Recreation, Sport and the Arts | 393
Heilongjiang and Jilin and a New Year's Eve 'countdown' carnival. A series of community thematic carnivals tailor-made for the community in Tuen Mun, Tin Shui Wai and Tung Chung as well as outdoor events providing performance platform for youth talents, such as the Youth Band Marathon, were also organised.
A new outdoor event, 'Swing Party', featuring professional overseas swing dancers and local jazz bands was presented in association with the Hong Kong Fringe Club. To enhance cultural exchanges between local and Asian communities in Hong Kong, the LCSD again organised the 'Asian Ethnic Cultural Performances' in co-operation with the Consulates-General of Nepal and Sri Lanka.
Arts Education and Audience-building Projects
During the year, the LCSD organised 1 334 arts education and audience-building activities in schools, community halls and other public venues to promote the arts and encourage more people to take part in cultural activities.
A new initiative called 'Community Oral History Theatre', which gives elderly people a chance to perform their memorable past experiences on stage, was introduced on a trial basis in the Sham Shui Po district in 2010.
Major Cultural Events
Hong Kong Arts Festival
Held annually in February and March, the Hong Kong Arts Festival is one of Asia's most prestigious international festivals. In 2010, the 38th Festival presented 113 performances with a 96 per cent ticket sales, attracting over 120 000 people.
Twelve world premieres and 12 Asian premieres were presented at the festival.
The festival opened with 'Cantonese Opera Treasures', featuring more than 150 artists from the Chinese Artists Association of Hong Kong in a revival of classic set pieces. A highlight was the legendary Mariinsky Theatre from St Petersburg with performances presented in opera, concert and ballet.
Other highlights included concerts by three visiting orchestras Mariinsky Orchestra with Valery Gergiev; Philharmonia Orchestra with Fabio Luisi and Freiburg Baroque Orchestra with René Jacobs; and by their local contemporaries, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Hong Kong Sinfonietta. Recitalists included Mikhail Rudy and Andreas Scholl.
The festival also featured a wealth of jazz and world music and platforms for young local artists, including composer Samson Young and pianist Wong Chi-yan.
Theatre productions included works by Steven Berkoff, Sam Mendes, Lin Zhaohua, Pai Hsien-yung and Ivan Heng, and, from the local pantheon: Fredric Mao and Danny Yung, with Lee Chun-chow and Wong Wing-sze in collaboration, as well as outstanding visiting young companies like chelfitsch Theatre Company and Red Leap Theatre.
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