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Established by ordinance in 1984 with an autonomous governing council,
the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts offers professional training
in music, dance, drama, technical arts, film and television and Chinese
traditional theatre.
The academy secured the Bethanie, a Grade II historical
building in Pok Fu Lam, as its second campus. Funding was approved by
the Legislative Council's Finance Committee in March for restoration and
conversion works on the building.
Although a number of planned overseas tours were postponed
or cancelled due to the SARS outbreak, Academy students participated and
won prizes in several important international piano competitions overseas
— in Ukraine, Germany and Italy. Students from the Cantonese Opera
Programme and the Chinese Dance Department also won awards at competitions
held in Guangdong and Chengdu during the year. From July to September,
music students were invited by the Government's Economic and Trade Offices
in Europe and Asia to perform there, helping to revive the image of Hong
Kong.
The Academy's Extension and Continuing Education for
Life (EXCEL) Unit celebrated its second anniversary. During the year,
the unit enrolled 5 000 participants in over 200 courses
across the spectrum of disciplines taught at the Academy. |
