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Recreation, Sport and the Arts
The 'Performing Arts Criticism Project for Senior Secondary Students, designed to foster an interest in the performing arts among senior secondary students and help them master the basic writing skills of arts criticism, was continued in 2012 following a successful pilot project. Another new initiative, the 'New Synergy Arts Animateur Pilot Scheme, offered progressive training courses to develop the artistic potential of students who had previously enrolled in music composition or script writing training.
Major Cultural Events
Hong Kong Arts Festival
The annual Hong Kong Arts Festival is one of Asia's most prestigious international festivals. The 40th anniversary festival in 2012 showcased 12 world premieres and 10 Asian premieres, and attracted an audience of over 150,900. Highlights included a collaboration between Sam Mendes and Kevin Spacey in a production of Shakespeare's Richard III, the Bavarian State Opera's production of Così fan tutte, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under the baton of Myung- whun Chung, and two commissioned plays: Wild Boar by Candace Chong, and Show Flat by Paul Poon. In support of Hong Kong Design Year 2012, the festival produced the World of WearableArt, an extravaganza of art, couture, theatre, dance, music and lights featured award winning work of designers from around the world, including 10 pieces from young Hong Kong designers.
International Arts Carnival
The LCSD's annual International Arts Carnival in July opened with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs by the Estonian National Ballet. Some 162,600 people attended the carnival's 448 events, involving 11 visiting and 21 local arts groups, offering an array of programmes ranging from multi-media theatre and puppetry to music and dance.
New Vision Arts Festival
The sixth New Vision Arts Festival in 2012 featured ground-breaking cross-cultural and multi- disciplinary performances with an Asian focus. Some 95 events attracted an audience of over 72,800.
The festival opened with the multi-media theatre Beyond Time by the U Theatre of Taiwan and concluded with the world première of Illuminate by the Shen Wei Dance Arts (USA), commissioned by the festival.
Hong Kong Week 2012 in Taipei
'Hong Kong Week 2012 in Taipei, presented by the Hong Kong-Taiwan Cultural Co-operation Committee in association with the Hong Kong Economic, Trade and Cultural Office (Taiwan), was Hong Kong's first ever cultural exchange endeavour in Taiwan that introduced its audiences to eight performing arts programmes, a comic exhibition and a series of extension activities that brought together over 300 arts talents from Hong Kong.
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