West Kowloon – Highlights from 2021 and Upcoming Programmes in the New Year!
Count down to 2022 at The Emperor’s premiere in the Xiqu Centre
Cantonese Opera comedy – The Emperor – successfully premiered on New Year’ Eve at the Xiqu Centre with a special celebration countdown during the show. By popular demand, on New Year’s Day and 2 January 2022, the Xiqu Centre added two more performances of this brand-new Cantonese opera comedy.
Produced and starred by Canto Op’s creative duo – Wyborn Leung and Keith Lai, The Emperor is an original comic Cantonese opera about a crown prince ascending the throne and his shrewd court jester with plans of his own.
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Tea House Chamber Music Series
West Kowloon Cultural District proudly presents our latest Tea House Chamber Music series! This new music series offers audiences a diverse range of performances by prominent Hong Kong musicians in the intimate setting of the Xiqu Centre’s Tea House Theatre.
This exciting series kickstarted with a full-house concert in December 2021. The principal string players from Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra presented two distinct chamber music works which showcase both western and eastern influences: Eight Colours for String Quartet, written by award-winning Chinese composer; and Schubert’s Piano Quintet in A, Trout.
The Tea House Chamber Music Series will be returning in 2022 with four concerts showcasing the super talented young musicians. See you again soon!
Check out our website for the latest schedule for this fascinating music series!
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
ON VIEW: Panoramic Suite – First-ever dance film installation at Freespace
Curated by the international choreographer, filmmaker, and installation artist Sue Healey, ON VIEW: Panoramic Suite’s first Asia Premiere was held at The Box in Freespace in December 2021. This latest project in Healey’s award-winning, multi-year ON VIEW series explored how the dancing bodies are influenced by the landscape and culture in which they find themselves.
Over the weekend of 17 December 2021, the audience strolled through the largest Blackbox theatre in Hong Kong to experience this immersive installation which was coupled with live performances by renowned Hong Kong dance artist Mui Cheuk Yin at selected showings.
Featuring filmed portraits of dance artists from Hong Kong, Japan, and Australia – ranging in age from 28 to 106 and life-size thread portrait sculptures by artist Jane Théau, ON VIEW: Panoramic Suite’s is not just a documentation of dance performances but a cross-disciplinary exploration of dance artists from different countries.
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. Photo: Eric, Mak @ Moon 9 Image
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority. Photo: Eric, Mak @ Moon 9 Image
The Future of Performance – Bright Day
In light of the current situation, Bright Day due to take place in January has been rescheduled. Details will be announced on www.westkowloon.hk in due course.
In January 2022, Freespace is presenting Bright Day – an experimental participatory experience that invites the audience to be central participants in a co-created waking dream. Over a period of a week, trans-disciplinary artist Chan Kwun-fee and sound artists Fiona Lee and AK Kan collaborate with audience-participants on a two-part exploratory journey that delves into the city’s collective unconscious. If night-time experiences occur during the day, are we dreaming or awake? Channelling the collective dreams of the people of this city, we create an urban collective unconscious – a shared experience beyond waking, beyond dreams.
The first part of the journey involves seven days of guided dream practice conducted by audience-participants individually at home. The second part takes place at Freespace and involves a communal experience – part dream, part waking reality – in a constructed environment of soundscapes and imagery. The two-part experience does not feature live actors or live performances and requires active participation by audience-participants. More details of the programme can be found on our website.
Courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Stay tuned with us for more exciting and creative West Kowloon Performing Arts Programmes!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westkowloon/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/westkowloon/
Website: https://www.westkowloon.hk/