Hong Kong Ballet’s Special
Relaxed Performance:
Swan Lake Thrills Audience
A Meaningful Partnership with Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong
[Hong Kong – 13 April 2018] On 25 March, audiences were in for a special treat as Hong Kong Ballet and its Accessible Partner Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (ADAHK) presented Relaxed Performance: Swan Lake for charitable organisations at Y Theatre in Chai Wan. Over 400 people with autism, intellectual disabilities and special needs and their caregivers attended Hong Kong Ballet’s first-ever relaxed performance, where the abridged, narrated version of Swan Lake was customised for the appreciative audience members from 24 NGOs.
Adjustments were made to lighting and sound and chill out zones were designed with the audiences’ special needs in mind. Theatrical interpretation was provided for people with hearing impairment during the performance and at the pre-performance talk, when Swan Lake’s main characters – Princess Odette/Odile, Prince Siegfried, the Queen, Von Rothbart and the Narrator – were introduced. After the show, HKB dancers Law Lok Huen Tirion and Cheng Hei Lam Michelle spoke about their personal experiences with ballet and Swan Lake and taught the audience members some ballet mime, also with theatrical interpretation.
Audience feedback for the show was immediate and overwhelmingly positive. One mother with an autistic son marveled that he sat completely still for the one-hour performance and said she had never seen him so attentive before. Relaxed Performance: Swan Lake is one of Hong Kong Ballet’s new initiatives to bring the joy of ballet to every corner and segment of the community.
Participating organisations included:
- Autism Partnership Foundation
- Caritas Hong Kong Parents Resource Centre
- Hong Chi Pinehill Integrated Vocational Training Centre
- Hong Kong Christian Service Wan Tsui Early Education & Training Centre
- JC A-Connect (Family Support Programme), Caritas-Hong Kong
- Lutheran School for the Deaf
- The Parents' Association of Pre-School Handicapped Children
- Po Leung Kuk Yao Ling Sun Hostel
- SAHK
- The Salvation Army Shaukiwan Community Day Rehabilitation Service
- St. James' Settlement Sunny Residence & Sunny Integrated Services Team
- Wai Ji Christian Service Tin King Bradbury Centre cum Hostel
- Yan Chai Hospital, Sheung Wan Rehabilitation Service Centre
Special thanks to the following generous supporters of Hong Kong Ballet who made the relaxed performance possible:
Donor List
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Mrs Vivian Lee Chan
Dr Adrian Cheong
Mr Lawrence Chu
Mr Spencer Fung
Ms Mandy Chan Ginsberg
Miss Payton Mikaela Ho
Ms Alice Yin Hung
Mr & Mrs Gerald Keefe
Mrs Michele Lai
Mrs Millie Tong Lau
Mr Edwin Lee
Ms Sharon Lim
Ms Sara G J Mao
Ms Pan Honglan
Mr Harvey Ven
Mrs Barbara Zhang
What is a relaxed performance?
A relaxed performance welcomes audiences who benefit from a more relaxed environment and is ideal for those with autism, sensory issues and/or learning difficulties. Certain production elements such as lights and sounds are adjusted to soften the sensory experience of the performance. Additionally, ‘chill-out zones’ are vailable for anyone feeling overwhelmed during the show.
DOWNLOAD PRESS PHOTOS
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Photo 1: Theatrical interpretation was provided for the hearing impaired
Photo 2: A warm welcome from the audience for the queen
Photo 3: Dancers (from Left): Chaelee Kim, Lee Joo Ho
Photo 4 (from left): Theatrical interpreter; Hong Kong Ballet Dancers; Rick Lau, Narrator
Photo 5: Hong Kong Ballet Dancers
Photo 6: Everyone loved swinging feathers around during the interactive parts
Photo 7: Dancers Law Lok Huen Tirion and Cheng Hei Lam Michelle were interviewed by Vency Kwok, Education and Community Outreach Manager of Hong Kong Ballet, accompanied by theatrical interpretation
Photo 8: A lively Pre-performance Talk introduced Swan Lake’s main characters
Photo 9: The audience learned some ballet mime from Michelle and Tirion
Photo 10: Participating organisation
Photo 11: Participating organisation
About Hong Kong Ballet
An eclectic mix of talent, a balance of classical and contemporary works, and a unique repertoire are the trademarks of Hong Kong Ballet, Asia’s premier ballet company. Internationally recognised and acclaimed for its creativity, talent and artistry, the Company, led by Artistic Director Septime Webre, is committed to providing captivating experiences that delight and inspire audiences from all walks of life, both at home and abroad.
About Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong
Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong (ADAHK) promotes equal opportunity to people with disabilities to have access to and excel in the arts and advocates an inclusive society through the arts. ADAHK has organized numerous activities to popularize the arts among people with disabilities and promote excellence in the works of artists with disabilities in Hong Kong. ADAHK provides opportunities for professional training for people with disabilities to develop and nurture their artistic talents, and to promote excellence in their work. We also work with the general public to promote integration and inclusion in society through the arts.
For further information, please contact:
Nick Chan
Director of Marketing
T: 2105 9716
M: 9728 1777
[email protected]
