*******************************************************
The Director of the Hong Kong Economic & Trade Office, New York, Ms. Monica Chen today (October 17, New York time) officiated at the New York premiere of ¡§Silver Rain¡¨, a production by the City Contemporary Dance Company of Hong Kong (CCDC).
The program, entitled ¡§A Showcase of Hong Kong Contemporary Dance: Silver Rain¡¨, is presented under the auspices of the month-long ¡§New York Celebrates Hong Kong 2008¡¨ Festival.
Speaking before the premiere performance at the Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts at Pace University, Ms. Chen said the festival aims to introduce the New York community to the diverse and vibrant cultural scenes of Hong Kong.
Ms. Chen said CCDC is the flagship modern dance company of Hong Kong and internationally acclaimed for its distinctive and yet diverse dance styles.
¡§The program you will see tonight reflects that diversity and is a sophisticated blend of eastern and western modern dance vocabularies that unfolds as an array of contrasting theatrical visions from China¡¦s past and present,¡¨ she added.
On October 16, the Resident Artist of CCDC Mr. Xing Liang conducted a master class for dancers at Dance New Amsterdam, providing an opportunity for New York dancers to learn from Mr. Xing.
Hong Kong Secretary for Development Mrs. Carrie Lam will be the guest of honor at the October 18 performance as well as the reception following the performance to celebrate the sophisticated artistry of the CCDC performers.
Aside from the performances by CCDC, the ¡§New York Celebrates Hong Kong 2008¡¨ Festival also featured Cantonese opera performances and related workshops, an international symposium at the Skyscraper Museum examining the dramatic vertical urbanism of Hong Kong, and a discussion by internationally-acclaimed Hong Kong designer Eric Chan and architect/designer Calvin Tsao on design in a global environment. The capstone event of the festival will feature a Hong Kong cuisine tasting event.
¡§New York Celebrates Hong Kong 2008¡¨ festival is a month-long celebration throughout New York City of Hong Kong¡¦s creativity and entrepreneurship. Through art exhibits, opera and dance performances and educational symposiums, the festival offers an opportunity to learn about the evolving ¡§modern heritage¡¨ of the continuously vibrant and transformative city of Hong Kong.
The festival is hosted by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, New York and supported by the Hong Kong Tourism Board.
Ends/Saturday, October 18, 2008
Issued at HKT 12:25
NNNN
