Tag: Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) is pleased to announce that Professor Andrew Laine has been appointed as Dean of the School of Theatre and Entertainment Arts, effective 2 July 2025.

 

Professor Laine is a seasoned educator with over 25 years of professional experience in technical direction, theatre and scenic design, and stage production. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from The University of Texas at Austin and has received professional theatre training across the United States. Previously, he served as a Professor at Temple University in Philadelphia, where he combined his technical expertise and artistic innovation to shape the future of theatrical production while nurturing new generations of technical directors, production artists, and stage managers.

 

Meanwhile, Professor Laine actively participates in regional theatre conferences and industry partnerships, fostering the integration of traditional stagecraft with emerging technologies that enhance student learning and artistic creation. His leadership roles in academic quality assurance and curriculum design, along with his experience in managing both undergraduate and graduate programmes, underscore his commitment to excellence in higher education. He is also an active member of the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT).

Professor Anna CY Chan, Academy Director, said, “I look forward to working with Professor Laine and firmly believe that his experience, expertise, and international connections will greatly contribute to the future advancement of the Academy, as well as to the development of theatre design and technical direction in Hong Kong and the wider region.”

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) will present its annual Open Day on March 3 this year, filled with over a hundred free performing arts events prepared by students and faculty from six Schools on the Wanchai Main Campus and the Béthanie Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam of the Academy. Some activities will make use of artificial intelligence (AI) and art technology, providing visitors with an immensely joyful and unique experience.

A wide array of performing arts activities includes a performance by Junior Symphony Orchestra, concerts of Chinese and Western music, excerpt performances of musicals, drama, Cantonese opera, Dance open classes, film and television screenings, as well as guided tours for immersive performing arts activities. Furthermore, visitors can even go to backstage to discover the secrets behind the scenes, including stage design, props and costumes making, as well as stage effects exhibitions, indulging themselves in the world of performing arts on the day. The “HKAPA Digital Stage @Lib” of the Academy Library also allows visitors to step onto different stages as the character of the Academy productions virtually and take a digital photo.

The Academy heartily welcomes everyone to embark on an amazing journey exploring the integration of AI and art technology in performing arts.

About The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (www.hkapa.edu)

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), established by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts Ordinance in 1984, is a leading tertiary institution in the performing arts in Asia. It provides professional undergraduate education and practice-based postgraduate studies. The study encompasses Chinese Opera, Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Its educational philosophy reflects the cultural diversity of Hong Kong with emphasis on Chinese and Western traditions, and interdisciplinary learning. Since 2008, the Academy has attained the Programme Area Accreditation (PAA) status awarded by the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ) to self-monitor and accredit its own undergraduate and post-secondary programmes in the five programme areas of Dance, Drama, Film and Television, Music, and Theatre and Entertainment Arts. Since 2016, the PAA status has been extended to cover Master’s Degree programmes and below; and since 2023, the programmes operated by the School of Chinese Opera accredited by HKCAAVQ has also received PAA status for its post-secondary and undergraduate programmes.

Besides the main campus in Wanchai, Béthanie, the site of the Academy’s Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam, has housed training facilities for the School of Film and Television since 2006.

In the QS University Rankings announced in 2023, the Academy ranks 1st in Asia and 13th in the world in the Performing Arts category.

HKAPA Open Day 2024
Sunday, March 3, 2024

Opening Hours

Wanchai Main Campus: 10 am – 5 pm

Béthanie Landmark Heritage Campus: 1 pm – 5 pm*

*Free shuttle bus services between the Wanchai Main Campus and the Béthanie Landmark Heritage Campus in Pokfulam will be provided on a first-come-first-served basis

Free admission, no registration required. For programme details, please visit https://www.hkapa.edu/event/hkapa-open-day2024 and the social media channels of the Academy.

Trailer of HKAPA Open Day 2024: https://youtu.be/1A79I2jMJe

The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (the Academy) has conferred Honorary Awards on seven outstanding individuals in recognition of their remarkable achievements and contributions to the performing arts and cultural industry and also the development of the Academy.

The ceremony held on Oct 21, 2022 at the Academy Lyric Theatre was officiated by the Academy Council Chairman, Mr. Edward Cheng Wai-sun GBS JP. Academy Director, Professor Gillian Choa, expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the Honorary Awardees’ exemplary and valuable support to the Academy. Recipient of Honorary doctorate is Mr. Tang Shu-wing MH.

Recipients of the Honorary Fellowship are Mr. Keith Anderson, Ms. Chow Pui-wan, Ms. Wan Fai Yin Christina MH, Dr. Betty Peh-T’i Wei, Ms. Yip Wing-sie BBS JP and Mr. Yu Kwok-lit MH.

The Guangdong-Hongkong-Macau Greater Bay Area International Music Festival was officially launched in September. The Academy joined hands with conservatories, orchestras and universities in the Greater Bay Area to present a variety of music performances online.

The HKSAR 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert presented by the Academy was the first programme of the Festival. Other performances included the Concerto Feast from the Academy’s School of Music faculty members and students, and the School of Dance Summer Performances 2021.

Recorded versions of the HKSAR 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert and School of Dance Summer Performances 2021 are available online. The celebration concert will also be broadcast on RTHK Radio 4 programme “Youth in Harmony” on October 31.

