Word: Richard Smith

The 38th Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) hits town from 25th February offering of the best of both local and international artists covering music, theatre, dance, popular entertainment, film and exhibition programmes.

To give you and idea of what’s on offer here are a few of the notable performances that we suggest you check out…

Theatre

“We are such stuff as dreams are made of…”

Yes William Shakespeare’s The Tempest has been given the directorial touch of the talented hand of Sam Mendes and a transatlantic cast. This tragicomedy was Shakespeare’s last play and centers around Prospero whose determination to garner magic and knowledge for himself loses his dukedom to his brother among other things…

Opera

Henry James’ ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, was given depth and eerie emotion by composer Benjamin Britten and lauded as one of the most dramatically appealing of English operas when it premiered at the Teatro La Fenice, Venice. The plot revolves around a governess who is employed to care for an orphaned brother and sister at their country residence but they are not alone, the ghosts of the previous governess and her lover are present.

Dance

The Asia Pacific Dance Platform was initiated and curated by the HKAF and this year six artists from four countries in the Asia Pacific region bring their contemporary works to the Hong Kong stage. Post performance discussions will allow you a greater understanding of the dancers and choreographers’ works which include Tri_K, Untrained, Three Solos and Khmeropédies II.

If you’re aiming for a more classical style of dance then The Mariinsky Ballet’s Don Quixote will surely not fail you. “A dance-packed feast of humour, romance, and a touch of fantasy…this bustling Russian classic is still hard to resist.” As stated by The Times. The Mariinsky Ballet, known as the Kirov Ballet during Soviet times, is renowned for grace and style with a corps de ballet noted for their flawless synchronicity.

Music

China’s World Music Diva Sa Dingding is the queen of the world music stage at present and is a one of the don’t miss performances of the Hong Kong Arts Festival 2010. Winner of the BBC World Music Award, Sa has performed around the world in major venues such as the Sydney Opera House, London’s Royal Albert Hall and WOMAD Festivals in Europe and the Middle East. In Asia she has sold two million copies of her album Alive. Chinese-Mongolian Sa Dingding sings in Tibetan, Sanskrit, Mandarin and a language that she invented herself.

Additional to the visual delights of her culturally-inspired lavish costumes and choreography this undeniable talent has full control over her music and styling. Mixing Tibetan sounds with programmed samples over Chinese instrumentation (she plays numerous traditional instruments like the guzheng and matouqin) Sa has managed to produce her own distinct sound and brings an out of the world experience to the world music stage.

One of the greatest jazz vocalists of our time, Nina Simone, is celebrated at the start of the festival with Sing the truth: Nina Simone Remembered. Including Nina Simone classics like I Loves You Porgy, Ne Me Quitte Pas, Feeling Good and To Be Young, the tribute will be performed by Grammy winners Patti Austin and Diane Reeves, Lizz Wright and also Nina Simone’s daughter (and Broadway star) Simone.

All programme details, prices and times for the Hong Kong Arts Festival can be found on their website www.hkartsfestival.org