bit higher.” Of course. That comes naturally to Grasshopper fans.

The Chivas Asia Dance Extravaganza, featuring Grasshopper, Korea’s Lee Min Woo and Taiwan’s Elva Hsiao, starts at 8:30pm on Wednesday, December 19, in Hall 7A of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai. This is a promotional event for Chivas Regal: buy a bottle of Chivas and you could get free tickets! For details, call the event hotline at 2378 6934 or go to www.chivas.hk