Tai Kwun Circus Plays

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Tai Kwun is pleased to announce the return of the acclaimed Circus Plays this December, in time for the Christmas and New Year season. Showcasing exhilarating circus performances, alongside a series of fun family workshops, Circus Plays offers a diverse range of events for all ages to share three weeks of festive joy and circus parties with the compound’s visitors.

Tai Kwun Circus Plays will be staged from 15 December 2021 to 2 Jan 2022, site-wide in Tai Kwun; tickets are available at art-mate.net and URBTIX, free registration is available online. Please visit the Tai Kwun website for programme details.

Flotados (Spain) │ 15–19.12.2021
Created by the prize-winning Spanish troupe David Moreno Cia. & Cristina Calleja, Flotados is an otherworldly outdoor circus performance that will take over the Parade Ground during Tai Kwun’s Circus Plays. Performing from a grand piano suspended a gravity-defying 8 metres overhead, two performers tell an enchanting love story through music, dance, acrobatics and video projections. Take a step back and look into the night sky, follow the elegant moves of the performers and immerse yourself in a universe of dreams. A romantic and holistic aerial dance is set to kick start an amazing Christmas for Tai Kwun guests.
Date & Time: 15–19 December 2021, 7:30pm Venue: Parade Ground, Tai Kwun
Free Admission

The ChristMice Cracker (Hong Kong) │ 24–27.12.2021
Inspired by the classical ballet The Nutcracker, Hong Kong’s own, home-grown physical theatre troupe TS Crew expands its most dramatic “battle” scene to create The ChristMice Cracker. With local flavours sprinkled to this classic, the exhilarating outdoor performance features lion dance, Chinese Opera, circus, acrobats, and beatboxing, as well as street performance spirits including unicycles, stilts and fire-breathing. Performed by a dozen of highly skilled local artists, this hybrid work of theatre, gala and contemporary circus is set to turn the Parade Ground into the dreamland of Clara and the Prince with a unique “Hong Kong” twist over the Christmas long weekend.
Date & Time: 24–27 December 2021, 4:30pm; 25–26 December 2021, 2pm Venue: Parade Ground, Tai Kwun
Free Admission

Ting-koo-ki Mad Skills Battle (Hong Kong x Taiwan) │31.12.2021–02.01.2022
Returning to Tai Kwun for the third year, Ting-Koo-Ki Mad Skills Battle and Gala are the most exciting circus party to showcase local and Taiwanese circus talents on the outdoor stage in the Parade Ground. Taking place over the New Year, the Gala celebrates each individual performer’s edgiest acts, before they participate in the Battle to win the audience’s vote in one-on-one challenges.
A co-produced circus movie, Isabella by Tai Kwun and Hsingho Co., will also be presented online in the New Year. Directed by Portuguese circus artist Ricardo S. Mendes, the film features circus talents from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Portugal, Italy and France along with their unique props. The film presents a touching story of circus performers’ lives as they exist as both human beings and artists.
Date & Time:
TKK Mad Skills Gala │31.12.2021-01.01.2022, 3pm;
TKK Mad Skills Battle │02.01.2022, 3pm;
Circus Movie Isabella│from 30.12.2021, online
Venue: Parade Ground, Tai Kwun
Free Admission, registration needed (Circus Movie excluded)

CircusCracker Workshops │24.12.2021–02.01.2022
From Christmas Eve to the New Year, a series of workshops echoing the theme of “Nutcracker” will be available to the public, free-of-charge. Participants will first enjoy the demonstration by the professional artists, before they learn and experience the crafts and tricks first-hand. Designed for families, the CircusCracker Workshops encompass crystal ball, Kendama, puppet-making and more. Join and challenge yourself this season to unleash the untapped potential within you!
Date & Time: 24.12.2021–02.01.2022 Venue: Site-wide, Tai Kwun
Free Admission, registration needed

Circus Camp for Professionals│01–02.01.2022
Returning with critical acclaim, the world’s leading juggling company Gandini Juggling will host another year of advanced training workshop for local jugglers and choreographers. Sean Gandini and Kati Ylä-Hokkala, the Artistic Directors of the company, will take their recent work LIFE, inspired by Merce Cunningham, as the lead to explore the concept of “layering” as well as the relationship between choreography and contemporary circus.
Date & Time: 01–02.01.2022 Venue: JC Cube, Tai Kwun
Free Admission, registration needed

‘Tis the Season of Tai Kwun
The festive season will soon be in full swing at Tai Kwun, as Christmas décor and jolly activities tinsel the grounds of Hong Kong’s centre for heritage and arts. Visitors can find themselves immersed in a fabulous Christmas environment thanks to The Hong Kong Jockey Club, as a 12 metre tall “The Giving Tree” is hoisted in the centre of Parade Ground. So cosy up and embrace the Christmas spirit at Tai Kwun!