RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
On the educational front, the company took its original works Green Life and Dear Papa & Mama to 76 schools and colleges, and organised over 22 acting workshops for young people and schools.
Hong Kong Sinfonietta
The Hong Kong Sinfonietta, which comprises young local musicians, was established in 1990. The Sinfonietta has been supported by the Council for the Performing Arts under the seeding grant scheme since 1991. Apart from providing performance opportunities for local musicians, it also offers orchestral support to local performing groups. Its repertoire includes traditional orchestral pieces and works by local composers.
The Sinfonietta has accompanied many performing groups, such as the Hong Kong Oratorio Society, the Bolshoi Ballet, the Hong Kong Ballet and the Pacific Chorale.
Its 1993 concerts included the Outstanding Young Local Talent Concerts and Angelic Melody. The Sinfonietta also presented student concerts and foyer performances. In August, the Sinfonietta accompanied the Hong Kong Oratorio Society in two successful concerts in Xiamen in China, becoming the first two Hong Kong performing groups to have toured China together.
Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts
As Hong Kong's major tertiary institution for vocational training in the performing arts, the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts aims to foster and provide training, education and research in the performing and technical arts, and houses some of the territory's premier arts venues, a library and a television complex. Emphasis is placed on both Western and Chinese traditions in the performing arts. The academy has been accredited by the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation and it brings together under one roof schools of dance, drama, music, and theatre and television arts.
The School of Dance trains dancers in ballet, Chinese dance, modern dance, and musical theatre dance. The School of Drama prepares actors, directors and playwrights for the theatre and television. The School of Music provides professional training in Chinese and Western music for players, singers and composers. The School of Technical Arts prepares students for careers in theatre and television including management; directing; costume, set, sound and lighting design; property-making and set construction.
The central core of the academy's teaching programme are the full-time degree, advanced diploma, diploma and certificate courses. Bachelor of Fine Arts degree courses have recently been introduced, and the academy is planning to introduce Masters degree programmes in the near future.
In the 1993-94 academic year, 584 students were enrolled in full-time courses and 812 students in junior courses in dance and music for talented young people of school age. Continuing education in dance for evening part-time students was also offered by the School of Dance on a seasonal basis.
The School of Dance enjoyed a busy academic year. The main event was the Graduation Concert held in the Lyric Theatre in May, followed by a performance in Guangzhou. Other productions included creative projects in February and March, a faculty concert in March, a repertory concert in May and, with the School of Music, a Rodgers and Hammerstein evening in June. The School of Dance also participated in the Japan Asia Dance Event '93 in Tokyo during the summer. The major dance event of autumn was Animal Fantasies, designed to appeal particularly to young audiences.
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