Arts Education and Audience-Building Programmes

To cultivate cultural literacy at the school and community levels, the Department organised 1 150 arts education and audience-building activities on a territory-wide basis, with more than 312 000 people participating in these schemes in 2008-09.

In Schools

Various arts education programmes are also regularly organised at the school level 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 to implement in-depth arts education projects under the School Arts Animateur Scheme. After attending a series of workshops that last from a few months to an entire academic year, participating students practise what they have learned by taking part in finale performances. In 2008-09, 12 projects comprising dance, music, musicals, multimedia arts and drama were presented with the participation of the Unlock Dancing Plaza, the Chung Ying Theatre Company, the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Hong Kong Composers' Guild, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong 3 Arts Musical Institute, DanceArt Hong Kong, Prospects Theatre, Exploration Theatre, Theatre Space, the Shu Ning Presentation Unit, and the Class 7A Drama Group.

The School Culture Day Scheme encourages primary, secondary and special schools to bring students to the Department's various performance venues, museums and libraries during school hours to participate in cultural activities that are specially designed for them. This well-received Scheme provides opportunities for interactive learning and the integration of arts, history and science into the learning process and into students' everyday lives. To tie in with the launch of the Experience the Arts Scheme for Senior Secondary Students, the School Culture Day Scheme was realigned to feature performing arts programmes targeted for students currently receiving Primary One to Secondary Form Three education.

Three primary school students playing with a giant lion puppet at the Puppet Performance and Workshop held at Ngau Chi Wan Civic Centre.

To pave the way for the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Curriculum in 2009-10, a pilot scheme offering tailor-made programmes with added interactive and educational elements was launched in cooperation with the Education Bureau in 2008-09. This scheme offered 12 programmes comprising dance, drama, music, Chinese opera and multimedia arts. Participating artists/arts groups included the Paul Taylor Dance Company, the John Chen Ensemble, the Hong Kong Ballet, TNT Theatre, the City Contemporary Dance Company, the Chung Ying Theatre Company, the Hong Kong Dance Company, the Shu Ning Presentation Unit, Theatre du Pif and renowned Cantonese opera artists Yuen Siu-fai and San Kim-long.

Cantonese opera veteran Mr Yuen Siu-fai (third from right) demonstrating his techniques and skills to students attending a pre-performance workshop on Princess Chang Ping at Tai Po Government Secondary School.

School students performing in the Creative Ballet Animateur Scheme programme In Search of Cappélia at Kwai Tsing Theatre. The programme was presented under the Scheme with the participation of the Hong Kong Ballet.

The Department also joined hands with the Home Affairs Bureau and the Education Bureau to present Arts Mart, an exhibition during which school representatives, parents and the general public met arts practitioners and learnt about their arts education projects and activities for students.

In the Community

Audience-building programmes at the community level include the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme, the District Cantonese Opera Parade, and projects organised in cooperation with district and non-government cultural organisations.

Contemporary dance group Y-Space featured in the Makeshift Theatre Project: Environmental and Modern Dance Performance under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme at Sai Kung Po Tung Road Bamboo Theatre.

Outreach activities under the Community Cultural Ambassador Scheme are designed to make the arts more accessible to the community, and participating artists perform in public spaces such as parks, shopping malls, community centres and voluntary agencies. Twenty-two arts groups/artists took part in the Scheme in 2008-09.

The District Cantonese Opera Parade promotes Cantonese opera and presents budding and amateur Cantonese opera troupes with opportunities to perform full-length repertoires at regional/district venues.

The audience is engrossed by a traditional bamboo theatre performance in the Appreciation of Cantonese Opera at Bamboo Theatre programme in Ho Sheung Heung, Sheung Shui.

To further arouse the interest of the general public in Cantonese opera, especially the youth, the Department organised 'Let's Enjoy Cantonese Opera in Bamboo Theatre' in 2009, a programme series featuring Cantonese opera performances cum interactive/educational activities tailored for children. The event was supported by Sheung Shui District Rural Committee, Tsing Yi Rural Committee and Tai Po Old Market Tin Hau Temple.

In October — November 2008, the Department organised the Community Festival@JCCAC in partnership with the Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre.