RECREATION AND THE ARTS
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At the start of the year, the company delighted its audiences with ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream' in the '88 Hong Kong Arts Festival. It also presented the play in the Town Halls in Tsuen Wan, Sha Tin and Tuen Mun in late May and early June.
Catering for younger audiences, 'Monster Man' and ‘A Dangerous Game' were staged to promote drama appreciation among primary and secondary school pupils. These two plays reached more than 25 000 students in Hong Kong. 'Pinocchio' was revived in English in June after its first run in Cantonese in Christmas 1987. A colouring competition was also successfully organised in conjunction with the English performances.
In summer, Chung Ying Theatre Company give a great treat to both children and adult audiences with 'The Legend of the Dragon Pearl' and 'Hong Kong Dream' respectively, the former being part of the programmes of the International Arts Carnival presented by the Urban Council. The company also presented an entertaining comedy 'Looking For a Man', which was written by China's famous contemporary palywright Sha Ye Xin, at the Shouson Theatre in September.
The company's new season for school touring started in September with 'The Legend of the Dragon Pearl' in primary schools and a touring show for secondary schools. Students were invited free of charge to see these two productions at the various regional town halls and Shouson Theatre. Drama workshops for teachers and students were also organised with a view to promoting more dramatic activities in schools.
'Life's Theatre' was revived at the Shouson Theatre in November.
Hong Kong Ballet
The Hong Kong Ballet year began with a revivial of the 'The Nutcracker' at the Sha Tin and Tuen Mun town halls. It then took part in the 16th Hong Kong Arts Festival, presenting a programme which included Robert North's 'Troy Games', 'Les Sylphides' and two Balanchine pieces entitled 'Allegro Brillante' and 'Valse Fantaisie'.
'Choreographic Innovations '88' in March gave company dancers the opportunity to put their ideas into practice, utilising their skills and experience to produce works of their own. In May, the production of ‘Giselle' was acclaimed as a milestone for the company. In June, members of Hong Kong Ballet and its artistic director, Mr Garry Trinder, were invited to take part in the Singapore Arts Festival.
Formed only nine years ago in 1979, with only five members, the company now boasts 24 dancers, many of them of local origin. This year sees the entry of the first graduates from the Academy for Performing Arts School of Dance into the company, as well as the addition of three other young local dancers. Graduates from the School of Dance also joined the company's Education Unit, continuing its work of performances, holiday courses, lecutre demonstrations and workshops.
The latter part of the year saw the addition of three new pieces to the company's repertoire; Andre Prokovsky's one act 'Romeo and Juliet', Benjamin Harkarvy's 'Madrigalesco' and George Balanchine's 'Pas De Dix'. These were premiered during the Asian Arts Festival in October. Finally, the year ended as it began with a revival of the seasonal 'Nutcracker', an audience favourite in Hong Kong.
City Contemporary Dance Company
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The year proved to be an extremely fruitful one for the City Contemporary Dance Company. The company continued its professional dance subscription series from February to August with four major new productions: 'Stories', '7 Deadly Sins', 'Soiree'
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