Events Calendar
Adelaide Festival Centre has unveiled the 2014 OzAsia Festival program, which celebrates Adelaide’s sister state, Shandong Province, China. The Festival will feature more than 140 performers from the region and will put the spotlight on its rich history and resplendent culture as well as presenting performances and events from on Japan, India, Korea, Philippines, Cambodia, Palestine, Bangladesh, Russia, Indonesia, Mongolia and of course Australia.
Minister for the Arts Jack Snelling says “OzAsia is the largest and pre-eminent cultural event in Australia presenting on works from the Asian region and is recognised around Asia as an important step in solidifying Asian – Australian relationships. The Festival has grown steadily since its inception eight years ago and is now an important event on South Australia’s cultural calendar.
It addition to entertaining audiences, OzAsia is helping our understanding of Asian culture, traditions and language and connecting local Australian Asian communities who have historically not taken part in cultural activities in Adelaide.
This year the focus on Shandong will bring to Adelaide some amazing shows and exhibitions that would otherwise never be seen in this country. This exchange of culture will nurture our Sister-State relationship with Shandong which is providing unique social, cultural and economic opportunities for South Australia.”
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier says, “OzAsia has grown over the last eight years and has been embraced by local Asian communities and mainstream audiences alike. It has enriched the experience of South Australian Audiences by providing a more diverse range of artistic expression while also helping our understanding of Asian culture and traditions. OzAsia Festival is a vital ingredient in aiding cultural understanding and promoting a harmonious community.
This year’s OzAsia Festival showcases Asia’s diverse arts and culture, through an array of performances, events, workshops, forums, lectures and exhibitions. From acclaimed Shandong Acrobatic Troupe to Beijing’s famed minimalistic dance troupe, TAO Dance Theatre. This great work has never been seen in this country before and is exclusive to OzAsia festival.
The Festival engages audiences through theatre, dance, music both contemporary and traditional, film, percussion, food and calligraphy. Audiences of all ages will have the opportunity to learn more about this province which is the cradle of Chinese civilisation and gain insights into the eternal charm of ancient Shandong and the many facets of its contemporary culture.”
Program highlights:
Qingdao Song and Dance Theatre’s premiere and exclusive performance of Red Sorghum; the company is renowned for their breathtaking work. Adapted from the novel by Shandong’s Nobel Prize winning author Mo Yan, and is the winner of this year’s Wenhua Prize, China’s Ministry of Culture’s highest award for professional arts, the work presents themes of love, affection and patriotism.
Ghosts, foxes, immortals and demons are brought to live with stunning performances, breathtaking acrobatics and dream-like staging by award winning Shandong Acrobatic Troupe. Featuring more than 50 performers the Australian premiere of Dream of the Ghost Story is a spectacular and visually stunning experience for the whole family.
Based on a true story of a Japanese-Australian photographer Yasukichi Murakami, what begins as a search for the past, becomes a quest for immortality in Yasukichi Murakami – Through a Distant Lens.
Another explosive Australian premiere see’s Director Wang Chong and Théatre Du Réve Expérimental present Ibsen in One Take, a movie, filmed live on stage in a single take. Inspired by the works of Norwegian dramatic playwright Henrik Ibsen, the work is an avant garde explosion of theatrical convention in China that defies artistic and technical expectations.
Beijing’s famed minimalist modern dance troupe TAO Dance Theatre has taken China by storm and is now set to captivate Adelaide audiences this September with the performance of 6 and the world premiere of 7, commissioned by Sadler’s Wells, with the support of the Adelaide Festival Centre.
Queen of Beijing rock and the self-professed ‘Blondie of China’ Helen Feng brings her long-awaited solo project Nova Heart, her four piece psych-rock band to OzAsia Festival.
Floating Melodies sees Adelaide icon The Popeye come to lifefor a series of concerts on the River Torrens. Mujhe Rang De Give Me Colour celebrates the culture of Bollywood with Fahad Farooque, and Way of Tea will immerse you in Japanese culture with an intimate tea ceremony and performance by David Kotlowy and Mayumi Kako.
A world-first music project, Synergy Percussion, Australia’s oldest and foremost contemporary music ensemble, joins forces with Noreum Machi one of Korea’s most important proponents of traditional drumming in a dark vibrant and transformative concert experience Synergy Percussion Meets Noreum Machi.
World-renowned composer and conductor Tan Dun returns to the OzAsia Festival with the magnificent Adelaide Symphony Orchestra with the Australian premiere of Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women. Tan Dan weaves heart wrenching stories of mothers, daughters, sisters and how they navigate their lives through the secret language of Nu Shu.
Due to last year’s highly successful collaboration with the Migration Museum, they return this year with a day-long celebration and exploration of the origins and cultures of tea. Infused: All About Tea will feature cooking demonstrations by special guest Simon Bryant using tea-based recipes. This family-friendly event is FREE.
