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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee:
"Hong Kong Week 2012 - Culture & Creativity @ Taipei", presented by the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee (HKTCCC) in association with the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan), will be held in Taipei from November 23 to December 2 as the first event of its type to showcase Hong Kong's attractiveness as a cultural metropolis for audiences in Taiwan.
Within a span of 10 days, "Hong Kong Week 2012" will feature 19 performances in eight different types of traditional and creative arts programmes including drama, multimedia theatre, jazz music, pop music, new music, Chinese orchestral music, modern dance and dance video, as well as a comic exhibition. Other activities will include a Hong Kong Youth Film Showcase, a cultural and arts seminar and a series of extension activities aimed at developing further cultural exchange between the two places.
The programmes will be held at conveniently located performance and exhibition venues in Taipei, such as the Novel Hall for Performing Arts, Zhongshan Hall, Legacy Taipei, Cement Hall, the Rose Historic Site - Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute, Eslite Xinyi Store and the Chung Shan Creative Hub.
At a meet-the-media gathering today (September 18), the Chairman of the HKTCCC, Mr Fredric Mao, was pleased to announce "Hong Kong Week 2012", Hong Kong's first endeavour to stage an array of exciting arts performances and exhibitions in Taipei since the establishment of the HKTCCC in 2010 to foster exchange, liaison and co-operation between Hong Kong and Taiwan in the development of arts, culture and creative industries.
"'Hong Kong Week 2012 - Culture & Creativity @ Taipei' will showcase the diverse talents of the crˆome de la crˆome of Hong Kong's arts scene including popular, well-known artists and groups as well as up-and-coming talents, aiming at promoting Hong Kong's attractiveness as a cultural metropolis and the achievements of its creative industries, strengthening ties and collaboration between Hong Kong and Taiwan and developing a brand new platform for further exchange," he added.
The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, said at the gathering, "The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), as a member of the HKTCCC, is delighted to participate in 'Hong Kong Week 2012' in the role of co-ordinating this exciting line-up of arts and cultural programmes."
She added that one of the important tasks of the LCSD is to collaborate with different places around the world to establish cultural exchange. The LCSD has close ties with Taiwan's cultural scene and has often invited Taiwan's performing groups and artists to perform in Hong Kong.
"We hope that the activities of 'Hong Kong Week 2012' will not only provide an opportunity for local artists to perform and have cultural exchange dialogue abroad but also promote Hong Kong's arts and culture to Taiwan audiences," she said.
The programme mix and line-up of artists and arts groups include the opening programme "I Have a Date with Autumn" by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre (HKRT); the multimedia stage play "1587, A Year of No Significance" by Zuni Icosahedron; the new music crossover concert "Collision" by SIU2 and HKCO4U; "Let's Swing, Taipei!", organised by the Hong Kong Fringe Club and performed by Hong Kong's Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra and Groovin' Jazz Orchestra from Taipei together with swing dancers from the two cities; inspiring pop music by singer-songwriters in "Gen-S"; "Hong Kong x Taipei Dance Exchange" by dancers and choreographers from Hong Kong and Taiwan; "Jumping Frames International Dance Video Showcase: Taipei", curated by City Contemporary Dance Company (CCDC); the exhibition "Kaleidoscope - History of Hong Kong Comics Exhibition @ Taipei", curated by the Hong Kong Arts Centre; and the closing concert "Jewel from Hong Kong" by the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra (HKCO).
The HKRT's signature production "I Have a Date with Spring" from 1992 is one of the premier Hong Kong theatre classics. To celebrate the HKRT's 35th anniversary, the Hong Kong Film Award-winning playwright Raymond To and Hong Kong Drama Award Best Director Roy Szeto are continuing the legacy in a sequel, "I Have a Date with Autumn". Versatile singer-songwriter Hins Cheung will collaborate with the four most adored theatre actresses of Hong Kong - Alice Lau, Lo Koon-lan, Louisa So and Fung Wai-hang - to take this new episode of the classic to new heights. As the opening programme of "Hong Kong Week 2012", "I Have a Date with Autumn" will show Taiwan audiences the times when Cantopop was in its prime and share Hong Kong's collective memory. The delightful theatre production was a sold-out theatre hit during its Hong Kong's premiere in August, with extra shows added three times.
