“Meet-the-Artist”: Yang Liping
In addition to a series of performances and exhibitions, the 33rd Macao Arts Festival (MAF) features 22 programmes in a total of 46 outreach activities, including “Meet-the-Artist” sessions, backstage tours, pre-show talks, talks, workshops, exhibitions and screenings of international stage performances, building an exchange platform from mid-April for audiences to explore the infinite possibilities of the arts.
The MAF invited a renowned dancer and a Beijing opera actress to host two “Meet-the-Artist” thematic talks: internationally renowned choreographer Yang Liping will share her experience of integrating Eastern culture into contemporary dance and stories of her world tours. The national first-class actress and Qingyi actress of the Mei school from the Shanghai Jingju Theatre Company, Shi Yihong, will elaborate on the tradition and innovation of Peking opera through the Peking opera version of the New Dragon Inn.
The programme “Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances” features four exceptional productions by top art troupes from Europe, the USA and Japan, namely Hamlet by the National Theatre Live from the United Kingdom; The Hours by the Metropolitan Opera from USA; PINA by Wim Wenders; and Goemon Rock 3: Zipang Punk by the Gekidan Shinkansen Theatre, allowing the audiences to enjoy world-class productions through pre-recorded videos.
The “Backstage Tour: The Miracles of the Namiya General Store” will take the audience through the changes of the play’s revolving stage, exploring the original music, various props and settings, showing the unremitting efforts spent behind this moving story. In the “Pre-show Talk” for Multimedia Full-length Cantonese Opera Bonds of Hato”, Macao Cantonese opera master Chu Chan Wa will share the creative process of the production Bonds of Hato with the audience and introduce the highlights of this contemporary Cantonese opera. With the combination of art and technology being an irresistible trend nowadays, the “Virtual Reality (VR) Video Experience Exhibition” and the related thematic talk will stimulate the imagination of the audience.
The MAF continues to make diversified artistic attempts to explore the dialogue between body and art. In the “Dance Workshop by Peacock Contemporary Dance Company”, the principal dancers of the company will teach participants about the fundamentals of body language in dancing and reconstruct the connection between body and nature. The “Introductory Workshop for Breathing Bodies Movement (BBM)” and the “Advanced Workshop for Breathing Bodies Movement (BBM)” will induce participants to seek for new feelings in their bodies, thereby exploring the connection between nerves, breath and the soul, and finding new ways to understand the body and mind. In the “Cantonese Opera Movement Workshop: Move like a Warrior - Farewell My Concubine (New Adaptation)”, the artists will demonstrate the acrobatic skills and illustrate the use of props by male characters in Cantonese opera, vividly presenting to the audience the characters and plots through a virtual movement demonstration. All the above-mentioned workshops are paid. In addition, admission to various workshops and talks is free. Accessibility services will be available for some programmes in order to allow people with visual and hearing impairments to enjoy arts without barriers.
For more information about the outreach programmes, please visit the MAF’s website at www.icm.gov.mo/fam. Tickets for the “Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances” will be on sale at the Macau Ticketing Network from 10am on 26 March. A 30% discount on tickets for two different performances in the “Selected Screenings of International Stage Performances” will be offered. For other programmes, registration can be made online through the Activity Application System (activity.mo.gov.mo/activity-h5/activity-list-web) in the Macao One Account from 10am on 27 March. Seats are limited and subject to availability. A fee is required to participate in some activities. Successful registrants will be notified by SMS or email.
