30^th Macao Arts Festival Turns the Spotlight on Traditional Classics

The 30^th Macao Arts Festival (MAF), organised by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, will be held from 3^rd May to 2^nd June. This edition of MAF - themed ‘A Tribute to the Classics’ - comprises 22 programmes in six categories; namely, ‘International Highlights’, ‘Local Artists’, ‘Quintessence of Tradition’, ‘Family Entertainment’, ‘Melodious Music’ and ‘Exhibitions’, as well as an Outreach Programme  promoting arts in the community, featuring nearly 100 events.

The Soul of Macao highlights Bay Area co-operation

This edition of MAF commences with a stunning performance of Vertikal, jointly produced by renowned French choreographer and world-leading hip-hop troupe CCN Créteil & Val-de-Marne / Cie Käfig. In the performance, the relationship with the ground, essential for hip-hop dancers, is fundamentally modified.

The grand closing programme - The Soul of Macao - is a Cantonese Opera production adapted by national first-class playwright Li Xinhua from an original play written by a Macao author, jointly presented by actors from Macao and the Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe, bringing the history of Macao to life and reflecting the in-depth cultural collaboration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

£¥€$ (LIES), co-produced by Hong Kong Arts Festival and Macao Arts Festival, is performed by Ontroerend Goed from Belgium, while the play Mr. Ma and Son - adapted by BJAMC Drama (Beijing) - is inspired by Lao She’s classic novel. Meanwhile, the Thalia Theatre from Germany presents The Odyssey - A wandering journey based on Homer in an adaptation of the epic poem by the immortal Greek poet.

In Rain Belgian choreographer Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker’s dance company Rosas lights up the stage, while Motion by Compagnie Zahrbat from France turns the stage into a camera lens merging the spirit of hip-hop and the body movements of modern dance. The play Karl Valentin Kabarett by Teatro do Eléctrico from Portugal will also be performed in this year’s MAF.

Macao Arts Festival is committed to establishing a stage and exchange platform for local art groups. In the ‘Local Artists’ category, Macao artists have injected new perspectives into the works in recent years. Curry Bone’s Travel 2019 by Step Out, for example, tracks the city’s history using a mobile application. Kaléidoscope, a production created by Hiu Kok Theatre Association in collaboration with a French director, explores land, history and personal identity.

Ready to Wear by the Artistry of Wind Box Community Development Association, recreates the working spirit of Macao’s female garment workers in the 1970s and 1980s, drawing on collective memory. Mau Tan, Kat Cheong, inspired by the city’s densely populated Iao Hon district, explores social changes in Macao over the past thirty years and more via the verbal memories of its residents. In Wonder.Land by Ieng Chi Dance Association and Concept Pulse Studio audiences are dazzled by a flow of light, shadow and sound, reviving body and mind.

Art lights up communities

A series of family entertainment programmes offer unique artistic experiences, including dance show The Inch-high Samurai, adapted from a Japanese fairytale by Namstrops, Goodbye, Little Prince by the Little Mountain Arts Association, from Macao, and Flotante by Company Flotante of Argentina. The artistic and cultural performances of the Performing Arts Gala in Iao Hon Garden will run for three consecutive nights, while in the ‘Quintessence of Tradition’ category the Cantonese Opera Juvenile’s Troupe of the General Union of Neighbours’ Association of Macao presents Mu Guiying Breaks through the Tianmen Gate. The patuá theatre play Saving Troubled Daddy is performed by Dóci Papiaçám di Macau Drama Group.

The ‘Melodious Music’ category includes the concerts An Alpine Symphony by Macao Orchestra and Shenzhen Symphony Orchestra, and Chinese Musical Painting by the Macao Chinese Orchestra, while the ‘Exhibition’ category features visual art exhibition Celebrating the 70^th Anniversary of the Founding of the People’s Republic of China and the 20^th Anniversary of Macao’s Return to the Motherland Beauty in the New Era - Masterpieces from the Collection of the National Art Museum of China.

Over 30 Outreach Activities

The 30^th MAF Outreach Programme features 19 programmes providing 30 activities, comprising talks, workshops, master classes, meet-the-artist sessions, accessibility services and movie screenings. The thematic talk A Cultural Gathering: Globetrotting across Time invites renowned Hong Kong host and writer Cheuk Wan-chi, literary scholar Tang Siu-wa and Macao writer Un Sio San to talk about travel experiences as well as sharing classic literature related to travel, movies and other artistic works.

In the Vertikal Dance Workshop, participants not only visit the stage setting of the grand opening performance of Vertikal but enjoy an aerial experience with the support of ropes. In One Day! Ready to Wear, participants follow local urban planner Lam Iek Chit on a visit to the remaining apparel manufacturing factories in Macao, comprehending the past glories of the industry and learning the basic manufacturing techniques of an experienced garment practitioner. Fumiyo Ikeda, one of the founding members and rehearsal director of the internationally renowned dance company Rosas, will hold a dance master class to teach participants the distinctive body principles and post-modern dance techniques used in the production.

This edition of MAF features Arts Festival Cruising in the City in a series of acrobatics and stilt performances in the community in a close-up-and-personal reaching out to the public. In order to enable people with visual and hearing impairments to enjoy the arts without barriers, arts accessibility services will be made available for the Ready to Wear show and two movie screenings.

Tickets for the 30^th MAF are now available from the 24-hour booking hotline: Macao (+853) 2855 5555; Hong Kong (+852) 2380 5083; Mainland China (+86) 1392 6911 111; and booking website: www.macauticket.com.

For more information, please visit: www.icm.gov.mo/fam.