Steps

Cast
Bernice Liu as Lee Sum Ying
Steven Ma as Ching Ka Tsun
Kate Tsui as Yeung Sze Man
Wayne Lai as Lee Lik Keung
Fala Chen as Ching Ka Man (Karman)

This 20-episode TVB series makes you want to dance. Lee Sum Ying (Bernice Liu) hurt herself before an important dance audition and did not make the mark. Driven by her passion for dancing and her wish to further her studies in dance overseas, she teaches at a dance school to earn the money for it. The principal of the dance school is Ching Ka Tsun's (Steven Ma) mother. She thinks highly of Sum Ying and gives her many opportunities to learn from professionals and to take part in competitions so that she can be better known. Ching Ka Man (Fala Chen), her daughter, is jealous of Sum Ying and blowing cold and hot towards her; she even has a fall-out with her mother. The love relationship between Ka Tsun and Sum Ying develops slowly with Sum Ying doing much of the hinting and chasing. Lee Lik Keung (Wayne Lai), Sum Ying's brother, is best friend and colleague to Ka Tsun but due to some misunderstanding relating to work matters he distances himself from his buddy.

The sub-plot of this series revolves around the Yeung family. Yeung Sze Man (Kate Tsui), a business graduate, is keen to expand her family business. Her father, however, errs on the conservative side and after a term at the helm of the company, Sze Man is forced to leave the company by her father. By her own choice, she leaves home as well. Sze Man falls in love with a married man but I shall not tell much here lest it spoils the show for you.

"Steps" is a light-hearted, no-brainer love story and plays on family and friendship issues as sub-plots. There is no high tension nor are there heart-rending love scenes. In fact I did not feel a sense of great anticipation and climax as the series evolve. Even the kissing scenes between Bernice Liu and Steven Ma seem superficial. I would say "Steps" is a mediocre production. I wish the dancing sections were longer. We only see very small segments of waltz, tango, jive, cha-cha, pase doble, rumba and salsa. The redeeming grace is in the selection of songs. One song in particular caught my attention. I searched for it over the internet and found that it is called "No Matter" by Angel. A melodic song but the download I got from the internet seems to be incomplete.

Fala Chen in the role of Ching Ka Man (Ka Tsun's sister) won the "Best Supporting Actress" in the recent 2007 TVB Awards. Personally I do not think she deserves this award. In "Steps" she fails to impress. In fact all the actors in "Steps" would not have made the cut for either best main or supporting actors. I also feel there is no strong chemistry between Bernice Liu and Steven Ma. They seem to be just going through the emotions without giving their all as actors.