Showcases Vibrant Local and International Performing Arts, Establishing City as Hub for International Cultural Exchange
A flagship platform for performing arts featuring more than 100 performances, talks, and events
The Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) proudly presents the inaugural Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo (HKPAX). Taking place from 14 to 18 October 2024, the five-day expo institutes an important platform for new artistic connections, establishing Hong Kong as an East-meets-West centre for cultural exchange among professional creative personnel from across the city, Mainland China and the world. Through wide-ranging performances, workshops and collaborations, HKPAX aims to foster an understanding of diMerent cultures, further inspiring creativity and encouraging potential artistic partnerships.
Vibrant and dynamic, the event hosts a myriad of activities specially curated for the enjoyment of arts enthusiasts and industry insiders. Culture enthusiasts are invited to immerse themselves in a diverse array of musical theatre, dance, comedy, and more at HKPAX’s Expo Programmes and International Showcases, with tickets available for purchase at URBTIX. The public is also warmly invited to support Hong Kong’s trailblazers at Ground Search—a free programme requiring prior registration, showcasing performances by small and medium-sized companies. For arts practitioners, academics and experts purchasing HKPAX passes, the event oMers curated programmes and activities for participants from the global arts community to connect, including cultural oMerings, networking opportunities, pitch sessions and talks.
HKPAX Highlights
Showcasing a myriad of thoughtfully curated activities, HKPAX will present a wide range of cultural experiences for both arts enthusiasts and professionals. It will feature over 60 performances, encompassing 16 Expo Programmes, 15 International Showcases, the Pitch Session programmes participated by 12 arts groups, as well as the Ground Search programmes participated by 21 small and medium-sized local performing arts groups and individual artists.
Expo Programmes
HKPAX has collaborated with international arts organisations to co-create three exciting programmes highlighting local and international talent:
1014 – Nanyin x Jazz co-created by HKPAX and China Performing Arts Agency
Artists from Hong Kong and Mainland China, including acclaimed Hong Kong theatre director Tang Shu-wing, veteran Cantonese opera and Nanyin music performer Yuen Siu- fai, and composer Daniel Chu, come together to explore humanity’s hopes and uncertainties about the future in a unique musical theatre production that fuses jazz with Nanyin, a classical style of narrative Chinese singing.
Time in a Bottle co-created by HKPAX and Ishikawa Ongakudo
Curated, written, and composed by Hong Kong composer Leon Ko, and envisioned in collaboration with Japanese set designer Hiroko Matsuo, this theatrical presentation integrates music, scents, and perfume bottles. An oboe, a string quartet, and a piano accompany the evocative visual journey.
Journey of Discovery co-created by HKPAX and National Arts Council of South Africa
Hong Kong-born music director Ng Cheuk-yin spearheads an alliance of young musicians from South Africa and Hong Kong. Blending contrasting cultural backgrounds and musical styles from both regions, the piece forges new musical horizons, inviting the audience on an exploratory sonic journey.
In addition, many local performing arts groups and organisations, including Chung Ying Theatre Company, City Contemporary Dance Company, Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong Ballet, Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra, Hong Kong Dance Company, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Hong Kong Repertory Theatre, Hong Kong Sinfonietta, Leisure and Cultural Services Department, The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and Xiqu Centre of WKCD, will stage signature productions at various theatres throughout the city.
International Showcases
15 International Showcases, selected from 305 global submissions, have been curated to provide a taste of the wide variety of performing arts. Featuring five shows from Hong Kong and Mainland China, and ten international productions, the International Showcases span drama, dance, musical theatre, Chinese opera (xiqu) and diverse multidisciplinary arts—ranging from large-scale productions to intimate solo performances.
HKPAX International Showcases include BENCHED by Denmark’s Uppercut Dance Theatre, a dance show oriented around shifting benches that marries contemporary dance, breakdance, capoeira and street dance to explore the complexities of human relationships; LauZone from Hong Kongers Anna Lo and Rick Lau, a cabaret show employing original music and irreverent humour to honour the city’s rich melting pot of culture; and Perhaps, Perhaps… Quizas by Gabriela Muñoz, who creates a clown character delving into loneliness, anticipation and yearning in an emotive routine.
