**********************************************************
The Asia premiere of three modern masterpieces by the legendary modern dance company Nederlands Dans Theater I (NDT I) tonight (October 23) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre launched the New Vision Arts Festival.
The triple bill comprises "Renature" choreographed by Wayne McGregor, which is a co-commissioned work by the New Vision Arts Festival and NDT; "Shoot the Moon" by award-winning duo of Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, and "Tar and Feathers" by NDT resident choreographer Jiri Kylian.
Presented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the New Vision Arts Festival will run until November 23, featuring a cutting-edge line-up of innovative music, dance, theatre and multi-media crossover and showcasing performances from Hong Kong and around the world.
Officiating at the opening ceremony before the performance was the Permanent Secretary for Home Affairs, Mrs Carrie Yau.
Renowned for his fast, physically demanding movements, British choreographer Wayne McGregor draws inspiration from the world of science, composition, architecture and computer programming. Journeying between artificial and natural worlds, destruction and construction, technology, science and evolution, McGregor ultimately brings back the dancers' bodies to a natural state in "Renature".
"Shoot the Moon", winner of the Dutch VSCD Zwaan (Swan) Award for the Best Dance Production and the Herald Archangel at the Edinburgh International Festival, features three men and two women seen shuttling between the walls of an imposing, rotating three-roomed set, offering snapshots of couples frustrated by their relationships.
In the contemporary classic "Tar and Feathers" by long-time NDT choreographer Jiri Kylian, a live piano performance takes place three metres above the stage, while dancers below revel in a quest for "pure" movement. Jiri Kylian was recently awarded La Biennale di Venezia's prestigious Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement and will soon be ending his 36-year partnership with NDT.
Nederlands Dans Theater I performance will also be staged tomorrow (October 24) and Saturday (October 25) at 7.30pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. This programme contains nudity.
The festival also features:
* Liu Sola & Friends Ensemble, Ensemble Modern (Germany)'s chamber opera "Fantasy of the Red
Queen".
* Contemporary Legend Theatre of Taiwan's "The Tempest".
* Li Liuyi New Drama's "Liang Hongyu".
* Huong Thanh & Nguyen Le Septet (Vietnam / France)'s "Fragile Beauty".
* Pichet Klunchun (Thailand), Jerome Bel (France) & Pichet Klunchun Dance Company
(Thailand)'s "About Khon".
* Dean Moss (USA) and Kim Yoon-jin (South Korea)'s "Kisaeng Becomes You".
* Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's Yo-Yo Ma concert and "Exotic birds and sad songs"
concert.
* Yo-Yo Ma & Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.
* Zuni Icosahedron's "Zuni History Theatre: God Came to China".
* On & On Theatre Workshop and Mobius Strip Theatre of Taiwan's "In the Solitude of Cotton
Fields".
* Yat Po Singers's "Rock Hard".
* Theatre du Pif and Burst TV's "The Will to Build"
Apart from performances, the festival also offers multi-media installations, an exhibition, workshops, talks, lecture demonstrations, meet-the-artist sessions and outdoor concerts.
Tickets for the New Vision Arts Festival are available at URBTIX outlets. Half-price tickets are available for full-time students, senior citizens aged 60 and above, people with disabilities and Comprehensive Social Security Assistance recipients. Group booking discounts of up to 20% are available.
Programme brochures are now available at URBTIX outlets or at the website www.newvisionfestival.gov.hk
For programme enquiries, call 2370 1044. Telephone reservations can be made on 2734 9009 and credit card telephone bookings on 2111 5999. Internet bookings can be made at www.urbtix.hk.
Ends/Thursday, October 23, 2008
Issued at HKT 20:30
NNNN
