ENG-1990 — Page 376

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

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Hong Kong Arts Centre

The Hong Kong Arts Centre is an independent, non-profit organisation founded in 1977 to promote arts and culture. Its funding derives from rental income, box office, corporate sponsorship and donations from benevolent individuals. It incorporates the 440-seat Shouson Theatre, the 200-seat Lim Por Yen Film Theatre, the 100-seat McAulay Studio, the Pao Sui Loong and Pao Yue Kong Galleries, two rehearsal rooms, art and craft studios, music practice rooms and classrooms.

As a multi-disciplinary organisation, the Hong Kong Arts Centre offers a platform for contemporary work in the performing,-visual and cinematic arts as well as featuring new, avant garde and multi-media art forms. It encourages non-established artists of all disciplines and the development of indigenous art forms. Substantial resources are dedicated to outreach work in arts education, with a view to promoting appreciation of all art forms and activities.

In 1990, the centre was visited by over 700 000 people, many of whom attended the total of 1057 stage and screen performances, 93 exhibitions and 550 arts-related classes and courses. Highlights of the year included the Women in Art Festival, an exhibition of 19th century British painting, a special 10th anniversary children's summer arts festival and the opening of an Arts Resource and Information Centre funded by the government on the advice of the Council for the Performing Arts.

Cultural Events

Both the Urban and Regional Councils present year-round programmes of music, opera, dance, films and entertainments in their own venues. In addition, Hong Kong enjoys a wide variety of special events such as the Arts Festival, the Festival of Asian Arts and the International Children's Arts Festival.

Hong Kong Arts Festival

More than 1 000 local and visiting artists from eight countries took part in the 18th Hong Kong Arts Festival from February 1 to 26. A very high attendance rate of 89 per cent was achieved, with over 85 000 people attending the 108 varied and appealing performances.

For the first time, the festival was able to use the Cultural Centre to stage several large-scale presentations, including a special festival production of La Traviata and the world-renowned Stuttgart Ballet.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tchaikovsky's birth, the festival featured a theme series - the Russian Romantic series which linked several programmes, including those by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Shostakovich Quartet, and the piano recital by Peter Donohoe.

In a splendidly diverse music season, The King's Singers, I Musici, Empire Brass, Joe Pass and Humphrey Lyttleton and his band attracted large audiences.

Equally well-received were the innovative Paul Taylor Dance Company from the United States, the Georgian State Dance Company from the Soviet Union and English language dramas by Australian Leo McKern and Theatre de Complicite from Britain.

Broadening the horizons of local audiences the festival featured the 'new wave' Kronos Quartet from the United States and Daniel and the Lions, a mediaeval liturgical drama by New York's Ensemble for Early Music.