Highlights of WKCDA’s First International Cultural Summit, and upcoming programmes WestK FunFest, and Elements of Freestyle!
WKCDA hosted the Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024 on 24 – 26 Mar 2024
The West Kowloon Cultural District Authority (WKCDA) hosted the first-ever Hong Kong International Cultural Summit (the Summit) on 24 – 26 Mar 2024.
As the first-ever global cultural summit organised by the WKCDA and a major international event to kick off the Hong Kong Art Week 2024, the Summit brought together arts and cultural leaders from Hong Kong, Mainland China, Asia and beyond. Over 20 eminent speakers from 11 countries and regions, including heads of major cultural districts and top international arts and cultural institutions, addressed the Summit.
The Hong Kong International Cultural Summit 2024, with the theme Connecting Cultures, Bridging Times, was an extraordinary confluence of global cultural intellect and vision. Preceded by a welcome dinner at the Hong Kong Palace Museum (HKPM) on 24 Mar, the Summit featured an opening ceremony cum plenary session at the Xiqu Centre on the morning of 25 Mar, followed by four themed panels held at M+ on 25 Mar and HKPM on 26 Mar respectively. More than 1,000 global delegates were invited to attend the Summit to exchange views on a range of issues pertinent to the future development of cultural districts and museums. Live streaming was also arranged to enable global participants to participate in the Summit online.
Furthermore, during the Summit, M+, HKPM and the Performing Arts Division of WKCDA signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) / collaborative agreements with over 20 leading arts and cultural institutions from around the world to foster international cultural exchange and long-term partnerships.
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
First-ever WestK FunFest taking place between March to April 2024
Presented by WKCDA, the inaugural WestK FunFest (FunFest) is taking place from 16 Mar – 7 Apr, presenting three weeks of family-oriented activities over the Easter holiday at various venues across WKCD, including Harbourside Lawn of the Art Park, Freespace and the Xiqu Centre. With the aim of engaging families and connecting communities, FunFest features locally and internationally renowned artists and presents more than 150 diverse art programmes, ranging from participatory performances, interactive experiences, multi-media performances to hands-on workshops, mega art installation, play zone, storytelling and dance parties.
Highlights include Ephemeral – an award-winning, large-scale immersive art installation along the Waterfront Promenade, where families and friends can explore a world of giant, rainbow-hued bubbles and catch pop-up performances. Also featured is the interactive multimedia children’s theatre ZOOOM, alongside Little Thai Forever, a performance inspired by lives of the Thai community in Kowloon City.
FunFest also offers the exhilarating one-of-a-kind experiences with the Hong Kong premieres of Pram People and 10-Minute Dance Parties, as well as an interactive play space with sound and light effects, hands-on xiqu workshops, storytelling and more.
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Dance – ISH Dance Collective’s Elements of Freestyle in June 2024
In 2024, as urban sports enter the Paris Olympics, WKCDA will stage the artistry of street skills with Amsterdam-based ISH Dance Collective’s Elements of Freestyle on 28 – 30 Jun 2024.
Presented as part of Freespace’s fifth anniversary celebrations, Elements of Freestyle is a bold, high-energy spectacle that blends the tricks and physicality of breakdance, in-line skating, skateboarding, freestyle basketball, BMX and freerunning with the discipline of the theatre. Featuring an original musical score and live electronic and orchestral strings, it transforms the ecstasy and freedom of the street into an eye-opening and exquisitely choreographed form of urban dance.
Performed on a set that feels as alive as the performers, with landscapes of scaffolding and ramps dismantled and reconfigured before our eyes, the show is a swirling blend of adrenaline, artistry, powerful live music and the poetic brotherhood of the streets.
Elements of Freestyle is directed and choreographed by Marco Gerris, artistic director of ISH Dance Collective and ex-jury member of So You Think you Can Dance. The production features an acclaimed cast of ten performers – breakdancers, freerunners, skaters, a BMXer and a basketball freestyle juggler – along with live music performed on stage by cellist Annie Tangberg and violinist Vera van der Bie.
Image courtesy of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
Stay tuned for more details coming soon on our website!
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