RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS
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International Children's Arts Festival
The International Children's Arts Festival, which entered its eighth year in 1997, is an annual summer event organised by the council for the young and family audience. Visiting artists participating in the 1997 festival included Chapertons Comic Theatre from Spain, Nikolaus the Clown from France and Guangdong Puppet Troupe from China.
Other programmes included The Emperor and the Nightingale by the Hong Kong Ballet, Sumo Do, Sumo Don't by Spring-time Productions, the Ming Ri Theatre Company and the New Territories District Children Choirs Association of Hong Kong. Workshops were held on dance, magic, circus, western and Chinese handicrafts, story-telling and story-building, painting and Cantonese opera training. The festival's three Fun Days, 48 workshops and 44 stage performances drew an audience of 31 879.
Chinese Folk Arts Festivals
The Chinese Folk Arts Festival featured a wide variety of folk art programmes in 45 cultural presentations in arts fairs and other performances. Most artists were from China's minority provinces including the Miao Hundred-Bird Dress Lusheng Art Ensemble of Jiman from Guangxi, the Song and Dance Troupe of Qiandongnan from Guizhou, the Tibetan Folk Art Ensemble of Yushu and the Tu Folk Art Ensemble of Huzhu from Qinghai, the Drums and Gongs Folk Art Ensemble of Changzhi from Shanxi, the Korean Art Ensemble of Yanji from Jilin, the Folk Art Ensemble of Haicheng from Liaoning, and Folk Arts and Crafts from Shaanxi. The programmes attracted a total of 123 075 people.
Audience Building Projects
Audience building efforts were enhanced in the year. Besides the animateur schemes on modern dance and drama for students co-presented with the City Contemporary Dance Company and the Prospects Theatre Company, two arts education programmes were organised in collaboration with the International Association of Theatre Critics and the Hong Kong Ballet. A total of 77 schools and 1 200 students joined the four schemes.
The Friends of Regional Council Town Halls Scheme continues to build up core supporters for the three major civic centres, promoting their interests in the performing arts and enriching their cultural experience through greater participation. It attracted a total of 1 746 members during the year.
District Arts Support Scheme
The District Arts Support Scheme continues to provide greater support to non-profit making, district cultural organisations in the form of free use of civic centre facilities and/or a cash subsidy for arts activities. In all, 103 cultural programmes, nine artists- in-residence projects and 79 training classes were held under this scheme in 1997.
Entertainment Programmes
The council regularly presents free cultural and entertainment programmes in community halls, playgrounds and open space areas for residents in the vicinity with programmes ranging from the traditional and folkloric to the modern and popular. During the year, 423 programmes were organised, attracting 272 379 people. The