RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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Dun. Other full-length dance productions choreographed by the company included South Wind, which opened in August for Festival 2000, City Romance, and a popular dance-drama Journey To The West which played to family audiences in December. The company also presented New Wind from the City at district civic centres.
The company made its debut in the United States in March and won critical acclaim for its performances in Tacoma, New York and Philadelphia. It also visited Fujian in May and gave four performances in Fu Chou and Amoy.
The company runs an evening dance school providing training to dance enthusiasts and it has a Dance Education Unit which gave 125 performances to secondary and primary schools to promote appreciation of modern dance. The City Contemporary Theatre and Gallery continued to provide administrative and marketing support to innovative experimental dance and theatre productions and exhibitions by up-coming artists.
Hong Kong Ballet
This was a year of change for the Hong Kong Ballet, as Garry Trinder who had been Artistic Director for six years left the company in November, his place being taken by Bruce Steivel. Earlier in the year, the company produced a spectacular version of La Sylphide. The June season saw the repertoire gain Jiri Kylian's Nuages and the classical favourite Paquita. In June, the company toured again to Shanghai with a mixed-bill programme which included Unknown Territory. In September, Elaine McDonald produced and was guest artist in a re-production of Peter Darrell's Cheri, and with it the company was seen for the first time in David Lichine's Graduation Ball.
The high point of the year was the company's new production of The Tales of Hoffmann which premiered in October at Sha Tin Town Hall, accompanied by the Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra. It was staged again in December, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.
The ballet's Education Unit organises school visits, special theatre performances and participatory courses and workshops throughout the territory.
The Exploration Theatre
The Exploration Theatre was established in 1982 to promote the development of local original stage productions. It was awarded the first Seeding Grant by the Council for the Performing Arts in 1989. Since then it has made good progress in its development from amateur to professional status. The company presented In Mid Air in September at the Festival 2000. This multi-media production was created in collaboration with multi-media artists Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon and choreographer, Pierre-Paul Savoie.
The company has an active education programme, and took its productions of He and She, Kitty's Letter, The Green Life and It's a Long Road to Freedom to 76 colleges and secondary schools.
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts is a tertiary institution which was established to foster and provide for training, education and research in the performing and related technical arts. Emphasis is put on both Chinese and western traditions. The academy is divided into four schools - Dance, Drama, Music and Technical arts. The School of Dance has three streams - ballet, Chinese dance and modern dance. The School