Arts Education and Audience-Building Programmes

To cultivate the community's cultural literacy, the Department organised 904 arts education and audience-building activities within the community. In 2006, over 218 000 people participated in these schemes.

Various arts education programmes are organised at schools to encourage students to develop an interest in the arts and to foster cultural literacy in their early years.

The Department collaborates with local performing groups that are experienced in arts education for the School Arts Animateur Scheme. The scheme provides an in-depth introduction to different types of performing arts for students in schools. Students demonstrate what they have learned in final performances after completing the programmes. In 2006, nine projects in areas such as modern dance, multimedia arts, musical theatre and drama were co-organised with the City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Ballet, Zuni Icosahedron, International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong), DanceArt Hong Kong, Prospects Theatre, Exploration Theatre, the Shu Ning Presentation Unit and Class 7A Drama Group.

The finale performance of Spirit of the Rose, a multi-media dance education project co-organised with the Hong Kong Ballet under the School Arts Animateur Scheme.

Students get their first taste of stage performance in the finale project co-organised with the International Association of Theatre Critics (Hong Kong) under the School Arts Animateur Scheme.

Children pose as insects in the 'Drama as a Learning Tool' Drama-in-Teaching Scheme with Exploration Theatre.

The School Culture Day Scheme mobilises primary, secondary and special schools to bring students to the Department's performance venues, museums and libraries during school hours to take part in arts and cultural activities that are specially arranged for the students. The programmes provide opportunities for interactive learning and the integration of arts, history and science into the learning process and everyday lives of students. The scheme has been well received.

Students get a glimpse of the enduring tradition of Cantonese opera through the 'Cantonese Opera Appreciation' project of the School Culture Day Scheme.

In the Community

At the community level, audience-building programmes include the Artist-in-Residence Scheme, the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme and District Cantonese Opera Parade.

Outreach activities under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme make the arts more accessible to the community. Participating artists perform in public spaces such as parks, shopping malls, community centres and venues of voluntary agencies. A total of 21 arts groups/artists were featured under this scheme in 2006.

A touring puppet performance of The God of the Door for My House by the Asian People's Theatre Festival Society and Art Home under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme.

A joyful performance of Sing Along, Dance Along, Theatre of the Hong Kong Chronicles by Prospects Theatre under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme.

The District Cantonese Opera Parade helps promote Cantonese opera in districts and offers public performance opportunities for promising young artists in Cantonese opera troupes. The Department continues to operate the Cultural Services Volunteers Scheme to encourage people to make better use of their leisure time by doing voluntary work to promote arts and culture.