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Chung Ying Theatre was established in 1979. Its mission is to nurture
artistic excellence through the development of new plays, theatre-in-education
projects and training of theatre practitioners. In 2003, members
of its creative team created four original plays including Far
away ... yet so close, Angel Aurora, Action! Mr. Lai, and When
Snow Falls (a musical play). A theatre performance entitled
The Arctic Saviour was touring in secondary schools. A rerun
of Alive in the Mortuary was the final performance of the
season. Moreover, Chung Ying was commissioned as a Community Cultural
Ambassador by the LCSD, to further its promotion of theatre performances.
The City Contemporary Dance Company was established in 1979. It
is a professional modern dance company that endeavours to rally
the best Chinese talents in creating dance in the contemporary context
of China. In 2003, the company produced five new works including
Autumn Sonata, a double bill by its resident choreographer Helen
Lai and Pun Siu-fai; The Enigma of Desire by its associate choreographer
Mui Cheuk-yin and resident artist Xing Liang; and two mixed bills
by young choreographers from Hong Kong and the Mainland. The company's
Education and Outreach Department offered year-round comprehensive
dance courses for both adults and children, and presented outdoor
performances as part of its activities to reach out to the community.
The Hong Kong Ballet was established in 1979. It mission is to
promote the finest ballet art forms of East and West. In 2003, the
Hong Kong Ballet commissioned a new production, Turandot,
a dramatic ballet based on the Puccini opera. It was created by
the internationally acclaimed choreographer Natalie Weir. During
the year, the company performed six other ballets: Swan Lake;
Coppelia; Ballet Extravaganza (which consisted of three short
works: Dreams of Tenderness and Solitude, a neo-classical
piece by the award-winning American choreographer David Allan, The
Rite of Spring, a reworking by Natalie Weir of this still-controversial
piece; and Tango Ballet Tango, a dance narrative by the company's
artistic director Stephen Jefferies); The Sleeping Beauty; Beauty
and the Beast, and The Nutcracker.
With a view to extending its audience base beyond
Hong Kong, the company accepted an invitation to stage two performances
of Turandot in Macau in September. The company's Education and Outreach
Unit continued its work promoting dance to people of all ages and
backgrounds through more than 10 projects during the year. |
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Founded in 1977, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra was incorporated
as a non-profit-making company in April 2001. The orchestra is a
professional Chinese music orchestra that has gained international
recognition. Under the leadership of artistic director Yan Huichang,
it has made notable achievements in promoting the development of
Chinese orchestral music. During the year, it gave a total of 100
regular, outreach and special concerts. A highlight was the Hong
Kong Drum Festival, organised by the orchestra and held from July
to October. The festival's Opening Rally was staged at Victoria
Park as an event in the Government's post-SARS Economic Relaunch
Campaign. More than 3 000 residents took part in a
drum piece The Earth Shall Move, under the baton of Yan and
featuring the debut of the world's biggest Peace Drum. The event
has been registered for an entry in the Guinness Book of World
Records. |
The Hong Kong Dance Company, founded in 1981, was incorporated as a
non-profit-making organisation in April 2001. It is committed to promoting
the art of Chinese dance and has also performed in Australia, the United
Kingdom, Republic of Korea, Japan, Singapore and Canada as well as Beijing,
Shanghai and Taipei. Besides producing five productions each season, the
company also organises outreach and educational events for the community,
especially young people.
The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, with 89 members, is the city's
oldest and largest orchestra. It gave a total of 130 concerts during the
year. The orchestra provides the community with classical music of an
international standard, and inspires and cultivates creativity through
its multi-faceted commissioning and music education programmes. As a Cultural
Ambassador for Hong Kong, the orchestra made its debut in Europe in 2003,
performing in London, Belfast, Dublin and Paris. The tour, in February
and March, began with performances in Macau and in the Korean cities of
Seoul, Busan and Gwangju.
Founded in 1977, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre was incorporated as
a non-profit-making organisation in April 2001. The company is the first
professional drama theatre in Hong Kong. Its extensive repertoire is performed
mostly in Cantonese and sometimes in Putonghua. Other than original works,
the company also performs translated classics. During the year, the company
staged nine productions of different genres in 122 performances, including
15 student performances. Apart from its major productions, the company
toured 128 schools, organised six summer camp classes for students and
gave 52 sessions of theatre workshops for the community.
Established in 1990, the Hong Kong Sinfonietta strives to integrate
the art of music with the lives of people. The orchestra hopes to achieve
the best quality of music with the use of local and regional talent as
well as elevating the status of the art of music and musicians in Hong
Kong through classical music. Under music director Yip Wing-sie, the orchestra
continued to bring quality music to its audiences. It initiated a special
joint performance, Arts Relief for SARS, with five other performance
groups to raise funds for SARS victims. The orchestra's concert at the
Hong Kong Arts Festival, continued participation in the 'Le French May'
Festival, International Arts Carnival and 'Legends of China' Festival
highlighted the year's activities. The orchestra also broke new ground
and collaborated for the first time with local pop stars — Andy
Hui and William So.
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Established in 1993 under the joint artistic directors Jim Chim
and Olivia Yan, the Theatre Ensemble has endeavoured to create quality
theatre works that are 'physical', 'creative' and 'humorous'. To
commemorate its 10th anniversary, the company organised a variety
of activities during the year including a physical stand-up comedy
Sure Wine; a children's theatre Oops! Belle the Witch
is Gone (a live music version); an interactive seminar for parents
called School of Jim Jim; the 10th anniversary exhibition
10 · The Bounds · The Boundless; the launching
of PIP (Pleasure In Play) school with a PIP Festival; and a school
touring programme of 200 performances of Smokeland Adventure. |
Zuni Icosahedron is a multimedia experimental theatre group. Since its
inception in 1982, it has played an important role in developing new frontiers
for Hong Kong's cultural scene. It has been active in video, sound experimentation
and installation arts, as well as in the areas of arts education, arts
criticism and arts policy research. In 2003, Zuni created five experimental
performances. These were the multimedia music theatre, A Lover's Discourse
and 18 Springs; the experimental traditional Chinese opera series
Good Wind Like Water; and the socio-political theatre East Wing
West Wing. Popularising experimental arts and culture has always been
the group's main focus. In 2003, it continued to organise a series of
multimedia theatre workshops and joint-school performances for students,
published a new supplementary booklet, Book, together with an arts
and cultural magazine, E+E. Zuni was also invited to take part
in international cultural exchange activities, including a performance
of its Sigmund Freud In Search of Chinese Matter and Mind in Tokyo's
Performing Art Market and launching the Black Box Exercise installation
exhibition in the 'Images of Asia' Festival in Denmark. |
