Festivals

International Arts Carnival 2009

The International Arts Carnival is a six-week annual event that starts in early July and provides cultural events and entertainment for children, teenagers, and families during the summer holidays. It offers performances by different cultural groups and serves as an audience building platform for local artists and creative groups. In addition to performances, outreach teams promote arts activities at schools and in such public spaces as the foyers of civic centres and shopping arcades.

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China, this year's Carnival featured two unique programmes from the Mainland: the opening programme Genghis Khan by the Inner Mongolia Acrobatic Troupe of China, an acrobatic spectacular that blended traditional Mongolian feats with breathtaking acrobatic stunts, and The Carnival of Chinese Puppets, a fabulous puppet theatre presentation by three renowned Mainland Chinese puppet troupes. Other highlights included Clar de llunes (Moonlight) by Pep Bou and PaGAGnini by Yllana from Spain, Circus INcognitus by Jamie Adkins from Canada, Trio pour un p'tit pois by Pascal Ayerbe, Arnaud Sacase and Jean-Baptiste Tandé from France, Boxy George by Denmark's Teater Refleksion, B-boyz & Ballerina by Korea's Gorilla Crew, The Trick Brain by Hong Kong's own Harry Wong, Laughing Mama by the Actors' Family and Sing the Sounds of English by the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. The Carnival also featured an array of extension activities, including school and outreach tours, exhibitions, workshops, cultural tours, a music camp and the outdoor programme Journey of Fantasy.

The acrobatic spectacular Genghis Khan, performed by the renowned Inner Mongolia Acrobatic Troupe of China, showcased the traditional Mongolian feats of archery, wrestling and horse racing in breathtaking stunts. This show was the opener of the summer International Arts Carnival.

Another breathtaking moment in Genghis Khan shows young performers from the Inner Mongolia Acrobatic Troupe of China exhibiting complex acrobatics and extraordinary bravery.

A total of 29 local and 11 visiting arts groups performed in 413 events, attracting an audience of 132 500, during the carnival period, which ran from July 3 to August 9, 2009. A total of 91 kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools participated in outreach activities, and the average attendance rate for ticketed events was 92 per cent.

Silk Road Arts Festival

The Silk Road Arts Festival was the third edition of the World's Cultures festival series that features leading arts groups from countries along the ancient Silk Road, as well as creations inspired by it. The Festival, held from October 9 to November 8, 2009, offered a colourful array of performances that weaved together contemporary elements and traditional folk culture by outstanding artists from Georgia, Iran, India, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, the Tuva Republic of Russia, the United States, Japan and China.

The Festival opened with Splendours of the Tang Dynasty performed by the Shaanxi Provincial Song and Dance Theatre. Other programme highlights included exotic concerts from Central and South Asia and the Middle East; Silk Road-themed New Age music by celebrated Japanese musician Kitaro; spectacular dance performances by the Georgian National Dance Company Sukhishvili and Shen Wei Dance Arts; a commissioned programme called Marco Polo's Travel to China by the En Chordais Ensemble; performances of different art forms by local arts groups; and the closing programme, Buddhist Music ----- Treasures from the Silk Road, which was performed by three renowned Buddhist music ensembles from the Mainland.

Splendours of the Tang Dynasty, a historical gala of song and dance employing colourful costumes, traditional Chinese instruments and mass dancers, presented the best of modern stagecraft in a revisit of the magnificence of the Tang Dynasty.

The world-renowned Georgian National Dance Company Sukhishvili has revolutionised Georgian folk dance with its creative approach to staging and choreography. Its performance in Hong Kong was a perfect demonstration of female elegance and the power of warriors.

Over the one-month course of the Festival, 35 visiting and 45 local arts groups performed in more than 150 events, including 40 stage performances and a wide range of extension activities, such as workshops and master classes, school tours, student shows, exhibitions, foyer and outdoor performances, meet-the-artists sessions, and talks held in piazzas, shopping malls, libraries, cafes, secondary schools, and tertiary institutions. A particular highlight was two large-scale exhibitions, Peace and Harmony ----- the Divine Spectra of Manjusri Exhibition and Reborn ----- The Silk Road Arts Exhibition, which were organised in co-operation with the Chinese World Cultural Heritage Foundation, the Hong Kong Buddhist Association and Art Map. The Festival attracted more than 170 000 people, with an average attendance rate of 87 per cent.