Foreword
“Hong Kong Week” has reached its seventh edition this year. The number “seven” reminds me of historical Chinese figures like the “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” and the “Seven Scholars of Jian’an” – individuals who became acquainted through the arts, who inspired each other to improve their craft, and who gave rise to a formidable cultural force in their respective eras. Over the years, “Hong Kong Week” has successfully connected creative talents in Taiwan and Hong Kong and created opportunities for sparkling new ideas, and thereby achieving authentic cultural exchanges between the two places.
The theme of “Hong Kong Week” this year is “Dance Shimmers”. It will bring a colourful array of dance programmes to audiences in Taiwan. The Book of Songs mentions that the ultimate expression of emotions is manifested by “the movements of hands and feet”. The whimsical ballet ALICE (in wonderland), which is full of childhood wonder, and the romantic, haunting, and heart-rending dance drama L’Amour Immortel are stage adaptations of two classic tales performed by the Hong Kong Ballet and the Hong Kong Dance Company respectively, demonstrating how the creators express emotions through these dances to the fullest extent. Y-Space’s Helen Lai in the Post-90’s and NEO DANCE HK’s Soul Casting showcase respectively the prowess of veteran forces and the upcoming elites from the Hong Kong dance scene, allowing one to catch a glimpse of how the terpsichorean language transcends all boundaries.
Furthermore, the large-scale exhibition “Hang4 Zyu6 Sik6 Zi6” In Search of Hong Kong’s Light and Shade, organised by Hong Kong Multimedia Design Association, and a series of stimulating extension activities will be featured in “Hong Kong Week” this year, enabling audiences to come into even closer contact with the artistic elites of the two places. We are grateful for your continuous support, and I hope that our programmes will ignite your enthusiasm to dance along with us!
Convenor of Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee
Fredric Mao Chun-fai
