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Four professional arts troupes under the Trial Scheme on Community Arts Performance Programmes are now taking turns to organise free and diverse activities in four community halls on the Hong Kong Island for public enjoyment. Whether you are a fan of dance, drama, Cantonese opera or music, you will have fun in the scheme.
The four arts troupes are DanceArt Hong Kong, Windpipe Chinese Ensemble, Class 7A Drama Group and Golden Cantonese Opera. They will organise workshops and performances, in rotation, at Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall in Central and Western District, Quarry Bay Community Hall in Eastern District, Wah Kwai Community Hall in Southern District and Leighton Hill Community Hall in Wan Chai District.
Under Secretary for Home Affairs, Ms Florence Hui; District Officer (Central and Western) Mrs Winnie Ho; Chairman of the Central and Western District Council, Mr Chan Tak-chor; Vice Chairman of the Central and Western District Council, Mr Chan Chit-kwai; and representatives of the arts troupes held a media briefing today (May 27) to introduce details of the scheme.
The Home Affairs Department (HAD) launched this one-year scheme with District Councils and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department last month. The scheme is aimed at catalysing community arts by bringing small to medium-sized arts troupes to the districts.
Ms Hui said the scheme provides both hardware and software for the promotion of culture and arts in the local community. She said, "The HAD has made use of district minor works funds to upgrade stage, lighting and sound facilities in these four community halls so that the groups can make use of the venues to stage better performances.
"On software, the HAD has also used the resources for organising diverse community activities for the arts troupes to stage performances and organise workshops in rotation in four districts, so that people will have more chances to admire and experience performances in different art forms."
She said she hoped that following the launching of the scheme, culture and the arts would grow in the community, eventually becoming part of everyday life so that everyone will enjoy and share them.
Ms Hui took the opportunity to express gratitude to the District Councils for allocating prime timeslots for performances by the arts troupes, and she also thanked the four arts troupes for their dedication and participation in the scheme.
At the media briefing, Mrs Winnie Ho introduced the themes and highlights of the arts troupes. She said she expected that there would be three to four outreach programmes and two to three weekend performances in Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall every quarter.
After the briefing, Ms Hui and the party saw how students learned basic dance steps at a workshop in the Sai Ying Pun Community Complex Community Hall.
For enquiries, please contact the respective District Offices on 3583 3215 (Central & Western District); 2886 6676 (Eastern District); 2551 0111 (Southern District); 2835 2003 (Wan Chai District).
Ends/Thursday, May 27, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:29
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