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The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) presented the 10th Cantonese Opera Day today afternoon (November 25) at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
The theme for this year was entitled The Legacy of Cantonese Opera Continues, and many activities have been lined up for the day. The Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Tsang Tak-sing; the Chairman of the Cantonese Opera Advisory Committee, Mr Charles Chow; the Chairman of Cantonese Opera Development Fund Advisory Committee, Mr Frankie Yeung; the Vice Chairman of the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong, Mr Lee Lung and the Deputy Director (Culture) of Leisure and Cultural Services, Ms Cynthia Liu, officiated at the opening ceremony at the Concert Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
During the ceremony, four Cantonese Opera Day ambassadors as well as children and youth Cantonese opera troupes from Hong Kong and young actors from the Guangdong Cantonese Opera Academy showed the fruits of their efforts in continuing the legacy of the genre.
A highlight of the day was the workshop on Cantonese opera and Tai Chi, in which performers demonstrated a new routine created by Leung Sum-yee of the Kim Sum Cantonese Opera Association and Tai Chi master Leung Hung-kai. The routine is a combination of the stylised movements of Cantonese opera and Tai Chi, entitled Celestials Amidst Clouds.
Since 2003, the cultural sectors of Guangdong, Macau and Hong Kong have designated the last Sunday of every November as Cantonese Opera Day to promote the development of the valuable vernacular art of Cantonese opera. Through the staging of this territory-wide activity on a regular basis, it is hoped that a broader audience base can be built to carry the torch of Cantonese opera for future generations. In the past decade, the LCSD has won acclaim for its holding of the annual event, and thousands of people have participated in a variety of programmes across the city.
Many other related events have also been held at various LCSD venues in support of Cantonese Opera Day.
Ends/Sunday, November 25, 2012
Issued at HKT 18:22
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