The Macao Arts Festival (MAF) will be back this year for its 27th edition and once again, it will be an action-packed culmination of artistic and cultural events bringing together theatre, dance, music, circus, multimedia and visual arts across various locations in Macau, from the 30th of April to 29th of May 2016.
Themed around “Time”, this year’s Macao Arts Festival will be based on the slogan “Reshape Your Imagination. Experience the Spirit of the Times”. This ultimately entails triumphing over the restrictions of space and time, enabling art lovers to appreciate classics that are refined through history as they enrich our lives through growth.
Throughout the month, 27 engaging programmes are lined up and they are divided into seven categories: Thematic Highlights, Groundbreakers, Cross-Disciplinary Creations, Family Entertainment, Quintessence of Tradition, Concerts and Exhibitions. No matter where your enthusiasm lies, there’s surely something that piques your interest.
In no particular order, here are four programmes we’re totally looking forward to experience:
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (U.S.A.) – Brought to you by the award-winning Shakespeare Theatre Company, this 3-hour opening performance will see a unique interpretation of William Shakespeare’s wondrous poetry in an inventive comedic play directed by Ethan McSweeny. This production is set in the ruins of an abandoned theatre, intermingling dream and reality, shadow and spectacle, mysterious metamorphoses and literal flights of fancy in a merriment of imagination.
Excerpts of The Peony Pavilion (Mainland China) – The Peony Pavilion is known as one of the Four Great Chinese Classical Dramas, and it’s definitely not to be missed if you’re passionate about Chinese opera. Performed in a Shengzhou dialect, this performance will be brought to you by the internationally renown Zhejiang Xiaobaihua Yue Opera Troupe and will adapt the Yue Opera performing style which encompasses elegant and nimble melodies with gracefulness.
TAO Dance Theatre (Mainland China) – Tao Ye is one of China’s greatest choreographers and he will present a developing dance style that explores the potential of the human body against its limits in a visual form. There will be two numbered series; 6 will see dancers move in a shifting landscape of light created by Ellen Ruge, accompanied by music from Chinese composer Xiao He, and 7 will be a play on pattern, precision and physical extremes, distinguished by acoustic effects generated by the dancers’ voices.
Obsession (Japan) – Inspired by the surrealist short film Un chien Andalou by Luis Buñuel, Obsession is brought to you by iconic Japanese choreographer Saburo Teshigawara. Teshigawara has developed an original artistic language that channels a new orientation for contemporary dance in Japan via his expertise, and this particular duet will be a compelling amalgamation of emotions that arise from love.
This year’s MAF promises immense excitement and invites spectators to an encounter with the soul and essence of culture and arts, alongside a juxtaposition of beauty and sorrow in the passage of time.
If you happen to be in Macau from the 30th of April to the 29th of May 2016, do check out the local and international shows presented to you by the 27th Macao Arts Festival. Access here for the full lineup and schedule.
