Asia+ Festival opens with visual spectacle "The Accountants" fusing dance with technology (with photos)
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     Jointly created by a British cross-disciplinary artist, Chinese and Indian choreographers, together with a team of leading digital interaction and sound designers, "The Accountants" is an uplifting visual spectacle fusing dance with technology. The programme, to be held on September 27 and 28 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, will mark the beginning of the second Asia+ Festival presented by the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau and organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
 
     Keith Khan, Head of Culture of the 2012 London Olympics, has worked with a famous British fashion brand on a textile project for the city of Leeds. Xie Xin, a Chinese choreographer who rose to stardom after winning a Mainland dance contest, is hailed as "the ultimate in Chinese contemporary dance". She is also the first Mainland female choreographer who has received a commission from the Paris Opera. Indian choreographer Terence Lewis, active in Bollywood films and musicals, boasts multiple Guinness World Records and millions of followers on social media. Together with the Creative Head of the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company, Mahrukh Dumasia, their works have toured many different countries to critical acclaim. "The Accountants" skilfully incorporates state-of-the-art visuals and everyday communication tools into dance. Audience members are welcome to arrive early to take part in some interactive trivia before the show begins.
 
     "The Accountants" revolves around a young man with Chinese-British heritage and his Indian-British "aunt" who discuss these two cultures through instant messenger. On the same stage, accountants played by Chinese and Indian dancers are busy sifting through cluttered data, either competing or collaborating, as a huge screen spurts out facts behind them. Breathtaking dance, coupled with thought-provoking dialogue and stunning visual effects, adds up to an electrifying encounter between different cultures.
 
     The Times newspaper from the United Kingdom described the programme as a "dazzling hybrid spectacle drawing together dance, text, digital imagery and jolting sound".
 
     "The Accountants" is the opening programme of the Asia+ Festival 2024 and also a celebratory programme of the 35th anniversary of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. It will be held at 7.30pm on September 27 and 28 at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Grand Theatre. Tickets priced at $260, $360, $420 and $480 are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288, or use the mobile ticketing app "URBTIX".
 
     The programme contains dialogues in English with Chinese and English surtitles. A meet-the-artist session will be held after the September 27 performance. The September 28 show is a performance accessible with audio descriptions and caption reading in Cantonese. There are also two dance workshops suitable for people aged 16 and above with some dance experience. For details, please refer to asiaplus.gov.hk/2024/en/the-accountants.
 
     The second Asia+ Festival is running from September to November, highlighting the arts and culture of nearly 30 countries from Asia, the Middle East and Belt and Road regions. Apart from stage programmes, there are also thematic exhibitions, an outdoor carnival, film screenings, outreach activities and more, numbering over 100 in total. For programme enquiries and concessionary schemes, please call 2370 1044 or visit asiaplus.gov.hk/2024/en/.

Ends/Monday, September 9, 2024
Issued at HKT 14:30

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