Zuni Icosahedron's "1587, A Year of No Significance" is based on the novel of the same title by world-famous historian Ray Huang. Set in 1587, the play consists of six monodramas delivered by six characters from the novel. With the joint efforts of renowned art director William Chang, music director Yu Yat-yiu and Kun opera performers Shan Xiaoming and Gu Yu, the Ming dynasty is brought to present-day audiences with pared-down aesthetics. The stage play has run five times with 47 performances over a period of seven years.
Music of any individual genre can merge with other genres to create new forms. SIU2 is engaging in a crossover with HKCO4U, the youth ensemble of the HKCO, to present a creative work entitled "Collision". Peter Ng, recipient of the Hong Kong Arts Development Awards 2011 Award for Best Artist (Music), has composed new works for this occasion to highlight the untapped potential of contemporary Chinese music by mixing it with other genres. Audiences will encounter a brand new music experience in the crossover performance.
"Let's Swing, Taipei!" brings together for the first time the two most sought-after big band orchestras of Hong Kong and Taiwan, namely Saturday Night Jazz Orchestra and Groovin' Jazz Orchestra, in a soirˆme of jazz music and swing dance. Also joining the shows are dancers from Hong Kong Swings and Taipei Swing, who will strut their stuff with fast-paced tap dance alongside the original big band sound.
A new generation of Hong Kong singer-songwriters including Ellen Loo, Ketchup, Sugar Club, Chet Lam, Yoyo Sham and Vicky Fung will show their music creativity and vitality in the "Gen-S" performance, curated by Chi Chung Wong and Yvonne Siet Wong. Guest artists, including Paul Wong & The Postman from Hong Kong, as well as Wu Bai and Waa Wei from Taiwan, will join the group in sharing their music passion with audiences.
For "Hong Kong x Taipei Dance Exchange", 18 experienced and up-and-coming Hong Kong dancers and choreographers will join forces with Taiwan artists from various disciplines in staging an environmental dance marathon at the Rose Historic Site - Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute. Audiences can expect an interactive encounter with the artists, who will weave their way through all the location's interesting spots, both indoors and outdoors. The performance will show the creative capacity of Hong Kong dance, most notably in the hybrid mix of East and West.
CCDC's "Jumping Frames", one of the major dance video festivals in Asia, sets out to bring dance and visual art into one. In its Taiwan debut, "Jumping Frames International Dance Video Showcase: Taipei" will present accomplished works from both Hong Kong and overseas and show what dance and video have to offer when they are brought together.
The closing programme will be the "Jewel from Hong Kong" concert by the HKCO, which has often been acclaimed as "Hong Kong's Cultural Ambassador". For its first Taiwan visit in 20 years, the HKCO, under the baton of Yan Huichang, will perform some of its best commissioned works and finest classics, including a folk tune from Shanxi entitled "The Grand Victory", Cheng Dazhao's "Yellow River Capriccio" and Zhao Jiping's "Melody of the Secluded Orchid".
Throughout the years, comic artists, with their fingers firmly on the pulse of society, have charted the numerous ups and downs of Hong Kong. Through the changing times, comics of different eras have been marked by characteristics that set them apart from each other. After exhibitions in Hong Kong, France and Shanghai, "Kaleidoscope - History of Hong Kong Comics Exhibition @ Taipei" will illustrate the development of Hong Kong comics from the 1960s to the present with multimedia exhibits. Animated shorts by local animators will also play at the exhibition to pay homage to some of the best-loved characters from Hong Kong comics.
"Hong Kong Week 2012 - Culture & Creativity @ Taipei" is supported by the Hong Kong Film Development Council, the Hong Kong Tourism Board and the Hong Kong Trade Development Council. Website: www.hongkongweek2012taipei.hk.
Ends/Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Issued at HKT 20:30
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