ENG-1991 — Page 382

RECREATION, SPORTS AND THE ARTS

performing companies - the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre and the Hong Kong Dance Company – are housed in the centre. During the year, 62 000 people attended 323 performances in the centre's theatre and lecture hall. In addition, the exhibition hall was booked for 185 days and the practice facilities were used to full advantage.

To further enhance the development and promotion of the arts in various districts, a third community arts centre, the Sai Wan Ho Civic Centre, was opened in December 1990. To mark its opening, a festival comprising a variety of performances featuring local professional and amateur artists was held in December 1990 and January 1991. Conveniently located next to the Sai Wan Ho MTR Station, the new centre comprises a 471-seat theatre, a multi-purpose cultural activities hall, three specially-designed art studios for ceramic, painting and print-making classes and two music practice rooms. During the year, 48 000 people attended 177 performances in the theatre. The cultural activities hall was used for 183 days for a variety of functions including performances and exhibitions.

Indoor Stadia

The Hong Kong Coliseum and Queen Elizabeth Stadium, two of Asia's best equipped multi-purpose indoor stadia, played host to numerous large-scale sporting and entertain- ment activities and cultural events throughout the year.

The 12 000-seat inverted-pyramidal coliseum is a popular venue not only for pop concerts by local and international performers, but also for world-class entertainment spectaculars. Those staged in the coliseum during 1991 included the USSR All Stars Gymnastic Show, the Russian Ice Show, the World Women's Volleyball Super Challenge Cup and Paul Simon In Concert.

The giant video screen hanging above the centre of the arena is a unique feature of the coliseum. It enables spectators to watch larger-than-life telecasts in colour, including close-up, replays and slow-motion shots of events.

The compact 3 500-seat Queen Elizabeth Stadium plays host to various medium-sized productions, ranging from sports events to pop concerts, and cultural programmes to conventions. Highlights for 1991 were Sesame Street Live for the family audience, Select Live Under the Sky featuring internationally renowned artists Herbie Hancock and Marcus Miller for the local jazz audience and the World All Star Table-Tennis Tournament for the sports community in Hong Kong.

In addition to the arena, the stadium offers an array of public recreational activities, such as badminton, squash, volleyball and basketball courts, table-tennis play areas and gymnasia as well as committee rooms for public hire.

Regional Council Venues

The Regional Council manages three major civic centres in Sha Tin, Tsuen Wan and Tuen Mun as well as three smaller ones in Yuen Long, Tai Po and Sheung Shui.

Centrally located in the town centres, each major civic centre houses a 1400-seat multi-purpose auditorium designed for staging performances ranging from symphony concerts to ballets. Other facilities include a cultural activities hall, an exhibition gallery, lecture rooms, rehearsal spaces and music and dance studios. All facilities are offered for public hiring at reasonable charges. The civic centres are well served by public transport and there are restaurants, shopping centres and carparks in their vicinity.

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