Watch the HKSAR 25th Anniversary Celebration Concert: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFNcYy0fkT4&t=7s

Watch the School of Dance Summer Performances 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTYfyTrxPxs&t=3s

The Jockey Club Dance Well Project is a creative movement programme designed for people with Parkinson’s disease and people of different ages and abilities through regular dance classes and activities in artistic spaces like galleries, museums and performance venues. Organised by our School of Dance and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, this three-year Project will start the Dance Well Classes in September 2022.

Academy Director Professor Gillian Choa says, “One of the Academy’s main focuses has always been serving our community through engagement programmes of various performing art forms. We are delighted to lead this meaningful project, which aims to have a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of those with Parkinson’s disease, their families and close friends, and at the same time generate awareness of the disease in society. We are extremely grateful to the Hong Kong Jockey Club for its kind support of the project.”

The Project is modelled after the Dance Well initiative introduced in Italy by the Municipality of Bassano del Grappa and the Centro per la Scena Contemporanea in 2013. The practice has since been extended to other Italian cities and adopted by Tokyo, Kyoto and Kanazawa in Japan. HKAPA is introducing this approach to Hong Kong and invites local dance artists to collaborate to bring an inclusive dance experience to members of the public. A scientific research will also be led by our School of Dance to assess the practices and impacts of dance on the physical functioning, psychological and social wellbeing of people with Parkinson’s disease in Hong Kong throughout the project period.

Jockey Club Dance Well Project – Dance Well Classes Details (first 2 series):

Venue: JC Contemporary, Tai Kwun (10 Hollywood Road, Central, Hong Kong), Ben Brown Fine Arts (201, The Factory, 1 Yip Fat St, Wong Chuk Hang)

Date: Sep 30, 2022 to Nov 25, 2022 (Designated Wednesday & Friday)

Time: 9:45 am – 10:45 am

12 Sessions, Free Admission

Venue: Rehearsal Room, Xiqu Centre (88 Austin Road West, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon)

Date: Nov 9, 2022 to Dec 30, 2022 (Designated Monday, Wednesday & Friday)

Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am

12 Sessions, Free Admission

For details, please visit: https://jcdancewell.hkapa.edu/

As part of the collaboration between The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts‘ School of Dance and the Akram Khan Company in the 2021/22 academic year, eight final year students from the School of Dance were selected after three rounds of rigorous online auditions to participate in a seven-week internship in London. The internship started in late January, as the fifth wave of the pandemic swept through Hong Kong.

Coping with much uncertainty arising from Hong Kong’s Covid restrictions and constant changes in travelling regulations, the students began their internship online before travelling to London for the remaining five weeks. They were assigned to understudy particular roles in one of the Akram Khan Company’s latest productions, Jungle Book Reimagined. Despite the new environment and intense rehearsals posing many challenges to the students, they all engaged fully in a professional company environment, made swift progress and equipped themselves to be ready as professional dance artists.

Two of the students, Yam Wing-nam and Jan Mikaela Bautista Villanueva, were selected to attend the three-week production residency and the world premiere in Leicester. Mikaela’s excellent performance earned her a place as a guest artist at the world premiere and a contract with the Akram Khan Company as a professional dancer.

Presented by The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, The 1st SWEAT Hong Kong International Dance Festival, held virtually from June 17 to 25, is specially curated for the international dance community to meet, innovate, research, share and dance.

Join SWEAT to see the work-in-progress presentations from the cross-cultural residency across 4 cities; enter a virtual global stage of dance with screenings from numerous dance academies & selected commissioned dance films; and meet artists, scholars and other practitioners and learn from world-renowned dance artists at the World Dance Alliance (WDA) Global Summit.

Three Programmes with 3 Festival Passes:

ArtsCross Hong Kong 2022

17 June 2022 (Fri)

Encounter creative residents at ArtsCross Hong Kong 2022 for a global digital research project that investigates new possibilities between dance and technology with multicultural perspectives.

Digital International Festival for Dance Academies

18 – 21 June 2022 (Sat – Tue)

Celebrate the connection of 15 international dance academies at the first Digital International Festival for Dance Academies (IFDA) for a thrilling series of staged performances and original film screenings performed and created by the freshest dance talents in the world and student-led forum.

World Dance Alliance Global Summit

22 – 25 June 2022 (Wed – Sat)

Immerse in thought-provoking conversations and presentations of the World Dance Alliance Global Summit 2022 and navigate new pathways for arts, dance and wellness in the post-pandemic world and empower the dance artists of tomorrow in practice and research.

For details & tickets, please visit: https://sweat-festival.hkapa.edu/

Festival Partner: Hong Kong Dance Alliance (HKDA)

Supported by: Hong Kong Arts Development Council(HKADC)

School of Film and Television’s Master of Fine Arts Project “Dance In The End“ has been selected for screening in the 7th Jacksonville Dance Film Festival 2022 to be held in Florida, US. It has also been selected as an Honourable Mention in the Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival.

Jacksonville Dance Film Festival is an extension of Jacksonville Dance Theatre, which “aims to connect diverse audiences, cultures, and creative communities through the universal language of film and movement.”

Tokyo International Monthly Film Festival is a monthly film festival in which a film wins the award of the current month, and the 12 monthly winners compete for the annual award of “Best Movie of the Year”.