The 19th Macao City Fringe Festival, organized by the Cultural Affairs Bureau, (IC, from the Portuguese acronym), features a series of outreach activities, including workshops, talks, exhibitions, sharing sessions, and the backstage volunteer campaign entitled “Slashie”, offering rich and diverse artistic experiences to the public.
The programme “On Site” under the series “Crème de la Fringe” features three “Body Playground” workshops, namely “Body Awareness and Research”, “Contemporary Dance Techniques: Muscular Conscience” and “Parkour x Dance”, which will be instructed by international dancers including Xiao Zhiren from Guangzhou, Diego Sinniger from Spain, Lee Hong Kiu and Li Tuokun from Hong Kong, respectively. Participants will further explore physical possibilities as well as learn from and exchange with the artists at close range.
In addition, the sharing session On Site – Chitchat Space will be held for participants to talk about life and art, and learn more about the artists’ cultural backgrounds and the creative reasons behind their productions. This is an open space for exchange, a network of artists and art enthusiasts that helps to create opportunities for its participants. The programme “Puppet and Object Theatre Festival in Coloane” under the series “Crème de la Fringe” features three workshops, namely “Creating with Objects Workshop”, “Every Object Hides a Story: Object Theatre Workshop” and “Hello Grown-ups! Hello Kids! Storytelling with Magic Box Workshop”.
In the “Creating with Objects Workshop”, Canadian artist Robert Leveroos will instruct participants to play around with various materials, and learn to listen to and take movement cues from objects. In the “Every Object Hides a Story: Object Theatre Workshop”, through observing daily life objects, participants will learn to probe into the history of the objects, identify the differences between them, and eventually discover the potentials. The “Hello Grown-ups! Hello Kids! Storytelling with Magic Box Workshop” is open for families to participate and get close with the arts. In the workshop, participants will learn to tell and interpret stories using a story box and experience the fun of sharing stories.
In addition, the “Contemporary Dance Workshop” by seasoned Korean dancer and dance instructor Seo Yun Shin, will guide the participants to experience the interaction between mind and breath and to learn the way of using music for self- expression, as well as explain the expressional differences between mime and contemporary dance. This edition of the Fringe Festival also features thematic exhibitions. Following their production Ready to Wear, the Artistry of Wind Box Community Development Association will present the exhibition “Unforgettable Memory of Macao Garment Industry” to show the life stories of local garment workers in the form of words, objects, sounds, images and costume designs, inviting the public to create a memory map of the garment industry.
The talk cum seminar “Fringe Talk x Fringe Chat” by Taiwan art critic Hung Mu-Cheng (Inka), will explore artistic endeavours that could highlight regional values by elaborating the topic on the symbiosis between art and local life. During the event, critics from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan will discuss the features and heartbeats of this year’s Fringe Festival. Art groups and the public are all welcome to join the discussion. Furthermore, this year’s Fringe Festival will continue to host the sharing session “Fringe Exchange: Connect with Festivals”, in which art event curators from Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai were invited to share their experience in organizing events and the cultural landscape of the respective regions, providing practical information for art groups and artists interested in performing overseas.
In addition, the backstage volunteer campaign “Slashie” is now going through the selection process, and participants will be assigned to the performing groups and attend the orientation session on 18 December. to get an in-depth experience of arts in an extraordinary way.
When: January 10–19, 2020
Where: Dom Pedro V Theatre, Navy Yard 2, Jorge Álvares Square, Rui Cunha Foundation, Cinematheque Passion, Patane Library, Lou Kau Mansion, Hiu Kok Arts Centre, Camões Garden, Old Court Building, Mount Fortress Garden, Nam Van Lake Nautical Center, Casa Garden, Macau Flying Eagle Training Centre Conference Room, Macao Conservatory
How much: Most events are free; the priced ones cost between MOP $50–120
For more information, call +853 8399 6872, check their website or Facebook page