OMerings also include A Flexitarian by The Three Bowls Co-op from Mainland China, a monologue theatre piece played out around a large onstage terrarium that delves into a woman’s post-divorce dilemmas and broader themes of female autonomy; Echoes of the City by Run-around Ensemble from Hong Kong, a sentimental musical exploration blending a diverse array of ethnic instruments such as the Chinese pipa and the Japanese shakuhachi; and The Island! by Burkicom from the Czech Republic, a captivating dance performance that transports viewers into unspoiled nature, oMering a multimedia depiction of the habitat of an unnamed island.
Ground Search
To highlight Hong Kong’s diverse culture formed by the fusion of Chinese heritage and Western culture, HKPAX has dedicated a stage for 21 local solo, small, and medium-sized performing arts groups and artists. The Ground Search programme, spanning three days, will empower performing arts groups and artists to showcase segments of their works and engage with the audience, thereby fostering connections with the expo’s international participants and promoting artistic exchanges and collaborations. The public is welcome to attend the Ground Search programme for free with prior registration.
Pitch Sessions
Selected from 133 global submissions, the Pitch Session highlights 12 stunning performances. An opportunity for original creative projects to source funding, or groundbreaking experiments to find a venue or presenter, exciting new ideas are sure to emerge in these sessions. Connecting practitioners to a whole world of business opportunities and potential partners, these short, consolidated performances will mark the beginning of many incredible artistic journeys.
Conversations
In addition to inviting attendees to experience innovative presentations from the world’s up-and-comers, HKPAX also brings guests into the worldwide discussion examining dynamic arts scenes and global cultural trends. The Expo incubates important and productive dialogues through numerous conversation-focused programmes such as Forums, Leadership Talks and Sharing Sessions from artists, arts leaders and producers.
West Kowloon Art Park Exhibition
Under the marquee on the beautiful lawn of West Kowloon’s Art Park, exhibitors gather to display playfully spirited ideas promoting arts practitioners, venues and festivals. This is the place where performing arts professionals introduce exciting productions and pitch new projects to potential supporters and audiences.
Tour to Guangzhou/ Shenzhen
HKPAX oMers an optional tour of Shenzhen and Guangzhou — two hotbeds of performing arts culture in the region — to underscore the Expo’s aim of fostering cultural exchange and immersion. HKPAX arranges all transportation, accommodation, scheduling and meetings with local artists and administrators during the trip. Highlights in the schedule include a luncheon in Shenzhen with performing arts practitioners, visits to the cultural facilities in Shenzhen’s Guangming district, cutting edge arts tech enterprises, the late Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Opera House and Xinghai Concert Hall.
Cultural ONerings
HKPAX’s cultural oMerings provide participants rare opportunities to immerse themselves in first-hand experiences that nurture both body and soul. Featuring martial arts and Chinese dance workshops, singing-bowl sonic journeys, neighbourhood walking tours and cooking classes, locals and visitors alike can soak up the city’s unique Asian cultural ambience and traditions.
HKPAX partners with multiple venues across Hong Kong to facilitate these programmes. Most scheduled events are hosted at the West Kowloon Cultural District, a burgeoning arts hub with performance venues, museums, green spaces and dining establishments—along with a waterfront promenade to enjoy the sea breeze. Other venues include the city’s prestigious theatres and exhibition sites, including the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Tai Kwun, Asia Society Hong Kong and Hong Kong Arts Centre.
Hong Kong’s first Performing Arts Expo oMers a compelling platform solidifying Hong Kong’s status as a vibrant hub for international cultural exchange and promoting a deeper appreciation for the city’s unique hybrid of Western and Eastern culture. By connecting global arts communities and incubating innovative new works, HKPAX seeks to shape the industry’s future. We hope all participants are inspired to exchange ideas, explore new horizons of creativity and help propel the development of a thriving, collaborative and sustainable arts ecology across Asia and beyond.
For more information of the Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo, please visit the oMicial HKPAX website at hkpax.org.hk. The schedule of the HKPAX events can also be found on the oMicial HKPAX website at hkpax.org.hk/en/page/schedule.