ENG-2000 — Page 452

RECREATION, SPORT AND THE ARTS

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Hong Kong Ballet

For 2000, the Hong Kong Ballet presented seven productions with 42 performances. It began the year with Dancing into the New Century - Choreographic Workshop 2000 and performed in nine cities in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. Its two new productions, La Fille mal Gardee and La Bayadère, choreographed by the renowned Alexander Grant and Dawn Weller, received critical acclaim. Its Education and Outreach Unit organised the popular projects of Making Dances Continuing Courses and Dancing into the New Territories with 670 participants while its new project, Dancing into Millennium, provides opportunities for 450 young and old people to learn more about dance.

Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra

The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra is Hong Kong's only professional Chinese music orchestra. In 2000, the orchestra staged 25 regular concerts and five ensemble concerts, attracting 25 000 people. Besides this, it gave 80 free concerts in schools and community centres. In March, the orchestra organised an International Competition for Chinese Orchestral Composition' and a related symposium that attracted an enthusiastic response from both the local and the international Chinese music field.

Hong Kong Dance Company

The Hong Kong Dance Company is the only professional Chinese dance company in Hong Kong to present traditional Chinese dances and original dance dramas on Mainland and Hong Kong themes. The company presented five productions in 2000, attracting 12 300 people to 18 performances. Apart from giving 175 free performances and providing workshops in schools and community arts centres to 31 000 people, the company also organised a summer dance day camp to generate young people's interest in the art form.

Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra

In a 44-week season from September to July, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra presents about 200 performances at the concert halls of the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, the Hong Kong City Hall and cultural venues in the New Territories. Over 120 000 people attended the concerts presented by the orchestra. It also organised free student concerts, pre-concert talks, seminars, music appreciation courses, ensemble visits to schools and hospitals, the Young Audiences Scheme' for secondary school students, the 'Club Bravo', and published music-related educational books and compact discs.

Hong Kong Repertory Theatre

The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre staged seven productions, involving 118 performances, in 2000. These attracted 54 680 people. Apart from its major productions, the company toured schools and community centres regularly to give free performances, staging 183 such performances for 78 170 people. During the summer vacation, the company organised eight theatre education day camps for 285 students.